The Best Pixar Books

As I've followed my interest in this amazing animation studio, I've discovered that Pixar books come in three categories, each quite different with intention and content.

The first is the business, philosophy and history of Pixar Animation Studios. Some of these books here have no photos at all, it's just an interesting success profile to be studied.

Second is your art and coffee table type books, which are big and have lots and lots of colorful pictures and photos. This includes each movie's "The Art of..." book, that is released about the same time as the film. Concept art, sketches, story boards, computer models, etc. Included here are also encyclopedia-type reference books, which also have lots of great pictures.

And lastly is children's story books. From collections from various movies to character-specific (Mater is really popular with kids) you'll find lots of wonderful books to bring home and read to the little one in your life.

Go straight to the category you want:

• Business/Philosophy/History
• Art/Coffee Table
• Children's Storybooks

Business/Philosophy/History

There's always a story behind the stories, and these Pixar books tell you a little about the years and years it took for this company to become an "overnight sensation." Pixar has since become a business model for success-oriented people to emulate, be it artists, engineers or MBAs.

The biggest take away I've had from reading these is the strive for excellence, never giving up, and doggedly following your dream. Entrepreneurs, computer scientists and cartoon artists have something in common in these true stories and I found it interesting to learn how it has developed over the years.

The Pixar Touch

By David A. Price

What I like about this book is that isn't all glowing, focusing only on the positive. It's an honest look at the difficult decisions people had to make, the personality conflicts that arose and sometimes back stabbing from competitors.

The Pixar Touch starts at the very beginning, before it ever had it's distinctive name and charming lamp logo. This was in the mid-seventies, mind you. The "founding fathers," so to speak, were both computer scientists, who had a passion for animation and developing 3-D graphics.

Author David Price makes you quite aware of the fact that every program had to be developed from scratch. Each effect created bumped up the quality of the animation and was celebrated as a victory within the smallish computer graphics community.

The book then takes you through the time when John Lasseter was hired as a real animator, and his story of how he was introduced into the "braintrust," at what was then a group of graphic computer scientists working for Hollywood director George Lucas.

Price describes the highs and lows of business decisions involving the solvency of the company; how Steve Jobs come in and saved Pixar from disintegration , and the breakthrough that came when Toy Story was completed. It doesn't end there. It reads like a soap opera in some spots with feuds, drama and tense moments. Price doesn't leave anything out and it makes for some riveting reading!

The paperback edition pictured has an updated epilogue that includes information about WALL-E. There are also both black and white photos as shown in the second photo (John Lasseter working on Luxo Jr.) and glossy color photos from screen shots of the feature films in this Pixar book.

See my video review for more details:

I highly recommend you read because it's highly engaging and inspirational - a very good resource for school reports or for anyone with a vision of the future.

To Infinity and Beyond!: The Story of Pixar Animation Studios

By Karen Paik, with forwards by: Ed Catmull, Steve Jobs & John Lasseter, collaborated by Leslie Iwerks

Ratatouille was released. It's also a history of Pixar Animation Studios, but with lots more lush, color pictures, not only of the feature films, but concept art, photos of Pixarians hard at work and the evolution of the studio from its humble beginnings to the COOL, fun studio it is now.

To Infinity and Beyond does have some drawbacks, however. For one, it's not as engaging a read as The Pixar Touch. Another reason is my attention is distracted on a big book with small type, especially if there are lots of pictures to lure my eyes away.

When I later read The Pixar Touch, I was surprised at what David Price had to say about To Infinity and Beyond. On page 260, Price describes how To Infinity and Beyond was released after Disney acquired Pixar and was written in-house, as a public relations version of Pixar's history. Price goes on to say that "major characters and events disappeared" and has more to say about Steve Jobs being misrepresented, and about former Disney executive Jeffrey Katzenberg who later formed DreamWorks Animation.

So, is this a Pixar book worth buying? Yes, if you're a die-hard Pixar fan. It does have a lot of wonderful photos and behind the scenes pictures. But to read this enormous book? No. I'd read The Pixar Touch and have next to you to look at additional photos from Pixar's past.

Innovate the Pixar Way

By Bill Capodagli & Lynn Jackson

the author's blog and on , there's a four-minute video promo with Capodagli you should find interesting.

Oversize Art & Coffee Table

The Art of.... books

These Art of... Pixar books are the perfect gift for that someone especially crazy for a particular Pixar film because each book takes you through the animation process in detail. From the process used in brainstorming artistic concepts and storyboarding to learning which ideas were ditched, the reader is taken through an amazing evolution of a Pixar feature film, from concept to final production. The process that the artists work through is an educational experience for young people who wish to pursue a career in animation.

Here's some exciting news: the latest "Art of" book is available right now - The Art Brave!

This edition has lots of character concepts and development with 160 pages of commentary and art. It is interesting to see the transformation of the characters from beginning ideas to the finished look they have in the movie.

There are spoilers in The Art of Brave, but by now, you've probably seen the movie!

Here are the rest of The Art of... books. Hard to choose just one, I know!

Pixarpedia

By DK Publishing, Forward by Andrew Stanton

This is another one of those hefty, colorful coffee-table Pixar books, and it's a delight for both adults and children. I'm a visually-inclined person and the big colorful pictures were simply wonderful to look at. One of the things you're really going to love about Pixarpedia is the superb layout and design.

Pixarpedia is over 300 pages and it starts out with a little bit of Pixar Animation Studios history and then some segments on how they create a CGI film.

Then there's a section for each of the Pixar movies, including Pixar shorts. Each section has a short plot or a general theme, and then the characters. My favorite Pixarpedia feature is the extensive drilldown of all the characters in each film. Even the characters with a one or two second shot in the film is listed and described in this book. It's so much fun!

The last section in Pixarpedia are themes such as the 10 worst villains or who's romantically involved with one another. The remaining section is Behind the Scenes information about each feature film. This is a really fun and interesting section with Fascinating Facts and A Closer Look. Each feature film in Behind the Scenes includes a short interview about a Pixar employee: what their job is, how they got started, their favorite part of their job, fave character and best Pixar moment. It's great for young people to get inspiration and interesting reading for the rest of us.

After seeing that video, wouldn't you agree that getting is a MUST?

Children's Story Books

Reading stories to your children creates closeness and warm fuzzy feelings. It also is an important element in developing literacy. Even if your child already knows how to read, as a parent, you still need to read to them.

Make story time especially fun by getting into character and acting out Woody or Dory - your child will absolutely love it! The are a good place to start because they have lots of stories in one book. Choose from StoryBook Collections that have stories from a variety of movies like or if your child really likes, for example, Cars, then you're sure to have success with

I got Aidan a Toy Story book and he loves curling up next to me and shouting out what happens next in the plot. The book is just like the movie and it's great fun to read, although we have to break it up into sections since it's a bit long.

You will see more fun and wholesome Pixar books for kids in the right column a little farther up. From a children's encyclopedia, to activity books as well as tales from all the feature and short films, there's something to please everybody.

Browse by movie here, for little books that are cheap - buy more than one to round out your child's library. Selections include coloring books, Kindle e-books, sticker books and essential guides. Shop by age range for your convenience.

Monsters University books are included, though they won't be available until May 2013. Some you might be able to pre-order.

Day & Night

By Teddy Newton

Pixar short film that showed before Toy Story 3. He decided to make a beautifully illustrated picture book based on the short film.

The book explores the way these two characters, Day and Night, explore their differences and eventually realize how much they like and enjoy each other. Kids will benefit from the messages of being unique and complementary with the different personalities of their peers. If you got to see this short film, you'll love reliving the scenes again and again in this colorful and vibrant Pixar book.

Take a look at the video preview of Night & Day with Teddy Newton.

Don't the pictures in this video make you want to see more? The book looks so colorful and brilliant. I'd love to get a copy of both for myself and for my son and add it to my Pixar books collection.