20 Mind-Blowing Facts You Never Knew About Pixar
19. They Initially Made Computers, Not Films
There was a nine year gap between Steve Jobs buying Pixar and the release of Toy Story, and during that time the new studio was actually making computers, not films.
When Jobs initially purchased Pixar, their only real purpose was to create the Pixar Image Computer, a graphics designing system that would be sold to government bodies and the medical community. In fact, the computer was sold to Walt Disney Studios, too.
For the most part, the system didn't sell very well, and so Pixar was facing bankruptcy. That is until employee John Lasseter started making computer animated commercials under Pixar, which helped save the studio and lead to a deal with Vicom Systems. Just a few years later, Pixar made a $26 million deal with Walt Disney to produce three computer animated films, the first of which would be Toy Story.
So much of Pixar's success can be attributed to Lasseter. His decision to start making commercials after the failure of the Pixar Image Computer helped pave the way for the monumentally important deal with Disney.