Luxo Jr. (1986) is one of Pixar’s famed short films for a number of reasons – it was the first short produced under the Pixar brand (previously, when the studio was a subsidiary of Lucasfilm, The Adventures of André and Wally B. was animated by a young John Lasseter), and the titular character has gone on to become the official mascot for the studio, appearing at the start of every Pixar project. The Luxo Jr. short was already close to the heart of the studio, but now it will live on through history, as the project is being preserved in the United States’ National Film Registry. [Read more…]