The Science of Pixar

This blog has been quiet for too long!  Time to get going with some new adventures.

This past weekend I went to "The Science of Pixar" exhibit at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia.  

The exhibit started out with a five minute introduction video that takes you through the process of creating a Pixar movie.

Then you enter into the first room of the exhibit.  Each stage of the process that was described in the video is presented with a more detailed video and a hands on activity.  

It was relatively quiet the morning that I visited so I was able to take my time and experience each activity.  Since this was the main focus of the entire exhibit, if it had been more crowded, it would have been hard to get very much out of the experience.

There were also several large Pixar characters scattered throughout the exhibit for photos.  It wasn't clear if you were allowed to touch them or take your pictures with them...though there was no sign that said you couldn't.  

The second room of the exhibit followed the same layout of video kiosks and activity.  And then the final area was small gift shop with all Pixar related merchandise.

With almost no crowds, it took about 90 minutes to fully explore the exhibit and I enjoyed it very much.  Obviously, I knew that Pixar films were computer animated but I guess I thought it was animators just using  pre-existing computer software.  It was impressive to see how much math and programming the animators do to evolve the process and get even more realistic effects.

I wouldn't recommend the exhibit for children under age 10, unless the child is very interested in math / computers.   

The exhibit will continue until September at the Franklin Institute and you can purchase tickets online.

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