Luxo Jr. is a curious, child-like baby lamp. Rendered in computer animation, the playful lamp first appeared as the title character in the 1986 short Luxo Jr., written and directed by John Lasseter at Pixar studios and nominated for an Academy Award for Best Short Subject. Luxo Jr. is also the official Pixar mascot, appearing as the logo on all of its films.
Beginning in 1991, the character appeared in a series of short Sesame Street segments, around thirty seconds each. Co-directed by Lasseter and Andrew Stanton, each short built upon the original film, focusing on little Luxo discovering a different learning concept, especially opposites, with the help of his dad, Luxo Sr. All four shorts have been included on The Pixar Shorts: A Short History home video compilation.
Sesame Street producer Arlene Sherman recalled how the shorts came about:
Individual Segments
- Up and Down (EKA: Episode 3385)
- Surprise (EKA: Episode 3012)
- Front and Back (EKA: Episode 3781)
- Light and Heavy (EKA: Episode 3793)
Credits
- Producer/Director: John Lasseter
- Co-Director ("Surprise/Light and Heavy"): Andrew Stanton
- Voices: Craig Good
- Technical Director: Oren Jacob
Sources
- โ Willems, Mo. "A Conversation with Arlene Sherman and Abby Terkuhle." Animation World Magazine. September, 1997