Cinema meets STEM at Frost Science this fall! The Science Behind Pixar will be on view from Saturday, October 10, 2026, through Sunday, April 11, 2027. Cultivate your inner on-screen engineer by exploring more than 50 hands-on, interactive elements describing Pixar’s creative pipeline. Along the way, you’ll discover how Pixar animators use computer science, technology, and art to transform pixels of imagination into your favorite characters.
The exhibition will take you on a journey through eight components of the animation process: Modeling, rigging, surfaces, sets and cameras, animation, simulation, lighting and rendering. Each section uses examples from Pixar movies to illustrate the scientific and technical skills it takes to turn an idea into a big-screen story and challenges you to do the same.
Your journey into The Science Behind Pixar won’t end at the gallery doors! Our Animator Pass program is included in your admission. This exclusive experience to Frost Science, developed by our in-house teams, will challenge you to view exhibitions throughout the museum through a new lens.
To participate, pick up your Animator Pass at the front entrance. As you complete the activities, you’ll discover how key animation concepts–and beloved Pixar characters–intersect with our permanent exhibitions. Learn the basics of surfacing with Wall-E and Eve in the Power of Science, examine the intricacies of lighting with Buzz Lightyear in the VizLab, simulate the balloons from Up in Feathers to the Stars, and much more.
There’s something for everyone at Frost Science. Whether you’re a Cars connoisseur or an A Bug’s Life aficionado, we can’t wait to see what you discover in The Science Behind Pixar.
