Seeing is believing, but so is reading about characters you have grown up watching in animated films. What was the backstory of most ‘Woody and Buzz’ in Toy Story franchise; why was Nemo so hard to find; what made the family in The Incredibles so ‘incredible’?

Know the answers to these queries in Pixar Character Encyclopaedia that gives readers insight about characters beyond the animated flick they were part of.

More than 200 characters from Pixar’s animated universe are discussed here, since Pixar began its journey with the Toy Story, so does this book. At first glance, it looks like the characters are mentioned randomly, but they are presented in chronological order. From the first Pixar flick that came out in 1995 to the thirteenth flick Brave in 2012, this edition covers them all. The most impressive fact about this Encyclopaedia is that it gives equal coverage to important characters despite the duration of their appearance.

From Sheriff Woody to Buzz Lightyear from Toy Story, Mr Incredible to Elastigirl from The Incredibles, Wall-E to Eve from Wall-E to other characters from A Bug’s Life, Monsters Inc., Finding Nemo, Cars, Ratatouille and Up, this Encyclopaedia makes you want to relive these animated movies after reading their character sketches. After all, not many remember that when Buzz Lightyear arrived, he thought he was a real space ranger, that Scary Sulley’s real name was a non-threatening James P. Sullivan and that the tiniest drop of blood sent Bruce the Shark into a mad feeding frenzy.

Most of the Pixar characters that came after Brave are also found in these pages because a) the original flick and sequels are covered here extensively and b) it is around these ‘major’ characters that most of the 23 Pixar animated flicks revolve.

Every known character has a full page to itself here with details that aren’t found elsewhere, pictures that are now labelled as ‘classic’ and a trivia to die for.

This book is only about the characters Pixar created, and many others that you thought were Pixar’s aren’t here because they weren’t theirs in the first place. That heartache is forgotten thanks to the amazing illustrations, the attention to details about every character and their importance in their franchise is something only a well-researched book can offer.

No matter who you are, a person who has seen these animated flicks or someone who has them on their to-do list, this book will benefit all in the best possible manner.

Published in Dawn, Young World, May 29th, 2021