Which company did Steve Jobs buy in 1986 and develop into Pixar?

Steve Jobs bought The Graphics Group in 1986 and helped develop it into Pixar.

The Graphics Group was the computer-graphics division of Lucasfilm’s Computer Division. Jobs purchased it after leaving Apple, paying about $5 million to Lucasfilm and investing additional money in the new company. The group had created advanced graphics hardware and software, including the Pixar Image Computer.

After the acquisition, the company was renamed Pixar. It initially operated partly as a hardware and software business before its animated-film work became its defining achievement. Its breakthrough feature, Toy Story, was released in 1995 and became the first fully computer-animated feature film.

A common mix-up is to call Lucasfilm itself the company Jobs bought. He acquired a specific graphics division, not the entire film studio. The division’s later identity as Pixar connected Jobs with one of the most influential animation companies in modern cinema.