Fun in Philly

Franklin Institute’s Pixar exhibit is just one of the draws in history-rich cradle of liberty

Monsters, Inc.’s Sulley (left) and Mike await visitors at The Franklin Institute’s “The Science Behind Pixar” exhibition.
Monsters, Inc.’s Sulley (left) and Mike await visitors at The Franklin Institute’s “The Science Behind Pixar” exhibition.

PHILADELPHIA -- Here we are in the land of cheesesteaks, Benjamin Franklin, Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, Rocky and Pixar.

photo

Courtesy of The Franklin Institute

At one kiosk, visitors can add arms, legs and a head to create a robot model in “The Science Behind Pixar” exhibit.

photo

Courtesy of The Franklin Institute

A visitor gets a bug’s eye view of Ant Island from A Bug’s Life fame. It’s part of “The Science Behind Pixar” exhibition at The Franklin Institute in Philadelphia.

photo

Courtesy of The Franklin Institute

3-D models of Pixar characters fascinate visitors to “The Science Behind Pixar” exhibit.

Hang on. Pixar? In Philadelphia?

IF YOU GO

The Franklin Institute, 20th Street and Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia

Admission: $19.95, $15.95 children, general museum admission

“The Science Behind Pixar,” through Sept. 5. Between 9:30 a.m. and 5 p.m., timed tickets are $29.95 and $24.95 (includes museum admission). From 5-9 p.m., admission is $19.95 and $14.95. Last admission at 7 p.m. (museum admission not included).

Info: fi.edu

• More Philadelphia

The Mutter Museum, College of Physicians of Philadelphia: muttermuseum.org

Philadelphia Museum of Art: philamuseum.org

Independence Hall: nps.gov/inde/planyo…

Eastern State Penitentiary: easternstate.org

visitphilly.com

Yes it is, until Sept. 5, when "The Science Behind Pixar" ends its stay at The Franklin Institute. It was this exhibit, with its promise of an in-depth look at the movie studio that brought the world the Toy Story trilogy, Monsters, Inc., Up, Finding Nemo, WALL-E and so many other groundbreaking animated films that lured my wife, our college sophomore son and myself to this history-laden city on the Delaware River.

It wasn't quite a trip "to infinity and beyond," as Buzz Lightyear might say, but it was still pretty cool. Just like the weather during our three-day spring break visit.

Bundled against the chill and fortified by a massive breakfast, we began to warm up as we walked the half-mile or so from our downtown hotel to The Franklin Institute.

The institute was founded Feb. 5, 1824, to honor Benjamin Franklin and promote his inventions. For nearly a century, the institute offered classes in mechanics, drafting and engineering. In 1930, as the Depression raged, the institute raised over $5 million and, in 1932, the cornerstone of the new Franklin Institute was laid at its present location, 20th Street and Benjamin Franklin Parkway.

The first thing we saw upon entering was an imposing, 20-foot-tall marble statue of Franklin, the Philadelphia scientist, inventor, author and statesman. Sculpted by James Earle Fraser, the statue is in a rotunda modeled on the Pantheon in Rome.

From there, we headed to the exhibit. After sitting through a five-minute film made at the Pixar studio in Emeryville, Calif., we were unleashed into the exhibit proper, where we were greeted by a bigger-than-life model of that intrepid spaceman Buzz Lightyear and got caught up in the bottleneck for photo opportunities. We were as giddy as the kids to pose with the Toy Story character.

But there was so much more. Pixar has been around since 1979, when it was known as The Graphics Group. It came into its own in 1995 with the release of Toy Story, the first computer-animated feature film. Since then, the enterprise, now owned by the Walt Disney Co., has produced 16 films, raking in $9.5 billion worldwide. "The Science Behind Pixar" explores the details behind the making of those films, and not a single part of the process seems remotely simple.

There are kiosks with models used in the films -- hey, there's Anger from Inside Out -- as well as others that show the process of lighting animated scenes.

A particularly fun stop was a display that allowed visitors to manipulate the light inside the home of Carl in Up. Another spot allows the curious to see what scenes from Brave were like in various stages of development. While the early versions seem raw, the ones that come next seem fine enough -- until you see the final result, and the level of detail that gives each scene its depth and illusion of realness.

We were most impressed with the short films of the animators and engineers explaining their work. It was no surprise to learn that those working on the underwater world of Finding Nemo actually went scuba diving to get a feel for watery light and marine life.

We spent a little over an hour at the Pixar exhibit, getting more selfies with models of our favorite characters -- Dory from Finding Nemo and WALL-E -- before exiting through the well-stocked gift store.

Elsewhere in the museum, we strolled through the SportsZone's displays of sports and science -- you can sprint against an NFL player, check out helmets and footwear and use your hands to pedal a bicycle uphill. My son and I compared the strength of our grips at a kiosk to find out once and for all who was the strongest. I totally would have won, but the sun was in my eyes. Honest.

We could have made a day of hanging around the institute and exploring the other exhibits, but we had other plans.

It was time to go see a dead body.

...

The Mutter Museum of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia, at 19 S. 22nd St., is a short walk from the Franklin Institute. It is in a quiet neighborhood that belies the morbid darkness inside.

On display are fascinating and curious collections of anatomical specimens, models and medical instruments, along with other creepy and sometimes stomach-turning items. This is the place Marilyn Manson probably stops whenever he's in Philadelphia.

We split up and took in different parts of the museum. I went through the "Vesalius on the Verge: The Book and the Body" exhibit, which explores the work of Andreas Vesalius, "The Father of Modern Anatomy" and author of the seven-volume On the Fabric of the Human Body. Before Vesalius, study of human anatomy was done through animals. Vesalius proposed using human cadavers to teach anatomy. And, yes, specimens are included.

We saw the The Soap Lady, whose body was exhumed in Philadelphia in 1875 and who has been preserved in a fatty substance called adipocere. Imagine Edvard Munch's The Scream painted with mud and hair.

We also hiked through neighborhoods to the Eastern State Penitentiary (the groundbreaking and ominous prison recently featured in these pages), ate decadent sandwiches at Paesano's Philly Style, 1017 S. Ninth St. (try the Liveracci, so-named because it's made with, among many other things, fried chicken livers!), saw the Liberty Bell, ate authentic Philly cheesesteaks at Geno's (meh), visited the amazing Philadelphia Museum of Art and watched countless tourists run up the museum steps like Rocky Balboa while singing "Gonna Fly Now." We even stood, arms raised, in the Chuck Taylor-clad footsteps of Rocky at the top of the steps. If there were any locals around, we're sure they were rolling their eyes.

A few words of advice:

• If you stay in the beautiful, fast-paced downtown, you'll find most attractions within walking distance. Wear comfy shoes, take your time and enjoy the scenery.

• If planning to visit Independence Hall, book tickets in advance online. When we were there, every tour was booked. Missing out on going inside the hall to see where the Declaration of Independence was signed was the only disappointment of our trip.

• You can eat well and cheaply at local restaurants, but have cash handy. None accepted debit cards. Also, there wasn't a glass of iced tea to be had at locally owned joints, so thirsty Southerners be warned.

There were enough places that we missed -- the Barnes Foundation museum, the Rodin Museum, Independence Hall -- that we'd happily return to this fascinating city.

Travel on 05/01/2016

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