INCREDIBLES BUT TRUE!
By David Edwards, Dec 3 2004, www.mirror.co.uk
PIXAR, the animation powerhouse behind Toy Story, Finding Nemo and The Incredibles, has raked in an astonishing £1.5billion since its launch in 1986.
But away from the dazzling effects, the story of the world's hottest film company is just as incredible as any of its movies.
And the latest twist is a bitter feud between Pixar's boss Steve Jobs - also CEO and founder of computer firm Apple - and Disney boss Michael Eisner.
Jobs, 49, has refused to renew a contract with the House Of Mouse in a move which could cost the Magic Kingdom a fortune,
Here, we reveal 12 things you never knew about Pixar...
FOUNDER Jobs was a college dropout and political radical who experimented with drugs and once dated protest singer Joan Baez.
IN 1976 he sold his VW camper van to build the first Apple computer in his parents' garage. "I want to put a ding in the universe," he said. When Apple floated on the stock exchange just four years later it was worth £640m.
IN 1986, a year after resigning from Apple, Jobs bought George Lucas's computer graphics division for £million and renamed it Pixar. Today, it's worth an estimated £80m and he is said to be worth £70m.
THE company began with eight employees. Today it has 730.
IN 1991, the firm teamed up with Disney, which agreed to distribute its films, beginning one of the most lucrative - and volatile - partnerships in movie history.
PIXAR'S first film, Toy Story, was released in 1995 and became the year's biggest-grossing movie, making £191m worldwide.
A STRING of hits followed, including a Toy Story sequel, A Bug's Life, Monsters Inc, Finding Nemo and current smash, The Incredibles. Together, Pixar's six films have made £1.5b and scooped 14 Oscar nominations, with three wins.
PIXAR'S next film will be Cars, slated for release in late 2005. Featuring the voices of Paul Newman and Bonnie Hunt, it'll be the firm's last collaboration with Disney. It focuses on a collection of talking cars and their adventures on Route 66.
A TEAM of 158 animators and computer programmers spent two years making The Incredibles. One of their biggest challenges was replicating the 100,000 strands of hair on each character's heads.
AT the heart of Pixar's success is its unique RenderMan special-effects program that uses hundreds of computers to make its films look so lifelike.
THE firm's HQ in Emeryville, near San Francisco, is called Planet Pixar and boasts an outdoor amphitheatre, pool, football pitch, yoga classes, tai chi and sculpture lessons. Staff are given scooters to travel around the 16-acre site.
KNOWN for his quirky style, Jobs, a married father-of-four, is a vegan who attends meetings in a black turtleneck sweater and jeans. He owns more than 100 pairs.
Not really news, but yet another article getting the v word out there.
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