Do you remember the first few minutes of the Pixar movie Up? If you have ever watched a Pixar movie, then you know one can send you through an emotional roller coaster ride. And that is exactly what the creators and producers want you to experience. In consequence, we do not notice and take for granted the math and science behind these movies. The Science Behind Pixar Exhibit at the California Science Center wonderfully showed me how art, math, and science come together to make something beautiful. I would strongly recommend this event to everyone, but unfortunately, the exhibit has already ended.
When I was in the line, posters on the wall gave a glimpse of what I could expect inside the exhibit. For example, this infographic for the movie Cars hints at the science of paint and reflections. This showed me how much they relied on math and science to give the 3D animations realistic qualities. It astounded me that they did millions of calculations to create realistic paint. In my mind, paint seems like such a mundane feature to focus on, but the animators really wanted a realistic effect. I think they do this because the realism gives more life to the story.
Inside the exhibit, there dozens of examples of art collaborating with math and science. For example, in the movie Brave, animators simulated Merida’s hair using math. The animators also had to rely on physics to simulate the springs of her hair. This gave me an example of how math and science helped art. They showed us clips of what Merida’s hair would look like without core springs, which made her hair too bouncy. The results of the extra bouncy hair was funny.
Another example of art collaborating with science is the lighting in Finding Nemo. The animators had to study the properties of light in water. The correct lighting created a realistic environment, but it also strengthened the story emotionally. I can definitely see how lighting can affect mood, just like how the type of lighting in a restaurant can tell you how fancy it might be.
Next, I saw how animators mathematically create 3D objects. They just simply rotate a 2D shape around an axis to create a 3D image. This process is actually more simple than I thought it would be. This definitely showed how math and geometry helps ease animators’ jobs.
It is amazing how thoroughly Pixar relies on math and science to create their films. This exhibit showed the obvious harmony between art and math/science. Despite that, the movie makers do not want you to notice the science while you are watching these movies. They want you to focus on the animations and emotions. Just by watching these movies, audiences cannot see how important science is in the creation of them. In my experience, I know that I do not think about science when I watch a Pixar movie. This exhibit finally showed me the science behind their movies. That is why I think this exhibit was so important in bridging art, math, and science together for even common people. From now on, because I learned about the science behind Pixar, I will appreciate the films much more than I already have.
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