Luxo Jr.
Luxo and Luxo, Jr. playing with Luxo, Jr.'s ball.
Directed by	John Lasseter
Produced by	John Lasseter William Reeves
Written by	John Lasseter
Release date(s)	August 17, 1986 (SIGGRAPH)
Running time	2 min 18 sec
Country	USA
Preceded by	The Adventures of André and Wally B.
Followed by	Red's Dream

Luxo Jr. is the first film produced in 1986 by Pixar Animation Studios, following its establishment as an independent film studio. It is a computer-animated short film (two and a half minutes, including credits), demonstrating the kind of things the newly-established company was capable of producing. It is the source of the small hopping desk lamp included in Pixar's corporate logo. Screenshot from the short Luxo Jr by Pixar (First fully 3D animated short film. ... John A. Lasseter (born January 12, 1957 in Hollywood, California) is an Academy Award-winning American animator and the chief creative officer at Pixar Animation Studios and Walt Disney Feature Animation. ... John A. Lasseter (born January 12, 1957 in Hollywood, California) is an Academy Award-winning American animator and the chief creative officer at Pixar Animation Studios and Walt Disney Feature Animation. ... John A. Lasseter (born January 12, 1957 in Hollywood, California) is an Academy Award-winning American animator and the chief creative officer at Pixar Animation Studios and Walt Disney Feature Animation. ... August 17 is the 229th day of the year (230th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... SIGGRAPH 2005 official logo SIGGRAPH (short for Special Interest Group in Graphics) is the name of the annual conference on computer graphics convened by the ACM SIGGRAPH organization. ... from The Adventures of André and Wally B., a short film animated by John Lasseter The Adventures of André and Wally B. is an animated short made in 1984 by the Lucasfilm Computer Graphics Project, which would later be spun out as a startup company called Pixar. ... Red, the unicycle Reds Dream is the second short film produced by Pixar Animation Studios, released in 1987. ... Film is a term that encompasses individual motion pictures, the field of film as an art form, and the motion picture industry. ... 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Pixars logo and mascot Luxo, Jr. ... Computer animation is the art of creating moving images via the use of computers. ... Short subject is an American film industry term that historically has referred to any film in the format of two reels, or approximately 20 minutes running time, or less. ...

It features two desk lamps (inspired by a Luxo brand task-light on John Lasseter's desk, hence the title), one larger (implicitly older, named Luxo) than the other. Luxo Jr. plays with a small rubber ball, as Luxo reacts to its antics. On the technical level, it demonstrates the use of shadow maps to simulate the shifting light and shadow given by the animated lamps. The lights and the color surfaces of all the objects are calculated, each using a RenderMan surface shader, not surface textures. The coordinated articulation of "limbs", and power cords trail believably behind the moving lamps. On the cinematic level, it demonstrates a simple and entertaining story, including effectively expressive individual characters. Computer graphics is a sub-field of computer science and is concerned with digitally synthesizing and manipulating visual content. ... RenderMan is an API developed by Pixar Animation Studios to describe three dimensional scenes and turn them into digital photorealistic images. ... [[Category:Cleanup from [[Category:Cleanup from {{{1}}}]]]] A shader is a computer program used in 3D computer graphics to determine the final surface properties of an object or image. ... Spherical texture mapping Texture mapping is a method, pioneered by Edwin Catmull, of adding detail, surface texture, or colour to a computer-generated graphic or 3D model. ... Film is a term that encompasses individual motion pictures, the field of film as an art form, and the motion picture industry. ...

It was Pixar's first animation after Ed Catmull and John Lasseter left ILM's computer division and was also John Lasseter's directorial debut. Lasseter's aim was to finish the short film for SIGGRAPH, an annual computer technology exhibition attended by thousands of industry professionals. Catmull and Lasseter worked around the clock, and Lasseter even took a sleeping bag into work and slept under his desk, ready to work early the next morning. The commitment paid off, and against all odds it was finished for SIGGRAPH. Edwin Catmull after receiving a medal at SIGGRAPH 2001. ... John A. Lasseter (born January 12, 1957 in Hollywood, California) is an Academy Award-winning American animator and the chief creative officer at Pixar Animation Studios and Walt Disney Feature Animation. ... Industrial Light & Magic original logo, designed by Drew Struzan Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) is a motion picture special visual effects company, founded in May 1975 by George Lucas and owned by Lucasfilm Ltd. ... SIGGRAPH 2005 official logo SIGGRAPH (short for Special Interest Group in Graphics) is the name of the annual conference on computer graphics convened by the ACM SIGGRAPH organization. ...

"Luxo Jr. sent shock waves through the entire industry – to all corners of computer and traditional animation. At that time, most traditional artists were afraid of the computer. They did not realize that the computer was merely a different tool in the artist's kit but instead perceived it as a type of automation that might endanger their jobs. Luckily, this attitude changed dramatically in the early '80s with the use of personal computers in the home. The release of our 'Luxo Jr.,' ... reinforced this opinion turnaround within the professional community.” Ed Catmull, Computer Animation: A Whole New World, 1998.

In 1986, Luxo Jr. received an Academy Award nomination for Best Animated Short Film. It was the first CGI film nominated for an Academy Award. Spinoffs of the short have also appeared in Sesame Street. 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Academy Award The Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, are the most prominent and most watched film awards ceremony in the world. ... Computer-generated imagery (CGI) is the application of the field of computer graphics (or more specifically, 3D computer graphics) to special effects. ... Sesame Street is an American educational childrens television series for preschoolers and is a pioneer of the contemporary educational television standard, combining both education and entertainment. ...

Luxo Jr. later served as the mascot for Pixar Animation Studios, appearing in its production logo. Notice when Luxo Jr. hops on top of the rubber ball, he squishes it down so that it's no longer visible beneath him, then shifts his "head" towards the audience. In the Pixar logo, he does the same to the letter "I" in the word "Pixar". This was modified a little for Cars, when the screen dimmed, a message appeared saying "Celebrating 20 Years", Luxo Jr.'s head being the "0" in the 20. A mascot, originally a fetish-like term for any person, animal, or thing supposed to bring luck, is now something—typically an animal or human character—used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team (the name often corresponds with the mascot... Pixars logo and mascot Luxo, Jr. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Cars is an Academy Award-nominated, Golden Globe-winning animated feature film presented by Walt Disney Pictures, produced by Pixar Animation Studios, and distributed by Buena Vista Pictures Distribution. ...

The short was re-issued in 1999 and shown before screenings of Toy Story 2. There is also a scene in Toy Story 2 where the toys frantically flick through TV channels to find a certain commercial. One of the channels is showing Luxo Junior and the toys stop for a second and look at each other. 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... Toy Story 2 is a CGI animation film and the sequel to Toy Story, and the third Disney/Pixar feature film, which featured the adventures of a group of toys that come to life when humans are not around to see them. ...

The ball that Luxo Jr. plays with in the film has also appeared in many other Pixar films - Toy Story, Toy Story 2 and Monsters Inc. are a few in which it has appeared.

External links

• Pixar's official Luxo Jr. site (Downloadable movie available)
• Luxo Jr. at the Internet Movie Database
• View the movie on Luxo's web site