A visitor to "The Science Behind Pixar" exhibit poses with a model of Buzz Lightyear, the beloved astronaut from the Pixar hit "Toy Story." (Michael Malyszko)

Starting Feb. 23, the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry will host “The Science Behind Pixar,” an exhibit that will reveal the science and technology behind Pixar’s beloved animated films.

The connection between art and technology is one of the major themes of the exhibit, Jennifer Powers, OMSI’s feature exhibit manager, says. Pixar movies, she says, embody “something that is extremely artistic and emotional, but also has a ton of science and technology that goes into creating them.”

“The exhibit does a great job of pointing that out,” she says.

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Sulley (left) and Mike Wazowski, characters from Pixar's "Monsters, Inc." and "Monster University" films, are part of the Pixar exhibit coming to OMSI. (Michael Malyszko)

The 13,000-square-foot exhibit will be organized into eight sections that mimic the “production pipeline” for making a Pixar film, with examples from “Toy Story,” which was Pixar’s first animated feature film in 1995, to more recent films like “Finding Nemo” (2003) and “Up” (2009).

First, museumgoers will see how each Pixar character is modeled, based off artistic sketches. Then, they will learn about rigging, which models a physical structure to allow animators to move it.

A third section of the exhibit will showcase how everything seen in a Pixar film is colored and textured. Another will focus on set design and camera, showing how cameras focus on, and film, small-scale sets. Animation will be another focal point of the exhibit, showcasing how animators move and pose the characters to act out a science. From there, computer effects are used to create movement. Another section of the exhibit will focus on lighting, and the final section will teach exhibitgoers about the final editing process, or render, of a film.

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Visitors to "The Science Behind Pixar" exhibit learn about facial animation with the help of Jessie, the cowgirl from Pixar's "Toy Story." (Michael Malyszko)

The exhibit, like many at OMSI, will be extremely interactive. Powers says there are “endless amounts” of interactive opportunities, such as through touch-screen videos that teach viewers about particular aspects of animation.

There will be also be hands-on interactive elements, including the opportunity to make 3-D models. “You’re getting the science behind the model and creating your own art,” Powers says.

The exhibit will also feature videos of Pixar employees. The end of the exhibit will feature local animation studios.

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"The Science Behind Pixar" exhibit guides visitors through the phases of film studio's production process for animated films. (Nicolaus Czarnecki)

“The Science Behind Pixar” was created by the Museum of Science, Boston and Pixar Animation Studies. The OMSI exhibit is supported by a local sponsor, US Bank.

"The Science Behind Pixar"

When: 9:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday, Feb. 23 through Sept. 3.

Where: Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, 1945 S.E. Water Ave.

Tickets: $14-$21 nonmembers, $3-$5 members, omsi.edu or 503-797-4000.

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