30 Years Later, Toy Story Still Has Us Crying Over Toys — SIGGRAPH 2025 Is Throwing the Ultimate Pixar Party!
Get ready to dust off your cowboy hat and polish your space helmet — SIGGRAPH 2025 is gearing up for a nostalgic, tech-filled tribute to the film that started a digital revolution. That’s right, Pixar’s Toy Story, the world’s first fully computer-animated feature, turns 30 this year, and SIGGRAPH is throwing it the kind of party only the computer graphics community could dream up.
On August 10, the Vancouver Convention Centre will buzz with creativity, nostalgia, and geeky glee as the SIGGRAPH Computer Animation Festival, in collaboration with ACM SIGGRAPH Pioneers, kicks off the conference by honoring Toy Story’s legendary legacy. And the man leading this heartwarming trip down memory lane? None other than Pixar co-founder and CG trailblazer Ed Catmull.
In a keynote aptly titled “To SIGGRAPH and Beyond,” Catmull will share stories from the trenches — think rendering woes, lighting conundrums, and a relentless pursuit of believable toys that blink. He’ll reflect on the mountain of technical challenges Pixar scaled in the early ’90s, most of which were tackled with knowledge and breakthroughs that originated right at SIGGRAPH itself.
“SIGGRAPH wasn’t just a conference; it was our lifeline,” said Catmull, summing up the symbiotic relationship between the pioneering animation studio and the CG world’s most important annual gathering. It was here that Pixar unearthed the tools — from ray tracing and stochastic sampling to global illumination — that would eventually breathe life into Woody, Buzz, and the rest of the gang.
But this isn’t just another PowerPoint presentation on the history of pixels. After the keynote and a live Q&A, fans will be treated to giveaways, trivia, and a dazzling 4K screening of Toy Story. And if you’ve never seen Woody’s worried frown or Rex’s jittery jig in ultra-crisp resolution — buckle up, partner.
Behind-the-scenes anecdotes will also come to light. Remember that famous test footage Pixar nervously screened at SIGGRAPH before Toy Story hit theaters? Bill Reeves, the supervising technical director, recalls the moment the applause erupted and the team realized: “We were on to something big.” That moment, born from shared risk and raw innovation, would change animation forever.
And while the visuals wowed audiences, Pixar’s creative leads knew something deeper was at play. “Without a strong story and relatable characters, it would’ve just been a tech demo,” noted Pete Docter, a supervising animator on the original film and now Pixar’s Chief Creative Officer. Thankfully, they nailed both. Three decades and four sequels later, Toy Story still tugs at heartstrings across generations.
SIGGRAPH 2025’s tribute isn’t just a look back. It’s a call to arms — or rather, a call to imagination. Today’s CG creators stand on the shoulders of the SIGGRAPH community that supported Pixar’s earliest dreams. The same spirit that drove Toy Story still powers the industry today, inspiring new stories, new technologies, and new breakthroughs.
“Toy Story showed the world that CG isn’t just about dazzling visuals,” said Dawn Fidrick, Director of the SIGGRAPH 2025 Computer Animation Festival. “It’s about making people feel. It showed that CG could deliver not just spectacle, but soul.”
So if you’ve ever teared up at a cowboy doll saying goodbye or cheered as a space ranger learned to fall with style — this event is for you. SIGGRAPH 2025’s 30th anniversary tribute to Toy Story is more than a milestone. It’s a love letter to creativity, collaboration, and the toys — and technologists — who make us believe.
Don’t miss the magic. Learn more at SIGGRAPH’s website and start planning your trip to Vancouver.
