Pixar developed a virtual IMAX camera to film Lightyear (2022). Both Disney and Pixar are known for their stunning animation and heartfelt storytelling, and they will often go to great lengths to get the perfect results. Pixar is infamous for developing or advancing animation technology for its films, setting themselves a high standard for every new project. Disney and Pixar made history in 1995 during their first collaboration project as Toy Story became the first-ever feature film to be completely computer-generated.
Pixar’s newest project is the highly anticipated Lightyear which is based on the iconic Toy Story character Buzz Lightyear, previously brought to life by Tim Allen. This new movie tells the story behind the space ranger action figure as he sets out on a new adventure. This time around, Captain America’s Chris Evans lends his heroic voice to Buzz Lightyear, supported by two other budding space rangers voiced by Keke Palmer (Izzy Hawthorne, the granddaughter of Buzz's friend Alisha) and Taika Waititi (Mo Morrison).
Pixar continues to push past its own high standards as it created new technology (a virtual IMAX camera) for Lightyear. In a recent press junket for Lightyear attended by Screen Rant, visual effects supervisor Jane Yen touched on how they went about creating a pipeline to allow for IMAX filming. The current trailer gives audiences a glimpse at the incredible quality of Lightyear designed for IMAX screenings to achieve a much more intense viewing experience, with a bigger screen, better sound, and higher picture quality. Read Yen’s full quote below:
Some other technical challenges for Lightyear that I'll mention quickly include building Pixar's first IMAX pipeline for film production. We created a virtual IMAX camera with 1:43 aspect ratio and developed a pipeline to allow us to simultaneously shoot the film for IMAX, and then crop down for our standard 2:39 format.
As more details about Lightyear become available, it’s clear that the creatives behind the project are extremely passionate about making their movies flawless. On top of developing a virtual IMAX camera, it was revealed that the team behind Lightyear took a research trip to NASA, where they spend days exploring and learning everything they could to put into Lightyear’s development. This astonishing dedication to Lightyear is not uncommon for Pixar, as they tend to be “obsessive” when it comes to research.
As of yet, audiences have only been given a few quick looks at Lightyear, but fans are already raving about it. Excitement for Lightyear has only grown with the drop of the most recent trailer, and it’s not just the fans who are hyped as Evans, Palmer, and Waititi all had thrilled reactions. With its release set for June 17th of this year, fans won’t have to wait long to see the full impact of Pixar’s new virtual IMAX Camera in Lightyear.