Pixar in a Box: Inspiring Young Minds

Disclosure: This event and trip to LA was an all expense paid journey sponsored by Disney. All thoughts, opinions and character crushes are 100% my own!

Update: This program is now called Imagineering in a Box, but is the same awesome initiative and it’s still a totally FREE opportunity for young minds to dive deep into Imagineering and all that goes on “behind the curtain”.

Imagineering in a Box is designed to pull back the curtain to show you how artists, designers and engineers work together to create theme parks. Go behind the scenes with Disney Imagineers and complete project-based exercises to design a theme park of your very own.

I’ve always had a love for anything creative. I’m an artist. I mean, we’re all artists really – right?

The one thing that I personally remember struggling with in school was the fact that art wasn’t really a subject. It was an activity. Or even if it was a class, it wasn’t necessarily a career choice. Oh how I wish I had known then, what I know now!

Last month while I was in California for the Disney Pixar Cars 3 event, we spent some time at Pixar Animation Studios.

As a huge fan of their films, I have so much appreciation for the high level of talent and technique that goes into them so I am blown away and super excited to share with you this awesome behind the scenes education that anyone can enjoy!

In a collaborative effort between Khan Academy and Pixar, Pixar in a Box is providing the most awesome (and free!) way for kids (and adults!) to learn all about the creative process and all of the elements that go into it.

My favorite part is that this entire process is showing kids how all of those things that they are learning in school: Math, Science, and all of the other “stuff” comes into play if they pursue a career in animation. In fact, there are SO many career options in animation, a place for everyone really.

Pixar in a Box is basically providing the opportunity for students to see how it all comes together.

Pixar in a Box is a behind-the-scenes look at how Pixar artists do their jobs. You will be able to animate bouncing balls, build a swarm of robots, and make virtual fireworks explode. The subjects you learn in school — math, science, computer science, and humanities — are used every day to create amazing movies at Pixar. This collaboration between Pixar Animation Studios and Khan Academy is sponsored by Disney.

We had the opportunity to listen to Pixar’s Elyse Klaidman and Tony Derose speak about their passion for this project and how it allows anyone and everyone a peek into not only how movies are made, but how many different aspects come together to make it all work.

As we all know, Pixar is all about story telling, and it is exciting and fascinating to me that they are so willing to share this process.

But do you know why they do it? I think they do it because they know that it ultimately inspires and helps to create and encourage new creative minds, which only leads to even bigger and better things.

Here is a peek at just a few of the topics covered on the Pixar in a Box site. Most topics have in-depth videos and even Q&A options. I learned so much just by reading through the questions, some fantastic information!

I so wish this had been around when I was a young college student first working on my art degree. I really felt like my options were a bit limited at that time, but I think this would have really helped me to narrow down my passion and areas of interest.

My kids are loving this so far, and we will definitely be including Pixar in a Box in our summer fun!

Please make sure to share Khan Academy’s Pixar in a Box with those that you love, they will thank you!!