From Toy Story to Monsters, Inc. to Coco, there’s no doubt that Disney’s Pixar Animation Studios has a knack for crafting films that turn even the most composed among us into a blubbering, incoherent mess—sometimes, within mere minutes of the movie’s start. (Looking at you, Up.)

Now, Vancouverites will get the chance to see how such heart-rending pictures come to life once The Science Behind Pixar rolls into Science World at Telus World of Science from May 19 to January 6, 2019. Spanning an impressive 12,000 square feet, the exhibition will offer attendees an inside look at how the Academy Award–winning studio uses science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) concepts to bring beloved films such as Inside Out, Brave, and The Incredibles to the silver screen.

The showcase will zero in on eight steps of the filmmaking process (modeling, rigging, surfaces, sets and cameras, animation, simulation, lighting, and rendering) through 40-plus interactive elements, giving visitors the chance to engage with and better understand the innovative STEM work that goes into creating the world and characters depicted in a Pixar production.

Sets-and-cameras will divulge how a bugs-eye view was realized for A Bug’s Life, for example, while the section dedicated to lighting will outline the challenges Pixar artists faced when using virtual light to craft animated water in Finding Nemo. Human-size recreations of popular Pixar characters, such as Buzz Lightyear, Dory, Edna Mode, and WALL•E, will also be onsite and ready for Instagram ops.

“The Science Behind Pixar is a behind-the-scenes look at how our movies are made,” said Ed Catmull, president of Pixar and Disney Animation Studios, in a media release. “The interactive exhibition gives people the opportunity to learn about the jobs our filmmakers do every day and tackle similar problems. It's a great demonstration of how much creativity and imagination is involved in the science, technology, engineering, art and math thinking essential to our filmmaking process.”

The Science Behind Pixar is organized by the Museum of Science, Boston and Pixar Animation Studios. For ticket information, visit scienceworld.ca.