Project Connect: The Pixar Effect

Overview

Dr Alvy Ray Smith, the mastermind behind pioneering digital film company Pixar is in Auckland and Wellington this week to share his inspiring story.

Pixar famously teamed with and was later bought by Disney to lead the entertainment giant into the boundless universe of graphic film. Yet Smith was making waves well before Woody and Buzz hit the cinemas; trailblazing at the helm of the computer graphics industry in the days of the humble Pixel’s inception and combining forces with like-minded talent at Microsoft and Xerox to make world history (the man is often associated with bringing us Paint).

Smith later brought his magic to the film industry and wowed the planet with the futuristic cinema of Star Wars and Star Trek before starting Pixar and fostering it to fortune with the help of Steve Jobs.

Grab tickets quick, you'll have to buy them by Wednesday for the Wellington session. The talk will be followed by a Q&A session before refreshments and mingling.