Well before The Avengers franchise took hold of the box office, there was another superhero power-house that captivated viewers – Pixar's The Incredibles. Now, 14 years after the release of the first film, the long-awaited sequel is finally flying into cinemas. The film picks up where the last film left off and the whole family – Bob, Helen, Dash, Violet and Jack-Jack – are back alongside the much-loved Edna Mone and Frozone. To mark the release of The Incredibles 2 we take a look at the history of the film's creators, the beloved Pixar Animation Studios. The company has produced 25 feature films that transcend age and readily warm the hearts of all. But no matter how big a fan you are of Pixar, we bet you won't know these little-known facts.

What's in a name?

The name Pixar comes from a combination of 'radar' and a made-up Spanish word, 'pixer'.

Round the world

Showing how culturally sensitive Pixar is, they altered some details in Inside Out so they would make more sense in different countries. So, viewers in Japan would see Riley refusing to eat green bell peppers rather than broccoli, while the sport that her dad imagines shifts in some regions from ice hockey to football.

Where it all began

Produced in 1984, Pixar's first animated short was The Adventures of André and Wally B.

Mapping the future

In the summer of 1994, arguably the most productive power-lunch in movie history took place at the Hidden City Café in Point Richmond, California. By the time their bill had arrived, the core Pixar creative team had come up with the four ideas that would eventually produce A Bug's Life, Monsters Inc, WALL-E, and Finding Nemo.

There's a snake in my boot!

In an early draft of Toy Story, Woody was a sarcastic and rather unlovable cowboy. Production was shut down until he was written to be the more likeable goofball we all know and tolerate today.

For the kids?

The Incredibles was the first Pixar film to receive a PG rating.

Graphics galore

Toy Story was the first full length movie to be made entirely using CGI.

Up, up and away

In Up, the house is lifted into the air by a total of 10,297 animated balloons.

I scream, you scream...

All the child screams in Monsters, Inc were supplied by children of the animators.

Bad marketing?

As a promotional tool for Ratatouille, Pixar planned to sell wine with Remy the rat on the bottle's label. That idea was cancelled after concerns were raised that it might encourage underage boozing.

Life goals

In a less controversial but probably an even more time-consuming promotional venture, a fully functional website was created for Monsters University, complete with admissions, academic and campus life info.

To infinity...

During production of Toy Story 2, the entire movie was accidentally deleted from its servers. Luckily, the movie was saved on the personal computer of an employee working from home.

True to life

The animators created age progression charts using the school photos of John Lasseter's sons to help make Andy's ageing believable in Toy Story 3.

Rotten rating

Despite the volley of plaudits Pixar movies have received down the years, it's not all rosy: on Rotten Tomatoes Cars 2 received a stinky 39% rating

Not a hair out of place

It took Pixar three years of studying the physics of curly hair for them to be satisfied that they had got Merida's hair right in Brave.

Hidden codes

'A113' is rumoured to appear somewhere in all the Pixar movies. This is a reference to the name of the classroom at the California Institute of Arts where many animators learned their trade.

The Incredibles 2 screens at Edinburgh Festival Theatre as part of the Edinburgh International Film Festival, Sun 24 Jun, 2pm, and goes on general release on Fri 13 Jul.