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United States Ed Catmull, a pioneer in computer graphics, co-founded Pixar and served as President of Walt Disney Animation Studios.
As co-founder of Pixar and later as President of Walt Disney Animation Studios, Ed played a key role in shaping a unique company culture of collaboration and innovation.
The president of Pixar and Disney Animation Studios shares his approach to creative problem-solving and managing teams.
Steve Jobs acquired Catmull's division from Lucasfilm and turned it into a new company: Pixar.
Ed Catmull will speak at InMerge 2025 on how Pixar turned impossible into reality, emphasizing that culture drove innovation.
An interview with Ed Catmull regarding keeping Pixar innovative, laying out a management philosophy for the company that created the world's first computer-animated feature film.
In the second installment of a Fast Company series, Catmull explores the power of competitive collaboration and innovation.
Addition of Catmull as principal adviser on creative culture and strategic growth.
Edwin Earl Catmull was born on March 31, 1945, in Parkersburg, West Virginia. His early fascination with Disney animated films led him to aspire to be an animator. However, recognizing perceived limitations in his drawing skills, he pursued interests in mathematics and physics, eventually leading him to the burgeoning field of computer graphics. He earned a B.S. in physics and computer science, followed by a Ph.D. in computer science from the University of Utah. During his doctoral studies, Catmull made foundational contributions to computer graphics, including texture mapping, bicubic patches, and algorithms for spatial anti-aliasing and subdivision surfaces. In 1972, he created “A Computer Animated Hand,” a significant early example of computer animation, which was later incorporated into the 1976 film “Futureworld” and preserved in the National Film Registry.
After completing his Ph.D. in 1974, Catmull became the director of the New York Institute of Technology’s Computer Graphics Lab, where he continued to innovate in computer animation, including the invention of Tween software for 2D animation. His work caught the attention of George Lucas, who hired Catmull in 1979 as Vice President to lead a new computer division at Lucasfilm. This division focused on computer graphics, video editing, and digital sound. Here, Catmull was instrumental in developing digital image compositing technology and collaborated with John Lasseter, whom he hired as the first animator for his team.
In 1986, Steve Jobs acquired Lucasfilm’s digital division, leading to the establishment of Pixar. Catmull became the President and Chief Technical Officer of Pixar, holding these roles until Disney’s acquisition of Pixar in 2006. Post-acquisition, he and John Lasseter took on the responsibility of revitalizing Walt Disney Animation Studios. Catmull served as President of both Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios until his retirement in July 2019. His leadership fostered a creative environment that balanced technological advancement with artistic storytelling, contributing to numerous award-winning animated films. He was recognized with the 2019 ACM Turing Award for his pioneering work in computer-generated imagery.
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