I had the special opportunity to get a behind the scenes tour of Pixar Animation Studios with my University of California, Santa Cruz alumus and software engineer Sean Stephenson (www.seanplusplus.com). Sean is living his dream and it is very inspiring to see how far he has come. Congratulations to my dear banana slug.
Sean Stephenson
Pixar Animation Studios front gate.
Emeryville, California, USA.
A stranger from the outside!
Sean showed me all around the facility which reminded me of a creative state of the art playground and university. Filled with ping pong tables, volleyball courts, a gym, swimming pool, sauna and organic gardens this is the ideal place for creative minds as well as technical ones. The building is divided into two main wings- the left brain and the right brain. In the center is a cafeteria (including the largest cereal bar I have ever seen), store, and lounges as well as bathrooms strategically located in the center of the compound so that all employees must engage with their colleagues. I was impressed to say the least. Who wouldn’t want to work here? Also as a New York City enthusiast I was ‘stoked’ as Sean so frequently describes most things going on in his life that each building has a different New York City neighborhood as a name. Sean works in Soho but there is also Brooklyn, The West Village and so forth. So let it be known there is a little NYC in Emeryville, California!
Ping pong tables and lounge behind reception.
Another lounge and Cars!
Toy Story and Brave in the background.
The lobby. The Dude.
Beside the front entrance of the main building.
Right brain meets left brain.
Academy Awards showcase.
This link has everything and more you’d like to know about Pixar including the chronological history of the company and it’s laid out in a fun interactive format, much better than I could do on this blog. Check it out! WWW.PIXAR.COM
Thank you Sean!
I love my new mug.
Allison Hanes 
Hi Allison, Thanks for all the nice photos and writing. Well done. love, mom