Quick Answer: Pixar, doing business as Pixar Animation Studios, is an American animation studio based in Emeryville, California, known for its commercially successful computer-animated feature films. Pixar is a subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios, a division of the Disney Entertainment segment of the Walt Disney Company. The studio started in 1979 as part of the Lucasfilm computer division. It was known as the Graphics Group before its spin-off as a corporation in 1986, with funding from Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, who became its majority shareholder. The studio's mascot is Luxo Jr., a desk lamp from the studio's 1986 short film of the same name. Disney announced its acquisition of Pixar in January 2006, and completed it in May 2006. Pixar is best known for its feature films, technologically powered by its RenderMan software.