Why Pixar is Pixar

Ever wonder how a studio can rack up 20 Academy Awards, countless nominations, and gross a combined total of $3.4 billion at the box office alone?



The answer is in the story, and the philosophy behind the telling of said story.

Animation World Magazine is currently running a great article on the inner-workings of the Pixar creative process, as told during the recent Screenwriting Expo 5.

Here, then, are some of Pixar leaders' foundational tenets:

- They make movies that they would like to see. They are moviegoers first and filmmakers second. They like being able to take their whole family to the same show.

- They shy away from story formulas. If one appears, they abandon it.

- Animation is a medium, not a genre. Be original. Dare to be stupid. When discovering your story, you have to be in a creatively safe environment.

- They do not pretend to be better than others in their ability. They band together to fix their mistakes. Their intent is to "just make good movies." In crafting their films, the regard is always what is best for the movie -- not the individual, not the studio.

- They try to cultivate the cheerful reaction that Walt Disney inspired through his animated films, to appeal to the sense of wonder in people's minds, stimulated by imagination.

There is a ton of great reading in this article, and a reminder to us all that while visuals are very important in the world of 3D animation, they don't mean jack squat if the story and planning isn't there to begin with!

Pixar Article at AWN