14 December 2005

Computer-generated films come of age

Tis the season to celebrate CG animation, it seems. A 20-year retrospective of Pixar opens today at MOMA (the most extensive exhibit they’ve mounted on animation) and The Economist surveys the state of the art in this week’s Technology Quarterly.

We’ve heard a lot about computer-generated entertainment at TEDs past — from Jeffrey Katzenberg previewing DreamWorks films to Torsten Reil demoing the inner workings of NaturalMotion software. Interesting, then, to see how quickly the genre’s matured. The Economist piece delivers some interesting nuggets: For example, the computing power needed to impart realistic motion on everything from Shrek to the grass he walks on is breath-taking, often requiring computer centers (or “render farms”) to run 24 hours a day, seven days a week for a year and a half or more.

MOMA will screen all of Pixar’s films this month, including Oscar-winner Geri’s Game (pictured) and the little-known Adventures of André & Wally B.. Not in New York? There’s always iTunes: Pixar shorts are $1.99 each.

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