Pixar in Mantua: a Digital Renaissance

“Art challenges Technology. And Technology inspires Art”( John Lasseter).

This is the idea ruling the exhibition about the creative PIXAR talent,  revealing and investigating the making of the highly acclaimed animated films we have come to know so well.

Starting in the mid 1980s, an exceptional and inspiring trio of innovators, John Lasseter, Ed Catmull and Steve Jobs, combined their gifts in art, science and business to launch a whole new approach to making 3-D animated films and ended up reshaping the face of filmmaking forever. Pixar Animation Studios was formed in 1986 in California, USA. It combines creative and technical artistry to create original stories in the medium of computer animation. Pixar made history in 1995 with Toy Story, the first fully computer animated feature film.

The exhibition in Palazzo Te features over 500 works by the artists at Pixar Animation Studios, including drawings, paintings, and sculptures that illustrate the creative process and craftsmanship behind Pixar’s wildly successful computer-animated films. The show spans all Pixar’s feature films (Toy Story, A Bug’s Life, Toy Story 2, Monsters Inc., Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Cars, Ratatouille ,WALL*E, UP, Toy Story 3, Cars 2) together with all the short films and a preview of Brave, to be released in 2012.

On show also a sunning Zoetrope, showing how animation works.

We are planning a special guided tour to Palazzo Te and the Pixar Exhibition, contact us for information.

Admission Fees
Adult visitors  € 10,00
Visitors over 60, groups of 20 or more people  € 8,00
Visitors 6 to 17 yeas and college students  € 6,00
Mantova Card owners  € 4,50
Primary School classes € 2,50
Secondary and Upper school classes € 4,50

Leonardo da Vinci: 10 tips for visiting the exhibition in London (also without a booked ticket)

We had a break from our professional activities, and we spent some days in London, acting as tourists and not as guides. We have been able to visit the amazing exhibition "Leonardo da Vinci: Painter at the Court of Milan". Although all the bookable tickets are sold out since the very first day, we have been able to buy some of the 500 daily tickets sold by the National Gallery.
VisitMantua is now happy to share with its readers these ten tips, to help you in planning your visit (and your queue too) to this extraordinary exhibition.

1 -  Queue early.
Although the exhibition opens at 10am, the queue starts earlier. You should be at the gate about 7am.

2 - Find the right gate.
The exhibition is in the Sainsbury Wing, which has several entrances. The queue for the visitor without a booked ticket is at eastern gate. Let’s stand in the right line!

3 - Manage your resources.
Each person can purchase up to three tickets. If you are a small group, you should choose the most eligible members in resisting to the cold, or you can plan queuing shifts.

4 - Make it comfortable.
In the path of the queue, there are no benches or other seats (low walls, steps etc.). Bring a pillow inside a large plastic bag, so that you can sit on the floor and preserve your energies for the exhibition. You can then leave your pillow in the bag at the cloakroom.

5 - Have breakfast.
If you are queuing with other mates, shift with short breaks to drink something hot: there are several cafes in the area. In addition, about 8.30, the National Gallery will put a cart with hot drinks and pastries near the queue.

6 - Pass the time.
Have at your fingertips a book or a magazine. About mid-morning the staff of the National Gallery will provide you with the exhibition guide, with captions of all the paintings on show. And have a chat with the other people in the line: you are there for the same reason, so you surely have something in common.

7 - Check the time.
Daily tickets are issued with entry slots. So, although you have stayed in line all morning, you may have tickets for the afternoon. Check the admission time on the tickets, because you are not allowed to visit the exhibition prior to your turn.

8 - Recharge your energies.
If your ticket is for an afternoon entrance, take the opportunity to get some rest . You'll need almost two hours to visit the exhibition. So, avoid to do it tired both physically and mentally.

9 - Undress yourself.
Deposit coats, scarves, etc. in the cloakroom: the exhibition is very hot.

10 - Follow the order.
Watch the introductory video. Then move to the exhibition rooms following the numbers of the works on show. If you can not get close enough to read the captions, just remember they are all listed in the booklet they gave when you were still queuing. And - finally - remember that the last section of the exhibition, dedicated to the Last Supper, is located in another part of the Gallery. Follow the directions to get there and have on hand your ticket, you will be asked again for it.


And, least but not last... enjoy it!