Animation Archives - the bird on fire

Flammable Hot Dog

May 1, 2025 by szachik@pvs.org 2 Comments

A 40-second film by Mark Huber

Movie Poster by Mark Huber: Catch the film “Flammable Hot Dog” below.

Again from the Piggy Universe comes a video depicting Mark Huber eating a hot dog (that’s really a stick of dynamite that his brother, David, has placed in a bun). This is Mark’s latest and longest Google Slides movie as of April 2025. Enjoy!

What’s Happening?

This tells you what is happening in case the video is too fast to understand.

0:03: Cloud moves to show title and creator of movie.

0:04: Cloud blocks title and creator of movie; perspective changes to show Mark’s house. Mark opens door.

0:05: Camera zooms into Mark.

0:07: Mark closes door.

0:08: Mark holds out hot dog and thinks about where to eat. David hops into view.

0:09: Perspective changes to close-up view of hot dog; David throws sausage away.

0:10: David places stick of dynamite where sausage was.

0:12: Perspective changes back to zoomed-in view of Mark’s house.

0:13: David hops out of view.

0:14: Mark’s face lights up; Mark says “Ah-HA!”

0:15: Mark says “I’ll eat right here!” and eats hot dog. Swallows hot dog whole.

0:16: Mark’s eyes go wide, realizing that he ate the dynamite.

0:17: Mark says, “That doesn’t taste like sausage…”

0:18: Mark says, “That tastes like-”

0:19: Mark explodes; smoke clears to show Mark covered with ashes.

0:20: Plate drops.

0:21: Mark yells, “DARN IT DAVID!!!”

0:22: “Fifteen minutes later” sign is shown.

0:23: “Fifteen minutes later” sign is taken away; David is being chased by Mark.

0:24: David stops running.

0:25: Mark stops running; Mark turns to face David; David gets scared.

0:26: Mark gets so angry, his skin turns dark red, and smoke comes out of his ears. Then, he explodes.

0:27: David is covered with ashes, and his eyes are huge. Mark says, “Welp, I’m going inside now. Bye!”

0:29: Mark turns toward the door.

0:30: Mark hops to the other side of the door and opens it.

0:31: Mark goes inside the house and closes the door.

0:32: A “The End” sign is chucked into view.

0:37: Slideshow Mode is exited.

0:40: Screen Recording ends.

How Not to Ski, with Mark and David

April 1, 2025 by szachik@pvs.org 5 Comments

By Middle-School Blogger and Graphic Artist Mark Huber

Part 1

“Hey, Mark, you okay?” David, my brother, asked me. My name is Mark, obviously, because that’s what David had called me. Anyway, I had just crashed into a tree while skiing, and I had hit it so hard that the snow on the leaves fell off and buried me.

I shook the snow off and did a thumbs-up, then put my skis back on.

“Whoa, Mark, look at that!” said David. There was a guy on a snowboard who had just slid on a railing and stuck his landing.

“That’s great,” I said. I now said that so often, that my parents thought of it as “my new catchphrase.”

We hopped back onto the trail, and I was heading straight for a ramp. I raced onto it, and then promptly veered off of the left side of the ramp, and into the forest (veering off the trail was a huge accident). I was still on my skis, and was still going fast. I had to dodge trees, boulders, and dead bushes. I had no idea where in the ski resort I was, or if I was still in it at all. Then, I saw a clearing, and darted toward it. Then, I fell into a ravine.

“AAAAAAAHHHHNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOO!!!” I screamed, and tumbled into who-knows-where. I could no longer see any light, and when I finally stopped tumbling, I hurt all over my body.

“Ow, I huurt aallll oooovvvvveeeeee…” I said, my words slurring.

And then I passed out.

I woke up in a hospital. I had all sorts of things attached to me, and my family was next to me, and they looked really worried.

“Hey, Mark, you okay?” David said, but less casual and much more worriedly than the last time he said it.

“Aye, aye, captain,” I said. David giggled the tiniest bit.

“What time is it?” David asked Mom.

“1:04,” she said.

“That’s great,” I said. Then, I looked out the window, and finally processed what Mom had said.

“WHAT?!?! You guys are 4 hours from home at one in the morning all because of ME?!?!” I said, worried about everyone’s sleep.

“Shhhh, shh, shh, shh, shh, shhhhhhhhh!!!” said Mom. “Be quiet, there’s other people.”

“Oh, it looks like Mark is ready to get out!” said a doctor. Then, he and the other doctors removed all the thingamajigs from my body, and I went to sleep.

I woke up in our hotel room inside the ski resort’s hotel. I was on the nice, comfy bed in the corner of the room. Then I fell off the bed. The people who had rescued me had apparently grabbed my skis along with me out of the ravine, so I saw them leaning against the wall.

I put a beanie on, grabbed my skis, and headed for the door.

“Where are you going, Mark?” asked Dad.

“Ski,” I mumbled sleepily.

“Wait, what? Nonononononono-” said David. Then I closed the door, and went down to the ski trails to ski. I picked a really steep one, and went down it. I gained speed pretty quickly, and soon everything next to me was a big blur.

“AAAAAAAAAHHHHWWWWWWWWHHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!” I screamed, feeling really happy.

I saw a hill, with a sign saying “DO NOT ENTER.” I needed to take a tight turn, but I knew that if I did, I’d wipe out, big-time. Besides, I couldn’t control myself anymore. I would go on the hill, fly off, and land in who-knows-where. And that was exactly what I did.

I could make out the hotel that my family was in. Oh, no, I thought realizing that I would crash. Right before the impact, I saw David turn around towards the window, and make a very surprised face.

THUMP.

You should’ve seen me in that window when I hit it. Speaking of which, you can make something showing me in that window with Google Drawings, and online drawing tool that…

No. I am not telling you about this blog post’s sponsor in the middle of the story. But, here’s the picture anyway:

“Mom, mom! Open the window, Mark’s back!” I heard David say, muffled through the glass.

Mom opened the window, and I told her what happened.

“Wow, that’s COOL, Mark! You really skied up a hill and flew off onto the window?” said David in awe.

“Yeah, I did. Now, I’m gonna rest because my head hurts,” I said.

And then I went to sleep.

Part 2

“Rise and shine, buds!” said Dad.

“Aayyy, let’s go skiin’!” I said.

I put on my skis, and waited for everyone to put on theirs. Then, we went to the trail where I had flown off that hill and back to the hotel room. When we got there, David gulped.

“Uh, Mark, are you sure about this?” David said, a bit of fear in his voice.

“Yeah, totally!” I said. “I’ll lead the way.”

We headed down, and we all went cautiously slow down the trail. When we saw the hill ahead, I told my family to go the normal way, and I’d go on the hill again. They were very unsure of this, despite my telling them that I’d go slower, and I finally convinced them to let me go.

What I was thinking was that because the trail goes around the hill, taking the hill would be like a shortcut.

I was in the air, having a great time, and I could see the surprised faces of my family watching me fall with style towards the ground, when I got shot by a missile.

Who would do that? Chris Ideeyowt, whose life mission is to destroy me because I got him expelled from my school (to be fair, he was the biggest bully at my school and was feared by all the kids).

“Darn you, Chris!!!” I yelled, and me and my flaming butt fell way off the trail, into the snow, where fortunately my butt was extinguished. I saw a helicopter above me, and a little orange dot inside of it. Then, I saw the helicopter shoot more missiles at me. I opened my mouth wide enough to let a missile through, and the missiles went into my mouth. I spit them, rapid-fire, at Chris’s helicopter, and it blew up.

In reaction to this, Chris said some very bad words. I got back on the trail, and met with my family again.

“Sorry, had to attend to some Chris problems,” I said.

“Err, Mark… you’re crispy on one side, and your butt is charred,” commented David.

“Great,” I said.

“Uh-oh, Chris comes to town,” said David. That was what we said when Chris was around. I got a banana out of my snout storage and threw it at Chris. (Chris hates bananas for some reason.)

“Enjoy!” I said to Chris, just to annoy him even more.

Epilogue

We went back to the hotel, and took our skis off after a long day of skiing. I made a joke that the last three days of skiing should be called “How NOT to Ski, with Mark and David” in the hotel room.

When we got back home, I decided to write a Google Doc about what we did at the ski resort. My parents and David really liked it, and I decided to post it on my school blog.

And that is the long story that you just read.

The end

Why are the French Called Frogs?

January 4, 2024 by szachik@pvs.org 1 Comment

By Sophomore Oliver Martinez

Here at thebirdonfire.org, we thought we’d pursue “Chaos” for a while, as it’s so unlike our day-to-day lives–or so I thought. At the mention of “Chaos,” Oliver immediately went to English class.

While in English Class we were reading Art Spiegelman’s graphic novel Maus II, and on page 93, Vladek (Spiegelman’s father) is in a concentration camp when he encounters a French frog character who then proceeds to socialize with him and become his friend. You see, Vladek is the only character with whom the French frog can communicate, as they both speak English. In Spiegelman’s book, character groups are represented as different anthropomorphized animals. We were used to seeing human-like cats and mice and dogs. But, a frog? We started wondering why a frog is used to represent a French person. To be frank, my interest piqued, and after some research, I’ve compiled a list of circulated reasons as to why the French are called frogs.

Frog Legs

Well, there are many theories about why the French may be called frogs. For example, according to stackexchange, “Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable traces the use of the word ‘frogs’ for the French to eating frogs’ legs.” Apparently, the French have been eating frogs since the twelfth century. Since it technically wasn’t meat, the Catholic monks could eat it during Lent–when Catholics abstain from meat. So, yes, one of the reasons for the French being called frogs is their tendency to eat frog legs (tastefrance).

Revolution and England

A more reliable source, England’s The Guardian – its “Notes and Queries” section, includes a reason the French are referred to as Frogs: during the French Revolution, “the Aristocracy fled and made their way to England, where they disparagingly called the revolutionaries ‘les grenouilles’ – the Frogs.” This spread very quickly all around England. Everyone started calling the French “Frogs.” Still, other explanations pop up.

Fleur-De-Lys

The French adopted the Fleur-De-Lys as their national flag during the 14th century (study.com). The French are called Frogs because according to thingsiloveaboutfrance, “The English, unfamiliar with the fleur-de-lys (Lily Flower), mistook the flower for a frog, and had a right old laugh about a country that would put a gold frog on their flag, and thus began sarcastically calling their nemesis ‘frogs.’” This reason, I find one of the most hilarious; I mean, how could you confuse this shape with a Frog?

To me, it looks more like a skinny turtle. Either way, if I had to choose a reason as to why the French are called frogs, this would be my reason.

How they sound…?

I found one more reason as to why the French might be called Frogs, but I have a hard time believing it, and it sounds mostly satirical. According to a Fodor’s Travel user named Bob The Scholar, “The French were called Frogs a very long time ago because, as the story goes, they sounded like frogs to the people who encountered them (fodors). The French men were said to speak with very deep voices that reminded the strangers of frogs ribbiting!” This is probably the funniest reason I read while researching this topic. It made me chuckle when I first read it. I’ve been taking French since 7th grade, and I don’t really see the resemblance to ribbiting frogs. I know the French speak very fast, and they kind of gag or make a noise like gagging when pronouncing the R’s, but I personally don’t believe they sound like Frogs.

What Ms. Brady (the French teacher) thinks about this–

To end it, I asked Ms. Brady to tell us what she thinks of this term. “I think it’s meant to be derogatory, . . . and we need to stop doing stuff like that.”

Although this may be a new term to some, it’s still a derogatory, potentially harmful or offensive term that we shouldn’t use. Instead, we can hold a friendly conversation with our French peers.

That’s it; those are the best reasons as to why the French may be called Frogs, whether Spiegelman (author of Maus II) represented the French as frogs was motivated by the common nickname or not, I kind of am thankful he did because I got to learn an interesting, but chaotic origin of a common idea about the French.

The Archon War: Part 1

December 15, 2021 by szachik@pvs.org Leave a Comment

Our Genshin Impact expert Izumi is back again, this time with an exciting trilogy that will lead you down a cold and stormy path of war. What a cliffhanger! Want to know what comes next? Find out next blog installation as the saga continues. – Jesse Denyer, Editor

By Izumi, Middle-School Gaming Correspondent

The Archon War is a huge event in Genshin Impact. The Archon War is at the base of the whole game story. The Archon War is still unknown as to how it started or why, and there is no information on how the victors or losers were decided, or how the nations divided. According to the non-playable character Soraya, “The war began as a struggle over the seven divine seats in Celestia. Those who struggled fought both for supremacy and to see their plans for a prosperous humanity come to fruition. However, not all gods participated in the war with the intent of taking a divine seat; some wanted simply to defend their territory; while others wanted to save as many people as possible from the destruction of the war” (genshin-impact.fandom.com).

After the Archon War, the seven Gods who won split into the seven nations of Teyvat, while the rest became evil, which leaves a lot of evil. To share all of the information of the Archon War and the events during it, I will split it into two posts, the first post will be about Mondstadt, and how it got its first and only Anemo Archon.

2600 years ago, in the middle of the Archon War, there were two warring Gods, Decarabian the God of Storms, and Andrius the King of the North Winds. The two fought in Mondstadt. The Mondstadt nation was located in the northwest, where it would now be known as Stormterror’s Lair. The God of Anemo, Barbatos, didn’t exist at this point. Barbatos was nothing but a wisp of wind, an elf with almost no power. Monstadt was very cold. It was all snow and ice, cold air and endless blizzards–a condition that mortals could barely survive. This cold was all caused by Andrius, who not long ago obtained powers from a likely deceased God. Andrius wanted to start a war against Decarbian, who enclosed the city of Monstadt with a wall, making sure nothing came in or out. Andrius tried to attack the wall, but never left a scratch on it. Decarabian didn’t seem threatened and was only devoted to protecting his people. However, his people worshipped him out of fear, thinking he was trying to trap them from the outside world. (genshin-impact.fandom.com)

While Barbatos was a wisp of wind, he befriended a young bard who always dreamed of freedom. The bard left Decarabian’s walled city to save the Gunnhildr clan. He ended up living in a frozen wasteland, but the resulting faith of the Gunnhildrs empowered him. At one point, Barbatos and the young bard, alongside Decarabian’s disillusioned lover Amos and a knight, raised an army against Decarabian, God of Storms. They were victorious! The Archon Decarbian was slain and all of the people were saved from the stormy walled cage. Unfortunately, Amos and the bard did not survive the war, leaving Barbatos with lots of grief and regret. (genshin-impact.fandom.com)

In the end, Barbatos was given the title of the first and only Anemo Archon. In honor of the bard, Barbatos took the form of him and brought freedom to Mondstadt, ending the extreme cold and blizzards. He often visited the neighboring Archon Morax, who will be mentioned in the next blog post.

Character Yae is not all she appears to be, and she may be more…

December 15, 2021 by szachik@pvs.org Leave a Comment

In this week’s blog we get to meet yet another Genshin impact character–Yae. We learn Yae is a very mysterious person and a bookstore owner. Read to the end to see the drawing and the pictures of the mystical land. – Roman Rickwood, Editor

By Izumi, Middle-School Gaming/Animation Consultant

Welcome back! I have drawn another Genshin Impact character. Meet Yae Miko, a woman who oversees the Grand Narukami Shrine and the Yae publishing house, also a woman who has a load of secrets.

Yae is a mysterious person, as an old friend of the Raiden Shogun or Ei. Yae tries her best to keep in touch with Ei. However, Ei’s been in her eternal meditation, not speaking with anyone, so Yae has kept to her own business. Yae is the Guuji of the Grand Narukami shrine, a shrine located at the top of a mountain in Inazuma. Yae also owns the “Yae publishing house,” a bookstore also in Inazuma. She holds many events and has a very nice appearance to people she doesn’t know very well. Her personality underneath is very different though; she’s a blunt and cynical person, maybe even a bit selfish.

You can see the shrine centered on the top of Mt. Yougou.

Yae is one of the only friends of the Raiden Shogun that survived through the rages of time (Archon War, etc) and is also one of the few to refer to the Shogun by her first name Ei. That’s how close they are. Ei also calls Yae by her first name–in Japanese culture this means they are very close friends. Yae has taken the time to be shrewd and resourceful while Ei was in seclusion. Yae took advantage of the traveler (the player) coming to Inazuma to mend the damage and sadness caused by Ei’s withdrawal and Yae’s loneliness.

*Yae is not a playable character yet. But, Izumi predicts she will be playable in a future update. Watch for her in Version 2.5.

Walt Disney’s Hand-Drawn Animation

February 10, 2020 by szachik@pvs.org Leave a Comment

Editor Chelsea directed the Blog class to write about one of her favorite topics: animation. Katelin combined the directive with the recent hoopla regarding last night’s Academy Awards. Did you know Snow White received an Oscar, and seven miniature ones?

By Katelin Mei

The 1937 animated film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was revolutionary for the film and animation industry. It was the first film ever to make use of a multiplane camera and was awarded a special Oscar, along with seven miniature ones. Here is how this special film was made.

Image result for snow white and the seven dwarfs oscar

First, the writers made a story and illustrated the high points of that story. Then, the story was taken to a music director, where he timed out the score for each scene carefully. Then, the animators drew out each scene carefully using a light table. After, the pencil drawings were sent to the inking department, where they would be traced over with ink on sheets of celluloid.

Afterwards, the pictures were painted. The studio had more than 800 shades of colour carefully made for this purpose. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs required 250,000 celluloids painted in such a way.

In another department, artists painted the backgrounds for every scene using watercolour. Then, the celluloids and backgrounds would be photographed by a camera, one plane at a time. After one photo was finished, the technicians moved on to the next one, until the whole film was photographed. For Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, this had to be repeated more than half a million times.

Afterwards, the sound effects were recorded. Finally, an orchestra was recorded, playing the score. Then, the film was featured in Hollywood. After, it was released to theatres, where it made a million and a half dollars.

Source Referenced:

Animation Editor: Chelsea

The Review of Fate/Zero

January 30, 2020 by szachik@pvs.org Leave a Comment

James’s response, when Editor Chelsea ordered him to “Write about animation!” was to turn to Fate Zero (or FZ for the cool people).

By James Zheng

FZ is one of the most outstanding works in the modern anime realm. Many kinds of fictional elements in its works are beloved by the audience, making it a pioneer in the early fantasy-themed animation. After the publication of this work, the Fate series came out as a hit and became one of the most influential works in the animation industry. Its follow-up also extended the game in the basic concept of Fate.

FZ is originally written by Urobuchi Gen. Gen is famous for his unique style of script writing. His works such as Puella Magi Madoka Magica and Psycho-Pass have an exceptionally high rate in the animation forum and realm. Gen’s works will always give people an immensely eye-catching feeling, as well as a completely unexpected story turning point. The extent of story innovation completely captivates the audience and the audience wants to see one episode after another. In 2011, Ufotable produced FZ and released Aniplex. With its overall quality guaranteed, FZ is made into two seasons.

FZ was written before fate / stay night and serves as a sequel, and its story revolves around a crucial object, the Holy Grail. Its power can realize anyone’s wishes. In order to fight for the capture of the Holy Grail, seven participants are required to summon their servants to fight each other. Only one survivor can get the power of the Holy Grail. These servants are all designed based on real historical figures in history, like Alexander the Great, King Arthur, Gilgamesh. Each has different abilities. Due to distinct backgrounds each participant shares, they fight only for their own purposes and beliefs. Kiritsugu Emiya, the protagonist of the story, has a stronger desire for the Holy Grail than anyone and vows to use any means to win it.

The most extraordinary feature of FZ is not only the 3D fighting scenes in which it invested a lot of money, but also it has the gorgeous special effects that make every battle and action scene give people a strong visual enjoyment and an intense sense of reality. Every movement seems to be dynamically smooth.

There is one moment in the story of FZ that contains thought-provoking content that feels like bringing a new dimension. Kirei Kotomine, the antagonist, accidentally participated in the war, but he doesn’t know what he is fighting for. He grew up in a religious family where he was extremely restricted and chained mentally and physically, which caused a defect in his personality. He is numb to everything around him and has a hollow heart. As the twist appears (which is when Gilgamesh, his mentor’s servant convinces Kotomine to find his “essence”), his nature and pursuit of “pleasure” is enlarged. Kotomine eventually betrays his teacher.

FZ has achieved great success in depicting each character. Its borrowing of images of characters from history, such as Alexander the Great and Gilgamesh, achieve an unforgettable impression within the audience.

But the content of FZ is not meant to be fit for everyone. Some of the elements express both transparent and metaphoric satire on humanity and society, and some of them are controversial. But that’s why I recommend it; the whole story could be philosophical. I also think that it’s just a show after all, and we shouldn’t take it seriously. Just enjoy what they bring to us visually.

*Just a reminder Fate/Zero contains occasional violence content and is recommended for those who are seventeen or older.

Animation Editor: Chelsea

My Tom & Jerry

January 22, 2020 by szachik@pvs.org Leave a Comment

Quintus’s contribution to Editor Chelsea’s directive–”Write about animation!–involves a look back at a favorite cartoon, Tom & Jerry.

By Quintus Ni

I guess most of us have watched Tom and Jerry, which is a great cartoon. Today I’m going to write a story about a cat and a mouse. I know that life is all about running and chasing; we are all ceaselessly chasing somebody and running from somebody, always searching for an opportunity.

I think you won’t be happy if I compare you to a mouse, so I’ll be the mouse and you’ll be the cat. I’m a mouse who likes to make people laugh. I enjoyed hanging out at night and talking to random strangers. But not so much now, I don’t have the passion like I used to; maybe it’s because I’ve entered a different mental state. But the meeting of you and I would never happen if the story is about now, nor would there be the tale about how a cat is played by a mouse.

I met you – a naughty kitty – one morning when I didn’t have to go to work but stayed in my house. I wandered on the internet since I had nothing to do; that’s how I met you. It seemed like you were coming back from a friend’s house and had squeezed in some time in the running car to have this little chat with me. I remembered this because it was the first time I knew that people can chat online while driving. Back then you were such a curious cat you liked to look around you, while I was just a mouse being scared that I might get eaten by you. I was afraid that you might quit this chat with me, but then you appeared to be talkative and you raised many fantastic and bizarre topics. They say that when a mouse meets a cat, there is no escape…is there?

Life could be dramatic sometimes. The cat and the mouse were slowly getting to know each other better; they spent time chatting when they were not busy. Actually the cat was quite cute and the mouse kinda enjoyed teasing her. He went to her whenever he got the time; he liked to listen to her talking about the little things in life. Sometimes the mouse called the cat “big sis,” and she responded with a smile. However, the mouse was the only one who knew that he was the older one between them, but he simply didn’t want her to know, because to him, watching his cat care about him thoughtfully and always forgive him for his childish tricks like a big sister was such a joyful thing. Anyway, the days went by in laughter. But then one day, the cat found out about the truth – the mouse was lying all the time. She became furious, but the mouse didn’t realize how serious things were, and he just laughed, carelessly. Finally, the mouse was kicked out for what he had done.

But, cat, do you know that in the heart of the mouse, it does not make any difference how you were called, all he ever cared about was the time you two spent together with love and joy, and happiness. Time goes faster when you’re happy. Now years have gone by; cat, on the other side of the internet, how I wish you remembered our days. My wish for you is that you could be happy. It doesn’t matter if we are to meet again; I just want you to live a happy and healthy life. The path you’re on may be difficult, but I believe that happiness is waiting for you.

My biggest wish now is for you to be happy…

I love the music in your zone

Love the way it makes me feel

Love the romance between the tunes

Love to come by when I’m alone

To visit you and to close my eyes and feel the mood

Time runs so fast

And for you, here I am again

Composing this letter just to make a memorial of the days of us~

Animation Editor: Chelsea

The Fourteen-Billion Dollar Lamp

December 18, 2019 by szachik@pvs.org Leave a Comment

By Luke Langlois, on the subject of “animation”

Who doesn’t love the feeling of picking up a rock by the side of water, chucking it into the water, and watching the water break out into magnificent ripples? It’s intriguing how the effects of that seemingly inconsequential action reverberate far beyond the initial drop point. METAPHOR!! In 1986, John Lasseter animated a two-minute short about lamps, Luxo Jr., and it became the rock that would go on to create ripples in the entire film industry.

Luxo and Luxo Jr. find themselves in a dimly lit room with nothing but a desk to rest on, two power outlets, and a yellow ball topped with a star. Luxo Jr., being the curious lamp he is, plays with it, hops over it, jumps around it, and rolls it under the watch of his somewhat disappointed parental lamp. Finally, Luxo Jr. hops on the ball with the now-iconic spring noise that marks the beginning of every Pixar movie.

In 1984, The Graphics Group (a branch of Lucasfilm at the time), began to toy with computer-generated graphics and animations. The company released one of the first completely computer-generated shorts with The Adventures of Andre and Wally B. It was groundbreaking, but George Lucas and Lucasfilm did not have the funds to develop the technology from this short, so the technology was DOOMED! That is, of course, until a small company investor, Steve Jobs, bought the technology from Lucas and invested five million dollars into the newly renamed Pixar Animation Studios. As a bit of a side note, isn’t it a bit ironic that, with the assistance of Pixar, Disney purchased Lucasfilm? As Master Yoda said in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, “We are what they grow beyond. That is the true burden of all masters.”

The studio had not released a film during its last year under Lucas and was determined to bring their flair back to SIGGRAPH, an annual conference on computer graphics where their first short was released. John Lasseter and his team were ready to work around the clock and give emotions to the Luxo lamps. Working around the clock, Pixar met the SIGGRAPH deadline and presented their film which was instantly recognized as a breakthrough. Pixar had succeeded in both creating a technical masterpiece and bestowing the Luxo lamps with life. Nine years later, building off of the well-received technology used in Luxo Jr., Pixar, led by executive producer Jobs, released the first COMPLETELY computer-animated feature-length film: Toy Story. Although the animation is a bit dated now (all of Andy’s friends use Andy’s base face and model), the rest is history.

Now, Luxo Jr. serves as the mascot for every Pixar film and, under the direction of that little lamp, Pixar’s movies have grossed fourteen billion dollars (not to mention the animated studios that have sprouted using Pixar’s technology), and that number will certainly grow as Pixar continues to reimagine the animated film landscape. In fact, Luxo Jr. was so transformative to the animation industry that the United States Library of Congress deemed it culturally, historically, and aesthetically significant. The next time you walk by your lamp at home, pay it respect for providing you and the world with an ocean of animated entertainment.

Luxo Jr. in action.

Sources

https://www.loc.gov/item/prn-14-210/

http://www.harrymccracken.com/luxo.htm

https://www.forbes.com/sites/simonthompson/2019/06/24/with-toy-story-4-out-every-pixar-movie-box-office-opening-ranked-worst-to-best/#134b34c2242e

The Pixar Story (2007 Documentary)

Animation Editor: Chelsea