Pixar



Pixar is a computer animation studio, founded in 1986, known for its work on such features as Toy Story and The Incredibles, and many Oscar winning or nominated shorts. In 1991, the studio, through John Lasseter, produced a series of shorts for Sesame Street featuring Luxo Jr..

In 2006, The Walt Disney Company, distributor of Pixar's feature films, announced that they would be acquiring the entirety of Pixar's assets placing them under the same ownership as the Muppet characters.

Muppet Mentions

 * The Muppets have frequently been cited by Lasseter and Andrew Stanton as an influence, perhaps most apparent in Monsters Inc.


 * In Finding Nemo, Dory briefly refers to Nemo as Elmo, and in audio commentary on the DVD release, Stanton explains that Austin Pendleton was cast as one of the fish on the basis of the crew's fond memories of Max from The Muppet Movie.


 * On The Incredibles DVD, a feature devoted to Bud Luckey discusses his work on Sesame Street and shows a clip of "Ladybug Picnic".

Connections
Pixar and Henson/Muppet productions have had many other connections, in terms of both voice casts and crew.


 * Bob Bergen played additional voices in A Bug's Life, Toy Story 2, Finding Nemo, and Cars
 * Billy Crystal played Mike Wazowski in Monsters Inc.
 * James Coburn played Henry J. Waternoose in Monsters Inc.
 * Joan Cusack played Jessie the Yodeling Cowgirl in Toy Story 2
 * Ellen DeGeneres played Dory in Finding Nemo
 * Phyllis Diller as the Queen in A Bug's Life
 * Paul Dooley played Sarge in Cars
 * Brad Garrett played Dim in A Bug's Life and Bloat in Finding Nemo
 * John Goodman played James P. Sullivan in Monsters Inc.
 * Allison Janney played Peach in Finding Nemo
 * Madeline Kahn played Gypsy in A Bug's Life
 * Richard Kind played Molt in A Bug's Life and Manny the van in Cars
 * Julia Louis-Dreyfus played Princess Atta in A Bug's Life
 * Bud Luckey worked as a storyartist and/or character designer on every Pixar feature, developed Woody in Toy Story, played Rick Dicker in The Incredibles, and directed the short Boundin'
 * Edie McClurg played Dr. Flora in A Bug's Life and Minny in Cars
 * Bobby McFerrin sang the music for a 1989 short film: Knick Knack
 * Rove McManus played a crab in Finding Nemo
 * Mona Marshall played additional voices in Monster's Inc.
 * Frank Oz played Fungus in Monsters Inc.
 * Austin Pendleton played Gurgle in Finding Nemo
 * Karen Prell animated on the features A Bug's Life and Toy Story 2 and shorts Geri's Game and For the Birds
 * Mike Quinn animated crowds in A Bug's Life and the marionette scenes in Toy Story 2
 * Tony Shalhoub played Luigi in Cars