https://theprogressnetwork.substack.com/p/a-single-strand-of-hair
"About thirty years ago, a small computer graphics studio in Richmond,
California, was struggling. Financial losses had forced a sell-off of the
company’s hardware division. More than half of its employees had been sacked.
The owner, a tech entrepreneur busy with other projects, was trying to find a
buyer even as the company locked down the biggest animation deal it had ever
signed.
Then came a film that would stun audiences and transform the industry forever:
Toy Story, the world’s first CGI-animated feature. The company was, of
course, Pixar, and with the winds of considerable critical and commercial
success at its back, its owner, Steve Jobs, suddenly reconsidered his decision
to sell.
Since then, a lot has changed in the animation world, even as Pixar has
continued to ride ... and ride ... and
ride its breakout hit. Putting aside
the debate over whether Pixar is what it used to be, the studio does continue
to reliably push industry boundaries—even on a fourth recycling of the same
story;
Toy Story 5 comes to theaters next week. (Those looking for a riskier
move will have to wait until 2027 for
Gatto, a reinvention of the studio’s
signature visual style.)
If you go to see the latest
Toy Story, pay special attention to a new
character, Blaze. She’s a half-Black, half-Armenian eight-year-old, with long,
curly, extraordinarily detailed hair that has already brought the internet to
tears. Really.
So what’s the big deal about the hair?"
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
