Bob Moyer left a 1995 showing of Toy Story with images of talking toys and flying action figures swimming in his head.

The university alumnus decided he wanted to make characters come alive, just like Woody, Buzz and Mr. Potato Head had on the big screen. Moyer wanted to work for Pixar.

Though he saw the movie when he was in high school, the dream stuck, he explained to a packed auditorium in Van Munching Hall yesterday. In 2000, he graduated from this university with a degree in computer graphics — a major he designed for himself through the individual studies program — and two years later, secured an internship at Pixar Animation Studios. He now continues to combine his passion for the arts and sciences as a Pixar character supervisor.

Now, Moyer knows what happens behind the scenes during the complicated process of producing animated films such as Cars, Ratatouille and Up.

“Is it really awesome to work there? Yes. Yes, it is,” Moyer joked, as a photo of Darth Vader appeared on the screen behind him. Having been a part of the Erasable Inc. improvisational theater group at Maryland, Moyer sprinkled humor throughout his presentation to more than 250 students. Due to the lecture’s popularity, others had to watch the event from an overflow room.

“We obviously have a rock star in the room,” said individual studies program Director Joan Burton, who introduced Moyer.

As part of his job, Moyer works in character shading, where he is responsible for making the materials that give a character a realistic appearance.

“We make fake stuff look like real stuff,” he clarified.

He also explained the differences in how the process works in different films. For example, characters in Cars 2 have drastically different surfaces than those in a movie like Brave.

“A world where cars are living things is weird, but it needs to be grounded in some sort of reality,” he said, adding he has to account for things such as exposure to the elements, illumination and the curvature of an automobile.

Moyer spoke about the process of creating the main character in Brave, Merida, and the “$10 billion question” of how her signature curly red hair was born.

“We had to write a new simulator to be able to handle this,” he said, adding it took three years to complete the character and place the 111,700 total hairs on her head.

Toward the end of his presentation, Moyer answered students’ burning questions: At any given time, Pixar is working on about five films; the famous Pizza Planet truck Easter egg is added relatively late in the production process; and for all those hoping to apply for a job with the company, pure ability goes far in distinguishing applicants from the competition.

“Being a decent human being cannot be understated,” he added.

Freshman Rachel Grandizio, a fan of Pixar films, said she was inspired by Moyer’s success in mixing creative and technical studies.

“He was able to take two different majors, combine them and be successful,” said Grandizio, an engineering and theatre major.

Senior Christian Panaite, a fellow Terp in the individual studies program, said the presentation didn’t offer much expert information.

“It was very informative for people that don’t really know 3-D,” he said.

Panaite is one of about 30 students enrolled in a self-created academic major through the individual studies program, combining various courses and creating his own curriculum.

“It takes a special kind of student that thinks outside the box,” Burton said. “We empower people like Bob Moyer to fulfill their dreams.”