Pixar Animation Studios

Background
Pixar Animation Studios (pronounced "pics-ar") was formed in 1979 as The Graphics Group of Lucasfilm Computer Division by Edwin Catmull, Steve Jobs, and John Lasseter. It was renamed to its current name in 1986, and originally produced CGI animated shorts, most notably The Adventures of André and Wally B., Luxo Jr., and Tin Toy. They later began working on feature films starting with 1995's Toy Story, a joint production with Walt Disney Feature Animation which was the first-ever full-length film to be computer-animated. In 2006, Pixar was acquired by The Walt Disney Company.

(July 25, 1984)
Nicknames: "The Glory Days", "PixFilm"

Logo: On a background of leaves and sticks, the words ' The LUCASFILM COMPUTER GRAPHICS PROJECT presents ' appear after the logo completely fades in. After a few seconds, the logo cuts to reveal the title card for The Adventures of André and Wally B.

FX/SFX: None

Music/Sounds: The theme to the short (taken from a rendition of "The Barber of Seville: Figaro's Aria").

Availability: Ultimately rare. This can only be seen on Pixar's first short The Adventures of André and Wally B., which can be seen on the DVD and Blu-ray for Pixar Short Films Collection Volume 1.

Editor's Note: None.

1st Logo (August 17, 1986-1990)
Nicknames: "The Square", "The Pixar Square", "Beveled Square with a Dent", "The Early Shorts"

Logo: On a black background, we see a square with four circles in, , , and white respectively below. Suddenly, a white light hovers over them, making them 3-D. The circles then turn into spheres. A circle zooms in on the square and the four spheres zoom out. The word "Times New Roman" in the Trajan Pro font fades in with each sphere and the end of the letter.

Trivia: Variants:
 * The square in this logo was based on the Pixar Image Computer, which is also where the company got its name.
 * On Tin Toy, the square can be seen on a bag.
 * The square can also be seen on the game box on Geri's Game.
 * This logo also makes a cameo in Toy Story 2 on a television channel seen by Andy's toys during the channel-changing scene.
 * This logo was created by director and executive producer John Lasseter on a stone-cutting machine.
 * On Luxo Jr., an in-credit text is used with the square to the left of the text.
 * On a demo reel from 1988, the standard logo is still and gray diamonds replace the spheres. The end of the reel has the logo pushed up with the company's address below. The text style used in this variant is also used on all variants listed below.
 * At the beginning of another demo reel from 1990, Tinny from Tin Toy can be seen on the right side of the screen with the Pixar logo at the top left and a 1990 copyright stamp on the bottom left. At the end, it just shows the normal Pixar logo without the symbol but with a different address and phone number.
 * On Red's Dream, the Pixar square logo is seen, which fades into the text "PIXAR".
 * On Tin Toy, we see only the text and it scrolls from right to left.
 * On the original version of Knick Knack, the Pixar square logo zooms appears by a light and the text zooms up to the screen.
 * On the 1989 party video, the Pixar logo is rendered with a high specular and no wordmark.

FX/SFX: The light, the circle in the square zooming in, the circles at the bottom zooming out and the fade in of the text.

Music/Sounds: On original prints of Luxo Jr., and Beach Chair, it used a big band style tune (which is taken from the ending of "Take a Bow 1", composed by David Lindup for Bruton Music (now APM Music)). The same stock music is from a syndication promo Studio City made called "Spin City on Ice" which you may find at the beginning here. The variants use the short's opening theme. It can be listened here. It was also used on three episodes of Spongebob Squarepants ("Artist Unknown", "Suction Cup Symphony" and "Bobcook"). On newer prints of Luxo Jr. starting with the DVD and Blu-ray for Pixar Short Films Collection Volume 1, the standard logo is silent, likely due to the use of the 5.1 remix from the 1999 prints that accompanied Toy Story 2, which replaced the logo with the 1995 logo and a notice that reads "In 1986, Pixar Animation Studios produced its first film. This is why we have a hopping lamp in our logo." However, the Disney+ prints of the movie have an intact logo.

Music/Sounds Variants:
 * On the 1989 party video, we hear a triumphant majestic fanfare followed by a voiceover (Pixar employee Craig Good) remarking "The 1989 Christmas Video, brought to you by Pixar. Nobody knows exactly what it is we do, but they know we do it better than anyone in the world."
 * On Tin Toy, a whimsical orchestral tune plays (taken from "Puffin' Billy" by Bruce Campbell).
 * On Red's Dream, a rainy sound effect plays, followed by a saxophone playing a sad tune.

Availability: Uncommon. Seen on Pixar's animated shorts from 1986 until 1989. It is usually plastered over on re-releases of these shorts, but it is intact on certain shorts released on Pixar Short Films Collection Volume 1. It has turned up on an original Australian VHS copy of Toy Story 2 which had the short Luxo Jr. before the film, and a music video after the film was done. Was also seen on the early short Beach Chair which can be found on the aforementioned Pixar Short Films Collection Volume 1 DVD (without the logo) as a bonus feature, as well as the rare Pixar employee DVD Made In Point Richmond (with the logo).

Editor's Note: While this logo may look simple, it is still well-animated, and it was very advanced for its time.

2nd Logo (November 19, 1995-)
Nicknames: "Luxo Jr.", "Pixar Lamp"

Logo: On a light blue background, we see the text "Times New Roman" in a spaced-out Charlemagne Bold face (the "Times New Roman" and the "Times New Roman" appear to overlap the floor). Then, Luxo Jr. hops by. He stops once he notices the "I" on the left side. He shakes his body and bounces on the "I" four times before squishing it. He looks around as the text "ANIMATION STUDIOS" fades in underneath the letters "A" and "R". He then faces the camera. Afterwards, it either fades out, or the light slowly dims until it's completely dark, leaving just the light from Luxo Jr, which then switches off one second later.

Trivia:
 * The lamp is the titular character from Pixar's very first animated short, Luxo Jr., made in 1986. "Luxo" was trademarked by Jac Jacobsen Industrier A.S., also known as Luxo ASA. The sound effects are also taken from said short. Luxo Jr. was also a unlockable character in Lego The Incredibles, known simply as "Junior", due to a copyright issue with Luxo ASA, and was unlocked after completing a Family Build of a statue of Luxo Jr. and the Luxo ball. Both the build and the character are made with Lego bricks and are different than the one shown in the Pixar logo variant shown below.
 * The logo was designed by Pixar veteran Pete Docter and animated by Pixar subsidiary Hi Tech Toons.
 * This was done on an SGI Indigo workstation. The lamp and the letters were modeled with Alias/Wavefront PowerAnimator and textured with Amazon Paint. The logo was rendered with PhotoRealistic Renderman on a Sun Microsystems supercomputer with a SPARC processor. The logo was recorded to 35mm negative on Management Graphics equipment with Monaco Labs developing it to reversal.
 * The remastered 2008 version was animated and produced by Pixar employee Gini Cruz Santos.
 * The reanimated 2019 version was done with the Presto Animation System.

Alternate Descriptive Video Descriptions:
 * 2008-2011: An illuminated desk lamp hops past the word Pixar. It squashes the letter I. A subtitle appears: Animation Studios.
 * 2012-2018: An illuminated desk lamp squashes the letter I in Pixar. Pixar Animation Studios.
 * 2019-present: A logo reads "Pixar Animation Studios". Luxo Jr. hops in. The little desk lamp jumps on the letter I, squashing it down, then looks around.

Variants:
 * On original prints of Cars and the video game adaptation of said film, the text "20 YEARS" (with Luxo Jr.'s light replacing the 0 in "20"), with "CELEBRATING" above it in tiny letters, appears when the logo dims, using the closing version of the logo as a base.
 * On theatrical releases of Cars 2, after the logo finishes, the letters disappear leaving just the lamp, a la the closing version. Then, everything fades out and "CELEBRATING" fades in and slowly zooms in on a black background. Behind the text "25 YEARS" (with "25" above the "YEARS") fades in behind the "CELEBRATING" and is in a light blue font. The normal logo is seen elsewhere.
 * On Buzz Lightyear of Star Command, the Game Boy Color and Advance versions of the Monsters, Inc. video game adaptation (latter version with a background), and Operation: Camouflage for the iPhone and iPod Touch, a still version without Luxo Jr. on a white background exists.
 * On Toy Story trailers and TV spots, it's the same as above, but inverted.
 * On Toy Story 3 for the iPhone and iPod Touch and most handheld versions of Pixar games, a still version with Luxo Jr. exists, which is a still version of the completed logo.
 * There is a short version that starts with the completed logo and only includes Luxo Jr. looking at us. It usually appears in front of shorts and trailers, as well as at the beginning of Monsters, Inc.
 * At the end of international releases of Onward, the short version is extended to show the lamp's bulb shutting off.
 * From 2008 with WALL-E to 2018 with Incredibles 2, the logo was remastered in HD. Also, the closing variant now has "ANIMATION STUDIOS" fade in a little later than the opening logo.
 * At the end of some movies, the logo cuts in instead of fading in as it usually would.
 * Starting in 2019 with Toy Story 4, the remastered logo was re-animated and re-rendered with Pixar's current software. The changes include some minor color correction and the lamp being remodeled with a new base and an LED bulb. And for the closing version, Luxo Jr.'s base is audibly shown when the light is dimmed.
 * On Kinect Rush: A Disney/Pixar Adventure, the animation starts from the point where the lamp is already in place. However, the full opening version is used in Rush: A Disney/Pixar Adventure (The Xbox One version of the game).
 * On Toy Story 4 and at the end of Onward and Lightyear (2D versions), the words "ANIMATION STUDIOS" are already formed while the logo still plays as normal.
 * This also appears at the end of Soul, albeit using a variant.
 * On Pixar's 20th Anniversary Special, when the lamp has squished the I, we can see "CELEBRATING 20 YEARS".
 * On the 20th Anniversary Special, Jack-Jack Attack and Auntie Edna (the latter using the Incredibles 2 variant), the logo is shortened to where Luxo Jr. squashes the I.
 * On the end of the series Cars: On the Road, the closing variant of the logo is shortened to Luxo Jr. looking to the viewer.

FX/SFX: Very nice CGI that still holds up over 25 years later. All done at Pixar themselves.

Music/Sounds: In order: the metallic sound of the lamp hopping, some whizzing sounds when the lamp shakes his body, squeaky rubber-like sounds when he jumps on the "I", and then some more squeaking sounds and a clunk as he looks around (in the closing variant, the logo ends with the click of a switch). Designed by Gary Rydstrom at Skywalker Sound, and mixed by Tom Myers.

Music/Sounds Variants:
 * On some movies, the opening theme of the movie plays over the logo instead.
 * On Coco, the sound Luxo Jr. makes when he turns to us is replaced by a bell tolling, continuing into the film's intro.
 * At the end of some films, the closing theme plays over the logo, sometimes ending with the lamp's bulb clicking off.
 * At the start of Incredibles 2 (albeit using a custom variant), the fanfare from the custom Disney logo carries onto the custom variant of the Pixar logo and the sound effects are different.
 * On Turning Red, the opening theme of the movie (continuing into the film's intro) starts after Luxo squishes the I, drowning out the last sound effects.
 * Cars: On the Road has the remaining part of the closing theme play over the usual sound of the lamp turning off.
 * On PAL printings of Pixar films, the sound effects are higher-pitched.

Availability: Current and extremely common.
 * Seen on all Pixar movies and shorts from 1995 onward, with the exception of the 3-D prints of most newer movies, which use the next logo below.
 * It first appeared at the very end of Toy Story (and appears at the beginning of said film on most current prints, following the 2006 Walt Disney Pictures logo, and plastering the Pixar variant of the WDP logo) and has appeared at the beginning and end of all Pixar features starting with A Bug's Life.
 * Also appears on video games based on Pixar films, sometimes albeit using a variant. It also had a variant of the logo in Lego The Incedibles, and was rendered in-game, carring over from the Disney logo, as an Omnidroid, made in Lego bricks, which was was turned into a ball as Luxo Jr., also made in Lego bricks, a la the Lego version of the second trailer for Cars 2, was bouncing onto it and destroys it. After Luxo Jr. looks at the camera, it zooms out to reveal the rest of the Pixar letters, which are all made in Lego bricks, as the "R" in "PIXAR" is being built before being covered up.
 * The original version was last used on Ratatouille; it later made reappearances on the teaser for Cars 2 in 2010 and a TV spot for the 3D re-release of Finding Nemo in 2012.
 * The remastered logo debuted on WALL-E, and it was last used at the end of Incredibles 2, due to having a custom variant at the beginning.
 * The reanimated variant first appeared on the second trailer for Toy Story 4, and made its official debut on the movie itself, even appearing on the 3-D version instead of the next logo, and then every film following it, most recently Lightyear.
 * The white background variant is fairly rare and was only seen on Buzz Lightyear of Star Command.
 * It plasters the previous logo on newer prints of Luxo Jr. (Disney+ prints of the movie have the original logo intact) and Knick Knack.
 * On current prints of the first two Toy Story films, Monsters, Inc., Finding Nemo, and Cars, the original logo is replaced by the remastered one, though the original version is still intact on current prints of A Bug's Life, The Incredibles, and Ratatouille.

Editor's Note: This logo is one of the most popular logos in existence, and is cherished by many. The many variations of this logo that have been created are fun to watch as well.

3rd Logo (3-D Alternative) (May 29, 2009-)
Nicknames: "Luxo Jr. II", "Pixar Lamp II"

Logo: We start on a black screen. Then, the camera pans away from the "P" in "PIXAR", and we zoom out as the animation plays. "Times New Roman" also zooms in underneath.

Variants:
 * On current prints of Monsters, Inc., the logo is shortened.
 * Just like its 2D counterpart, the logo has also been re-animated and re-rendered with Pixar's current software. So far, seen on Onward and Lightyear.
 * A sped up version (with a fade out effect at the end) of the closing variant is seen when you go to Pixar's brand page on the Disney+ website on browser. Furthermore, the finalized logo was shifted upwards to fit the page's style.
 * On the 2020 Disney Investor Day, transitioning from the Walt Disney Animation Studios panel via the static Pixar logo with clouds from Andy's room moving upwards, the logo is high toned and the "ANIMATION STUDIOS" text is not shown. After it's formed, the chief creative officer of Pixar, Pete Docter, walks in, as the logo is a background, as it fades to pictures of Pixar's history, then the logo was zoomed in, cutting from the posters of Pixar's past films and shorts, then cuts back to the logo then showing some of the new members of the Pixar staff, covering the logo, then disappear to show the logo once again. Following that, it fades out as he announces the 1st film in this panel, Soul. After transitioning from the Disney+ and Pixar logos (with the static Pixar logo), showing the Pixar logo once again, it transitions to the announcement of the 2nd film in this panel, Luca. Afte that, it fades in, showing the Pixar logo once again, it zooms out and transitions to a red gradient background, as he announces the 3rd film in this panel, Turning Red, then it transitions back to the Pixar logo. After that, it cuts into the the logo for the 4th and final film in this panel, Lightyear. At the end of the Pixar panel, transitioning from the logo for Lightyear, it transitions back to the Pixar logo. After that, Luxo Jr.'s bulb is dimmed as he runs away, making the logo and its background dark as it's moving to the right, fading to black, and transitions over to the Marvel Studios panel.

FX/SFX: Same as the last logo, with the addition of the moving camera.

Music/Sounds: Same as the previous logo or the opening/closing theme of the movie.

Music/Sounds Variant: At the end of the Pixar panel at the 2020 Disney Investor Day, the opening part of the 2016 Marvel Studios fanfare, composed by Michael Giacchino, was heard, transitioning from the generic music, as it continues onto the Marvel Studios panel.

Availability: Current and common.
 * Seen on most Pixar 3-D releases starting with Up.
 * Also seen when the first two Toy Story films, Finding Nemo, and Monsters, Inc. were re-released in Disney Digital 3-D, as well as the 3D Blu-Rays of Cars and A Bug's Life.
 * This and the 2011 Disney logo plaster the previous logo on 3-D prints of For the Birds.
 * It also appears on both 3-D and even 2-D prints of newer shorts, except for 22 Vs. Earth and Ciao Alberto, which use the previous logo instead.
 * The final movie to use the original version was Incredibles 2.
 * The reanimated variant debuted on the 3D version of Onward as well as the 2020 Disney Investor Day, and on Lightyear.
 * Don't expect this to appear on the 3D version of Toy Story 4, as it uses the previous logo instead of this for some reason. It also did not appear on Soul, Luca, and Turning Red, all of which had to cancel their theatrical runs because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Editor's Note: This is a fun twist on the Pixar logo, perfectly taking advantage of the 3D format.