Who says there are no celebrities in Animation?  We arrive at Pixar an hour early, the van is buzzing with excitement.  We are about to meet some of the ROCK STARS of animation.  To be granted a tour at Pixar is a privilege not extended to everyone!

Pixar is living through a new golden age.  The string of hit films, the triumph of Up, the promise of the studio’s ambitious new projects, all fill the space with a glow.  I’ve visited Pixar before, and each time I’m aware that someday I’ll be telling people not yet born that, yes, I visited Pixar.

SF’s Dolby Laboratories in Potrero Hill hosts tonights screening of the Oscar-nominated shorts for SF’s ASIFA chapter.  As if I’d had any doubts that I was among serious animation fans,  chapter president Karl Cohen’s next announcement, that the Balboa Theater will be screening some Gumby shorts in honor of the recently-deceased Art Clokey earns an audible gasp from the audience.  This group loves animation, and lives animation.

Film history is a subject near and dear to the heart of ILM’s founder, George Lucas, which was evident in every aspect of ILM’s headquarters. The lobby itself can keep a film buff entertained for hours, with an extensive library of Star Wars books and magazines from around the world, life-size replicas of Darth Vader and Boba Fett, and an incredibly cool life-size statue of legendary special effects artist Willis O’Brien posing a model King Kong atop the Empire State Building. 

Another Kung Fu Panda Knockout

Day One of the 2010 AWN Oscar Tour begins at PDI/Dreamworks and continues on to ILM's Big Rock Ranch.