From "Toy Story" to "Cars 3", audiences have grown up with the classic characters of Pixar animation. The exhibition "Pixar 30 Years of Animation: Hong Kong Celebration of Friendship and Family" opened today (November 17) at the Hong Kong Heritage Museum. Themed on "Friendship and Family", the exhibition features a fine selection of more than 300 exhibits, among which are sketches and sculptures related to the new film "Coco", which have not been seen outside Pixar Animation Studios before. Visitors will be able to have a glimpse of the creative magic behind some of the world's best-known animated films.

     Speaking at the opening ceremony, the Director of Leisure and Cultural Services, Ms Michelle Li, said that Pixar first brought items from its stunning collection to the Hong Kong Heritage Museum in 2011 for a hugely successful exhibition. This year, the museum has collaborated with Pixar again to present the "Pixar 30 Years of Animation" exhibition, offering a rare and unique opportunity for visitors to revisit the many computer-animated films created by Pixar over the past three decades, and learn about the artistic techniques and story concepts behind these successful productions.

     The exhibition showcases handpicked artworks created on traditional and digital media, including hand-drawn sketches, paintings, storyboards and sculptures, which are complemented by video clips of interviews with artists discussing their sources of creative inspiration. A 15-minute video, "Artscape", will also be shown in the exhibition. The video uses digital technology to explore art in simulated 3-D motion, inviting viewers to consider how concept art inspires the imagination of a film's entire production crew.
 
     Founded in 1986 in California, the US, Pixar Animation Studios combines art and technology to create original stories in the medium of computer animation. In Pixar films, one of the recurring themes is the intimate interpersonal relationships among friends and family, like the friendships between Mike and Sulley from "Monsters Inc." and Carl and Russell from "Up", or the family relationships of Bob Parr in "The Incredibles", Marlin and his son Nemo in "Finding Nemo" and Riley and her parents in "Inside Out".

     The exhibition is jointly presented by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) and Pixar Animation Studios, jointly organised by the Hong Kong Heritage Museum and Pixar Animation Studios, and fully supported by the Walt Disney Company (Hong Kong) Limited. It is part of a series of cultural activities for the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

     Other officiating guests attending the ceremony were the Senior Manager of Museum and Exhibitions Program of Pixar Animation Studios, Ms Maren Jones; the Chairman of the Museum Advisory Committee, Mr Stanley Wong; the Director of Marketing of the Walt Disney Company (Hong Kong) Limited, Ms Angela Leung; and the Museum Director of the Hong Kong Heritage Museum, Ms Fione Lo.

     To tie in with the exhibition, another exhibition, "Moving Tales of Hong Kong Animation", jointly presented by the LCSD and the Hong Kong Arts Centre, will also be held at the Function Place of the Hong Kong Heritage Museum from today. The exhibition showcases influential and representative works by renowned and up-and-coming local animators together with their oral history interviews, to give visitors a better understanding of the dynamics and creativity in the local animation industry.

     The exhibitions "Pixar 30 Years of Animation: Hong Kong Celebration of Friendship and Family" and "Moving Tales of Hong Kong Animation" will run until March 5 next year. For details of the "Pixar 30 Years of Animation: Hong Kong Celebration of Friendship and Family" exhibition, please visit the website at www.heritagemuseum.gov.hk/en_US/web/hm/exhibitions/data/exid247.html or call 2180 8188 for enquiries.

     The Hong Kong Heritage Museum is located at 1 Man Lam Road, Sha Tin.

Ends/Friday, November 17, 2017
Issued at HKT 18:51

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