Exceptional Animation: An Introduction

Abstract

From anxious sheriff dolls, obnoxious race cars, bleeping and buzzing garbage compressors to irritable old men; from cities powered with the screams of children, rat-infested cottages to post-apocalyptic garbage landscapes; from the elaborate sounds of “speaking whale” to the immobilizing shout of “squirrel!,” the world of Pixar expands “to infinity, and beyond.” As soon as the little desk lamp Luxor Jr. hops onto the screen, audiences of all ages eagerly await to be drawn into an oddly familiar, yet unexpectedly distinct, universe. As Pixar’s digital animation is so beloved, even ill-tempered ogres, singing princesses, and sabre-toothed squirrels obsessed with acorns are often assumed to populate their world as well.