Office profile
Pixar Animation Studios Headquarters & offices · Emeryville, California
Pixar Animation Studios · Emeryville, California
A brick-and-steel studio built around one big atrium — with two cafés, a cereal bar and a park with a swimming pool outside.
The buildings, the campus life and 40 years of office history, from 40 people in 1986 to a studio that holds up to 900 in one building alone. Every fact from Pixar's own filings and website, its job postings and its architects.
- 60 ftatrium crossed by two suspended bridges
- 2cafés on the campus
- 900people the Brooklyn building can hold
- 40 → 850people, 1986 → 2005
Sources: Bohlin Cywinski Jackson and Allied Works project pages · Pixar job posting R-04142 (2026) · pixar.com “Our Story” · Pixar Form 10-K 2005
Companies / United States / Animation studio / Pixar Animation Studios
THE HEADQUARTERS · EMERYVILLE · 2000
A two-story studio built around a 60-foot atrium
Bohlin Cywinski Jackson designed the headquarters for a staff of 600. At its core is a large atrium that works as the campus's central piazza: lobby, conference rooms, lounges and café open onto it, and it links offices, paths and a 250-seat theater. Saw-toothed skylights spread daylight, and two pedestrian bridges hang from the roof across the 60-foot-wide atrium.
- 218,000 sq ft (≈ 20,253 m²)
- Atrium as a “central piazza”
- 250-seat theater
- Brick, steel, wood and glass
- Design: Bohlin Cywinski Jackson
- Landscape: PWP Landscape Architecture
The atrium: the campus's central piazza
Bohlin Cywinski Jackson built the headquarters around a 60-foot-wide atrium that works as a central piazza: lobby, conference rooms, lounges and café open onto it, and two pedestrian bridges hang from the roof across it.
The grounds by PWP Landscape Architecture
PWP Landscape Architecture designed the campus grounds around the buildings.
The Brooklyn building (2011)
The “Brooklyn” building on the same campus opened in 2011, designed by Allied Works Architecture.
Facts: Bohlin Cywinski Jackson project page “Pixar Animation Studios” · PWP Landscape Architecture project page
The Emeryville campus
| Building | Address |
|---|---|
| Studio and headquarters | 1200 Park Avenue, Emeryville, CA 94608 |
| “Brooklyn” building (2011) | Pixar's Emeryville campus |
Source: Pixar Form 10-K 2005 (address) · Allied Works project page (Brooklyn building) · See them on the map ↓
Source: Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, Allied Works and PWP Landscape Architecture project pages · Hathaway Dinwiddie project page (LEED Silver) · pixar.com Company FAQ's
Office tour videos
Benefits and perks (Emeryville)
Fitness facilities and personal wellness resources.
Two cafés with a weekly changing, from-scratch menu run by Pixar's own chefs.
Ice cream sundaes every Friday at the Luxo Cafe, plus the Pixar Cereal Bar.
Commuter assistance is listed among Pixar's employee resources.
Volunteering opportunities for employees.
Exclusive perks and discounts for Pixar employees.
Production, technology and studio-operations internships are 12-week paid programs.
For recent graduates; competitive pay and relocation assistance for those eligible.
Source: pixar.com “Life at Pixar” and “Internships” (2026) · Pixar job posting R-04142 · renderman.pixar.com, “2017 Pixar Undergraduate Program”. Pixar does not publish numbers for leave, health or retirement plans on its own site.
What Pixar says it offers its people
Employee groups listed among Pixar's resources for personal and professional fulfillment.
Professional training and development, plus creative workshops and classes.
Open art classes in sculpting and life drawing run throughout the day on campus.
Community, Innovation, Ownership and Authenticity.
Pixar's careers page quotes an employee reflecting on more than 25 years at the studio.
Special studio events and film screenings for employees.
Source: pixar.com “Life at Pixar” and “Careers” (2026) · renderman.pixar.com, “2017 Pixar Undergraduate Program”
Who works here
people when Pixar was formed in 1986
employees at the end of 1996
employees and contractors at the end of 2005
teams: Production, Technology and Studio Operations
Source: pixar.com “Our Story” and “Careers” · Pixar Form 10-K405 1996 and Form 10-K 2005. Pixar's last annual report covers 2005.
Pay at Pixar Animation Studios
Source: Pixar job postings R-04128 and R-04102 on Pixar's careers site (2026). Hiring range for Emeryville, base pay only. An On-Call Chef posting (R-04142) lists $24.07–$31.15 per hour.
Pixar is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company and does not publish its own pay figures. The ranges above come from its job postings.
Compare Pixar Animation Studios with: The Walt Disney Company
Office history: from Lucasfilm's computer lab to a campus in Emeryville
- 1979 Inside Lucasfilm: the Computer Division
George Lucas recruits Ed Catmull from the New York Institute of Technology to head Lucasfilm's Computer Division, set up to build computer technology for the film industry.
Source: pixar.com “Our Story”
No free-to-use photo found yet.Have one? We’d love to add it. - 1986 Pixar becomes its own company, with about 40 people
Steve Jobs buys the Computer Division from George Lucas and sets it up as an independent company, “Pixar,” established on February 3, 1986. About 40 people work there.
Source: pixar.com “Our Story” and Company FAQ's · Form 10-K 2005
No free-to-use photo found yet.Have one? We’d love to add it. - 1990 A lease in Point Richmond
Pixar signs a net office lease with Point Richmond R&D Associates dated February 15, 1990, followed by further leases with the same landlord in 1995 and 1996.
Source: Form 10-K405 for 1996, exhibit list
No free-to-use photo found yet.Have one? We’d love to add it. - 1996 1001 West Cutting Boulevard, Richmond — 72,000 sq ft
The principal office is at 1001 West Cutting Boulevard in Richmond, California. Pixar leases about 72,000 sq ft (≈ 6,689 m²) and has 286 employees at the end of 1996; it grows to 128,000 sq ft (≈ 11,892 m²) in Richmond by the start of 2000.
Source: Form 10-K405 for 1996 · Form 10-K405 for 1999
No free-to-use photo found yet.Have one? We’d love to add it. - 1998 Ground is broken in Emeryville
Groundbreaking for Pixar's Emeryville studio begins the year “A Bug's Life” is released.
Source: pixar.com “Our Story”
No free-to-use photo found yet.Have one? We’d love to add it. - 2000 1200 Park Avenue, Emeryville — the new headquarters
In November 2000 Pixar moves from leased offices in Richmond into its new headquarters and studio in Emeryville, about 215,000 sq ft (≈ 19,974 m²), designed by Bohlin Cywinski Jackson for a staff of 600. Land and construction cost $104.5 million through 2001.
Source: Form 10-K405 for 2001 · Bohlin Cywinski Jackson project page
The Emeryville gate · P.gobin at English Wikipedia / Public domain · Wikimedia Commons - 2002 More land next door
Pixar buys about 2.24 acres next to the studio for $9.4 million for future expansion, after buying a building on 1.76 acres in Emeryville in March 2000.
Source: Form 10-K 2005 · Form 10-K405 for 2001
No free-to-use photo found yet.Have one? We’d love to add it. - 2006 Part of Disney
The Walt Disney Company agrees to buy Pixar Animation Studios. At the end of 2005 Pixar owned about 247,000 sq ft in two buildings at 1200 Park Avenue and leased about 40,000 sq ft nearby.
Source: pixar.com “Our Story” · Form 10-K 2005
No free-to-use photo found yet.Have one? We’d love to add it. - 2011 The “Brooklyn” building opens
The second new building on the Emeryville campus is completed: a four-story, 155,000 sq ft building by Allied Works for up to 900 artists and staff, with a theater, café and roof garden.
Source: pixar.com “Our Story” · Allied Works project page
The Brooklyn building · © Allied Works Architecture
| Annual report | HQ space (sq ft) | m² | As described |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-K405 1996 | 72,000 | 6,689 | Leased, Richmond |
| 10-K405 1997 | 118,000 | 10,963 | Leased, Richmond |
| 10-K405 1998 | 120,000 | 11,148 | Leased, Richmond |
| 10-K405 1999 | 128,000 | 11,892 | Leased, Richmond |
| 10-K 2000 | 215,000 | 19,974 | New owned headquarters, Emeryville |
| 10-K 2005 | 247,000 | 22,947 | Two owned buildings, plus ≈ 40,000 sq ft leased nearby |
Map: how the headquarters moved
Pixar's filings show one headquarters move: from leased offices in Richmond to its own studio in Emeryville, in November 2000.
- 1 · 19961001 West Cutting Boulevard, Richmond — Leased offices, 72,000–128,000 sq ft (1996–1999)
- 2 · 20001200 Park Avenue, Emeryville — Own studio and headquarters since November 2000; Brooklyn building added in 2011
Addresses: Pixar Form 10-K405 for 1996–1999 and Form 10-K 2005
What Pixar Animation Studios does
Pixar makes computer-animated feature films, shorts and series, and the software behind them, such as RenderMan and OpenUSD. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, which agreed to buy it in 2006.
Not reported separately: Pixar is part of The Walt Disney Company.
Source: “About Us” text in Pixar job postings (2026) · Pixar Form 10-K 2005, Selected Financial Data
Growth: revenue vs. people
$34.7M → $289.1M
391 → ≈ 850
Revenue: Selected Financial Data in Pixar's Form 10-K405 for 2001 (1997–2001) and Form 10-K 2005 (2001–2005). People: the count in each year's 10-K, taken around the year end or early the next year; from 2002 the figure includes contractors and is approximate. Pixar's last annual report covers 2005. Multiples calculated by eciffo.
Chief executives
President of Pixar Animation Studios. Pete Docter is Chief Creative Officer.
Original co-founder; head of Lucasfilm's Computer Division from 1979; retired as President of Pixar at the end of July 2019.
Bought the Lucasfilm Computer Division in 1986 and set it up as Pixar; listed as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer in Pixar's last annual report (February 2006).
Pixar was formed in 1986 when Steve Jobs bought the computer division of Lucasfilm. John Lasseter was a founding member.
Source: pixar.com “Leaders” and “Our Story” · Form 10-K 2005, Executive Officers
Pixar Animation Studios: questions people ask
Where is Pixar's headquarters?
At 1200 Park Avenue in Emeryville, California, across the bay from San Francisco. Pixar moved there from Richmond, California, in November 2000.
Source: Pixar Form 10-K 2005 · Form 10-K405 for 2001
Who designed Pixar's headquarters?
Bohlin Cywinski Jackson designed the main studio building, completed in 2000. Allied Works, with Perkins + Will, designed the “Brooklyn” building completed in 2011. PWP Landscape Architecture designed the park.
Source: Bohlin Cywinski Jackson · Allied Works · PWP Landscape Architecture
How big is the Pixar campus?
The main building is 218,000 sq ft (≈ 20,253 m²) and the Brooklyn building 155,000 sq ft (≈ 14,400 m²). Bohlin Cywinski Jackson describes a 15-acre site; PWP describes the campus as 20 acres.
Source: Bohlin Cywinski Jackson · Allied Works · PWP Landscape Architecture
Can you visit or tour Pixar?
No. Pixar says that, because of production demands and confidentiality, it is a closed studio and does not offer tours.
Source: pixar.com Company FAQ's
What is inside Pixar's main building?
A large atrium that works as the campus's central piazza, with the lobby, conference rooms, lounges and a café around it, a 250-seat theater, and two bridges hung from the roof across the 60-foot atrium.
Source: Bohlin Cywinski Jackson project page
What perks do Pixar employees get?
Pixar lists fitness facilities and wellness resources, creative workshops and classes, commuter assistance, volunteering, studio events, film screenings and perks and discounts. The campus has two cafés, and the Luxo Cafe serves ice cream sundaes every Friday.
Source: pixar.com “Life at Pixar” · job posting R-04142 · renderman.pixar.com
Does Pixar allow remote or hybrid work?
Pixar's current Emeryville engineering and research postings are listed as “Hybrid”.
Source: Pixar job postings R-04128 and R-04102 (2026)
How much do Pixar employees make?
Pixar does not publish median pay. 2026 job postings list $180,115–$233,090 a year for a Staff Systems Engineer and $219,980–$284,680 for a Senior Research Scientist in Emeryville (base pay).
Source: Pixar job postings R-04128 and R-04102
How many people work at Pixar?
Pixar no longer reports a headcount. Its last annual report counted about 850 employees and contractors at the end of 2005; the Brooklyn building alone holds up to 900 artists and staff.
Source: Form 10-K 2005 · Allied Works project page
Who runs Pixar?
Jim Morris is President and Pete Docter is Chief Creative Officer. Pixar is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, which agreed to buy it in 2006.
Source: pixar.com “Leaders” · Pixar job postings
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