Last month I headed out to Emeryville, California to visit Pixar. There are so many cool things that I learned while I was there. When Disney invites you on an all expenses paid trip to San Francisco to tour the Pixar campus you go and soak up every second of it. Here’s the five fun facts I learned about Pixar that you didn’t know!

5 Fun Facts I learned while Touring the Pixar Campus 

The Pixar campus is absolutely beautiful. Steve Jobs (a former majority shareholder) did so many cool things to make this campus work. The first thing he did was set it up like a town. In the main market place you have the Post Office, restaurants, lobby, restrooms and Pixar store. He set it up so that the employees have to go out into the town square to check their mail. He wanted employees interacting and bouncing ideas off each other. So if they went to get lunch then they’d run into people who could discuss their work and what they’re doing. 

This is a picture of the bloggers at the outdoor area on the Pixar Campus. 

He named different buildings of Pixar after the boroughs in New York. So there’s a Tribeca area, Queens, the Bronx, etc. 

The Lamp and Ball are not original to the Pixar campus nor did they commission it. Pixar has an exhibition that goes around the world and when it was in Australia they had this built and put in front of that museum. When that exhibition moved on they gifted it to the Pixar campus. It was transported on a barge. They have to have the ball cleaned every so often because of how many people want to touch it and get their picture made with it. 

They’ve won awards for Inside Out, Finding Dory, Toy Story and more. The Woody doll, in the cabinet with the awards, is a really beat up doll. He belonged to a boy named Caleb and it was his security blanket. The family visited DisneyWorld and mom decided to buy him a new one. So they took Woody to the Help Desk and asked if he could be returned to Pixar so he could live with Buzz Lightyear to infinity and beyond. Awww. It became a symbol of what Pixar does. They’re creating characters that live beyond the film. So they put Woody on display. John Lasseter will take him on speaking tours. Every time he talks about Woody he gets emotional. So if he’s not with John he’s in the cabinet with all their prestigious awards. 

With a focus on health and beauty Steve also wanted the campus to be utilized. So he had roses planted so that people could have fresh flowers on their desk. There’s a garden too so they can eat healthy fruits and vegetables. He valued health and there is a gym, heated pool, tennis courts and a basketball court on the grounds for the employees to use on their lunch break or before or after work. I’m thinking I need to get a job here. Anyone else feel like that? 

I had a chance to eat a meal in their town center. It was very healthy and delicious as well. I had no idea that Pixar was such a pleasant place to work and visit. What’s your favorite thing you learned?

 

Now that you’ve seen my Pixar campus tour let’s take a look at the newest trailer from Pixar’s newest film Cars 3. 

 

Directed by Brian Fee (storyboard artist “Cars,” “Cars 2”) and Produced by Kevin Reher (“A Bug’s Life,” “La Luna” short), CARS 3 cruises into theaters on June 16th!

Like CARS on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PixarCars/

Follow Disney/Pixar on Twitter: https://twitter.com/DisneyPixar

Follow Disney/Pixar on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pixar/

Visit the official CARS 3 website here: http://movies.disney.com/cars-3

CARS 3 opens in theatres everywhere on June 16th! Are you taking your kids to see Cars 3?