Pixar dedicates main campus building to Steve Jobs

The photo above was tweeted last night by a Pixar employee, showing off the film studio’s newly-named building. The CGI production company, which is responsible for animated classics like Toy Story and Finding Nemo, dedicated the main office on its California campus to its former leader, Mr. Steve Jobs…

PixarTimes (via 9to5Mac):

“Steve Jobs is often associated with Apple, but many often forgot that the visionary played a large role in the creation of Pixar. He financed the work at the studio long before it became profitable, pouring millions of his own money into keeping Pixar afloat because he believed in the work of the employees. After his death last year, some wondered how the animation studio would honor him. In the end credits of Brave, there was a brief but touching tribute to Jobs. Now, the Jobs name has a more permanent home on Pixar’s campus – above the main entrance to the studio’s main building.”

It’s true. Back in 1986, Jobs acquired the computer division of Lucasfilm (yes, the Star Wars people), which spun off as Pixar. He’s named as a co-founder of the company, served as CEO, and was credited as executive producer in the film Toy Story.

Even the above building has Jobs’ fingerprints on it. As noted by OfficeSnapshots, in 1999 Steve had a vision for the Pixar campus. And he brought in Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, who designed Bill Gates’ residential compound, to help flesh it out.

In 2006, Jobs sold Pixar to Disney for $7.4 billion in stock, making him the largest shareholder in the media giant. Since his passing last year, his some 137 million shares were transferred to his wife as part of his Seven P. Jobs trust fund.

At any rate, what a classy move by Pixar. Steve gets so much praise for the magic he worked at Apple, bringing the Mac-maker back from the brink of bankruptcy, that people tend to forget that he had a major impact in other areas as well.