Ed Catmull: Co-founder of Pixar
Business Owner · Media & Entertainment
Ed Catmull, a University of Utah physics and computer science graduate who wanted to be an animator, co-founded Pixar and later led Walt Disney Animation Studios; he won the 2019 ACM Turing Award.
About Ed Catmull: Co-founder of Pixar
Edwin Earl Catmull (born March 31, 1945, in Parkersburg, West Virginia) is an American computer scientist and animator who is the co-founder of Pixar and was president of Walt Disney Animation Studios. He has been recognized for his contributions to 3D computer graphics, including the 2019 ACM Turing Award. Catmull's family later moved to Salt Lake City, Utah, where his father served first as principal of Granite High School and then of Taylorsville High School. Early in life he found inspiration in Disney movies, including Peter Pan and Pinocchio, and wanted to be an animator, but after high school had no idea how to get there since there were no animation schools at the time; because he also liked math and physics he chose a scientific career, making animation with flip-books on the side. He graduated in 1969 from the University of Utah with a BS in physics and computer science. Initially interested in designing programming languages, he encountered Ivan Sutherland, designer of the computer drawing program Sketchpad, and turned his interest to digital imaging. Sources: English Wikipedia (Ed Catmull, accessed September 2026).
Basic Information
Co-founder, Pixar; former president, Walt Disney Animation Studios
Company Details
Pixar Animation Studios
Computer Animation, Film Technology