Film director George Lucas flanked by characters from animated movie upon arrival for the presentation of the Golden Lion for life-time achievements at the 66th edition of the Venice Film Festival in Venice, Italy, Sunday, Sept. 6, 2009.
The Venice Film Festival's red carpet was festooned with balloons on Sunday to mark the lifetime achievement award for director and producer John Lasseter and his crew of Pixar directors.
They were rewarded for their work creating a new generation of childhood memories populated with Nemo, Woody and Sulley. It is the first time in festival history that the award honors not just one filmmaker but an entire studio.
Pixar, founded in 1986 and based in northern California, pioneered digital computer animation and has made 10 feature films to date, four of which have won Oscars since the animation category was introduced in 2001.
"We really set out to deeply entertain an audience, not just children but adults as well," Lasseter told reporters Sunday.
Lasseter said he was "tremendously honored" that the festival chose to give the award to the team of five Pixar directors, including Brad Bird ("Ratatouille" and "The Incredibles"), Pete Docter ("Up" and "Monsters Inc."), Andrew Stanton ("Finding Nemo" and "Wall-E"), and Lee Unkrich ("Toy Story 3"). Lasseter directed the first two "Toy Story" movies and "Cars."
"Filmmaking and animation is one of the most collaborative art forms there is in the world, and it is never more collaborative than it is at Pixar," Lasseter said.
