Pixar Canada (stylized as P I X A R – C A N A D A) was a short-lived, wholly owned subsidiary of

Pixar Animation Studios Pixar Animation Studios (commonly known as Pixar () and stylized as P I X A R) is an American computer animation studio known for its critically and commercially successful computer animated feature films. It is based in Emeryville, Californ ...

. It was located in

Vancouver, British Columbia Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the city, up from 631,486 in 2016. The ...

. The studio was tasked to produce short films based on Pixar’s feature film characters. Pixar Animation Studios permanently closed Pixar Canada in October 2013, and laid off its approximately 100 employees to refocus Pixar’s efforts at its main headquarters in

Emeryville, California Emeryville is a city located in northwest Alameda County, California, in the United States. It lies in a corridor between the cities of Berkeley and Oakland, with a border on the shore of San Francisco Bay. The resident population was 12,905 ...

. The former studio space is currently Industrial Light & Magic’s studio in Vancouver.

History

Pixar Canada was established in May 2009, and officially opened on April 20, 2010 in the area of

Gastown Gastown is the original settlement that became the core of the city of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, and a national historic site and a neighbourhood in the northwest section of the Downtown Eastside, adjacent to Downtown Vancouver. Its hi ...

. The location was chosen for tax incentive reasons, for Vancouver’s computer-generated animation talent pool and for time-zone compatibility with the main studio in Hollywood. The studio’s initial three-year plan was to produce animated short films, based on established film characters by Pixar, to be shown in all of the related businesses within Disney, including television, DVD compilations, internet, theme park attractions, and theatrical presentations. Post-production and stereoscopic work in 3D remained in the hands of the main studio of Pixar in

Pixar Canada, Dylan Brown, Vancouver Film School, 2009-2

Among the films produced were ''Air Mater'', '' Small Fry'', and ''

Partysaurus Rex ''Toy Story Toons: Partysaurus Rex'' is a 2012 American computer animated short film written and directed by Mark Walsh. It was first screened ahead of the 3D theatrical re-release of ''Finding Nemo'' as the third and final short in the trilogy ...

.'' Pixar’s shorts also became a proving ground for new directors and for concepts for the studio. In October 2013, Walt Disney Studios announced its closure, with a loss of nearly 100 jobs. A company spokesperson said the work done in Vancouver would be transferred to the company’s headquarters in Burbank,

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

. Provincial Jobs Minister

Shirley Bond Shirley Bond (born 1956 or 1957)P.G. Mount Robson's Liberal candidates: Party members choose their candidate Friday and Saturday: inal EditionHoekstra, Gordon. Prince George Citizen rince George, B.C27 Sep 2000: 5. is a Canadian politician who ...

described the closure of the Pixar studio as “disappointing”, but added that she saw the decision as being tied to the company’s overall business strategy, rather than the business climate in British Columbia. Shortly after the closure of the studio, Disney, which had recently acquired Lucasfilm and its subsidiary companies, Industrial Light & Magic (ILM)’s satellite division in Vancouver, moved into Pixar Canada’s former studio. The ILM studio in Vancouver has subsequently carried out primary character animation and visual effects with the ILM headquarters in San Francisco on several Hollywood films, including ''

Warcraft ''Warcraft'' is a franchise of video games, novels, and other media created by Blizzard Entertainment. The series is made up of five core games: '' Warcraft: Orcs & Humans'', '' Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness'', '' Warcraft III: Reign of Chao ...

'', '' The Revenant'', and '' Thor: Ragnarok''.

Filmography

References

External links

* Archived fro
the original
on August 8, 2013 {{authority control Pixar Canadian animation studios Disney production studios Cinema of British Columbia Companies based in Vancouver Defunct companies of British Columbia Mass media companies established in 2009 Mass media companies disestablished in 2013 2009 establishments in British Columbia 2013 disestablishments in British Columbia Canadian companies established in 2009 Canadian companies disestablished in 2013 Canadian subsidiaries of foreign companies