Pixar Animation is best known for creating heartwarming stories featuring memorable characters and stunning computer animation that changed the medium forever beginning with Toy Story all the way back in 1995. But before that, Pixar was already influencing cinema in another way.

Through the process of visual effects, Pixar has had a massive impact on blockbusters and the process of making the unbelievable seem believable every single year. In fact, Pixar is responsible for making 27 of the last 30 Oscar winners in Best Visual Effects possible, and it’s all thanks to a piece of software called RenderMan.

How Pixar Makes Visual Effects Easier

Wired breaks down how Pixar Animation created a piece of software called RenderMan that takes all the numbers and coding that makes computer animation possible and turns it into a much more user friendly interface that makes the creation of computer animated characters easier for someone without a computer engineering degree. The video perfectly explains in more detail what RenderMan does and why it deserves recognition.

While RenderMan makes the work at Pixar Animation go much smoother, it’s also used to bring live-action visual effects to life. Even before Toy Story hit theaters, RenderMan was helping James Cameron create underwater effects in The Abyss, liquid metal cyborg killers in Terminator 2: Judgment Day, deadly dinosaurs in Jurassic Park and more. In recent years, they’ve tackled the likes of the Star Wars saga and more.

So even if you’re not a fan of Pixar’s movies for some reason, the animation studio has still had a major influence on some of your favorite movies, and they’ll continue to do so for years to come.