Pixar
After long delay, I finally went to see Pixar: 20 Years of Animation at Taipei Fine Arts Museum last week. As lazy as always, without invitation from Tristan, I will probably miss the exhibition.
It’s a good exhibition. After TV and movies invented, animations have embodied and defined many people’s imaginations. People in my age have experienced from Disney to Pixar. When I was young, every kid knew the rhythm and sang with Under the Sea, Beauty and the Beast, A Whole New World & Colors of the Wind, even though not necessarily understood the lyrics or English at all. Images were beautiful, but we remembered the music more.
But Pixar overturned the landscape. Since Toy Story, we have a new idea about animation.
It is such an important company to my generation here in Taiwan. Even I went there on a Wednesday, the exhibition room was still crowded. The display clearly demostrates how important computer system is to their works. They calculate the formula to simulate Sulley’s hair. They analyze how many particles added will make the sea look more “natural” for Nemo.
Friend Tristan
With the help of computers, Pixar pays much attention to details, to the extent that we almost take for granted. Simply watching those films, they are great works for stimulating imagination, but how many efforts put into are well beyond our imagination.
Japanese and American animations are both very popular in Taiwan. When it comes to box office, though, I always have the impression American ones sell better in my age. With superstars like Hello Kitty and Pocket Monsters, however, I won’t be so certain now.
Interestingly, I can easily remember Disney and Pixar, but cannot recall what the production company for Pocket Monsters is.
The Pixar exhibition is like a flashback for my past ten years, while Disney occupied the ten years before that. I wonder which company will define my next animation decade.
