Winner of the Fall 2018 StMU History Media Award for
Article with the Best Title
Best Article in the Category of “Cultural History”
“It felt like it had taken a lifetime to get to this point, and in a sense it had.”1
Most of us grew up in a world where toys came to life when Andy wasn’t looking, a world where the monsters in our closet were afraid of us, a world where houses could fly with balloons. Pixar movies have created a world of magic and infinite possibilities. They have brought life and authenticity out of technology. Pixar has created a cinematographic empire like no other. Their success was forged out of mistakes and struggles as well as passion, creativity, and determination. Pixar had to make mistakes in order to grow and create the stories we love today, and they did.
Pixar’s story really starts with three men: Edwin “Ed” Catmull, Steve Jobs, and John Lasseter.
Ed Catmull was turned down for a teaching position and felt he had landed a software development job with no future. Steve Jobs had been humiliated throughout Silicon Valley when Apple Computer, the company he founded, fired him.2 John Lasseter was fired from his dream job as a Disney animator for trying to introduce three-dimensional animation technology there. He was told that if it didn’t make movie production cheaper or faster, it wasn’t worth it.3 All of these men were at a low point in their lives when they became part of the group of people that eventually became Pixar. What brought them out of this uncertain part of their lives was a single goal: to change the way stories are told by pushing the boundaries of what computers can do in animation and graphics by creating the first computer-animated movie in history. These people became the foundation of Pixar Animation Studios.
Not commonly remembered is the company’s inception as the Computer Graphics Division for Lucasfilm, the movie studio behind the Star Wars franchise, beginning in 1979. Through a series of events, Steve Jobs ended up buying this small struggling division in 1986 for five million dollars. He also gave it its iconic name. At that point, the company was selling computer hardware with the Pixar Image Computer as their main product. Their increasingly dwindling revenue also consisted of producing commercials for companies such as Trident and Listerine.4 With their financial struggles, and no clear path into the future of movie-making, Pixar was created.
Pixar’s goal moved further out of reach as they fired one-third of the company in 1991. At that point, Pixar had only sold three hundred Pixar Image Computers. They then decided to stop selling hardware. The five million dollars it had cost Jobs to buy the company had turned into a $54 million money pit. Its only source of revenue, and future survival, was a contract with Disney to produce three movies. There wasn’t even a guarantee that they could make the movies. Nevertheless, the team decided to take a leap of faith into the unknown path of creating computer-animated movies.5
Money was tight and there was constant miscommunication between the Pixar team and Jobs. Jobs was in the middle of establishing NeXT, a computer company he started after Apple. This meant that he rarely appeared in the Pixar offices. The Pixar team felt Jobs did not understand what they needed, and Jobs felt that the Pixar team had no idea how to run a business. Lasseter and Catmull would put out an idea and Jobs would shut it down immediately: the only way was his way. Jobs was described as brilliant and inspirational as well as dismissive, condescending, and bullying. It was clear, Pixar could not survive under Jobs. He simply did not connect with the company leadership and staff, but the company could not survive without him either.6
From the year 1987 to 1991, Jobs attempted to sell Pixar three times. Catmull reflected on this time, saying, “Even if Pixar doubled in value, Steve told me, we still wouldn’t be worth anything.”7 Microsoft, Alias, and Silicon Graphics all tried to acquire the company, but Jobs never sold it. Despite taking millions of dollars of his own money just to keep it afloat, he could not sell. It was his way of saying that he had something other people wanted, something special, that Pixar was worth having, despite its flaws. Every time a company made an offer for Pixar, he acted insulted, suggesting that he believed Pixar was worth much more. It was only after critics predicted that an animated film would be a hit and that Disney signed with Pixar to make their movie, that Jobs gave Pixar one last chance.8
There emerged some hope, as they assembled an excellent but inexperienced team in 1992. Catmull and Jobs began to understand each other and collaborate, and the first computer-animated movie was in its beginning stages. Production of the movie began in early 1993. Their dream was so close that they could see it; their dream was becoming a reality. Their first movie blossomed from Lasseter’s simple idea, the story about a group of toys and a boy.9
Toy Story was going to create a revolution within the technology, art, animation, and entertainment fields. Because this was going to be their debut film under their “mentor” company Disney, Pixar story writers took every advice they gave them to heart. Disney animators were the experts, and they had the success Pixar craved. Disney perceived Woody, a toy cowboy and one of the movie’s main characters, as “too perky, too earnest.”10 An edgier Woody would create a better conflict and a better story. Or so they said.
November 19, 1993 came. It was also known as “Black Friday.” On this day, a mock-up of Toy Story was presented to Disney executives. Months of hard work had been dedicated to making this idea become a reality, and finally … Disney shut down the project. There would not be an animated movie until they fixed the script.
They had technology and talent, but the entire concept was just not right. Something crucial was missing. For the next couple of months Lasseter, Catmull, and the entire team worked every possible moment to rediscover the soul of the project. By this time, special effects were starting to enter mainstream cinematography, with movies such as Jurassic Park and Terminator 2. People enjoyed the manner in which technology enhanced the movie experience, and Pixar was ready to be part of this innovation wave.
The answer to their story problem was simple. They hit on the idea of a story of a boy and his toy cowboy. This experience taught them to trust their own abilities, to give Pixar its own character, and to do things the Pixar way.11
November 22, 1995. Toy Story was released to the world, to infinity and beyond.12
In total, Toy Story earned $362 million worldwide, it was a phenomenon. It had created an ingenious and creative new storytelling method. Now the graphics on the movie screen were perceived as having emotion and character. The movie had characters that had life in a way that was unprecedented from anything animators had done before. Pixar was able to create this emotional response because the overall theme was so human and relatable. With themes such as friendship, change, finding who you truly are, and your purpose in life, it is no surprise that though this movie was made for a young audience, it resonated with people of all ages. It was a masterpiece.13
The following year, Toy Story was nominated for three Academy Awards. John Lasseter received a Special Achievement Award. And Pixar announced its retirement from making commercials in order to focus on making more movies.
Due to its success with Toy Story, Disney pursued a partnership with Pixar. Shortly afterward, Pixar decided to open their company stock to the public. With this, they earned $140 million for the company. Pixar had accomplished something it had never done before; it was now a stable company.14
What started off as a constantly struggling company became an animation empire. Their stories have since touched the lives and hearts of people around the world. They’ve made us cry and they’ve made us laugh. Ed Catmull, Steve Jobs, and John Lasseter came together to change the world by creating the first computer-animated movie.
The rest is history.
- Edwin Catmull and Amy Wallace, Creativity, Inc.: overcoming the unseen forces that stand in the way of true inspiration (New York: Random House, 2014), 56. ↵
- David A. Price, The Pixar Touch: The Making of a Company (New York: Vintage Books, 2009), 8. ↵
- Bill Capodagli and Lynn Jackson, Innovate The Pixar Way: Business Lessons from the World’s Most Creative Corporate Playground (New York: McGraw-Hill, 2009), 31. ↵
- “Our Story,” Pixar, accessed August 31, 2018, https://www.pixar.com/our-story-1#our-story-main. ↵
- Edwin Catmull and Amy Wallace, Creativity, Inc.: overcoming the unseen forces that stand in the way of true inspiration (New York: Random House, 2014), 53. ↵
- Edwin Catmull and Amy Wallace, Creativity, Inc.: overcoming the unseen forces that stand in the way of true inspiration (New York: Random House, 2014), 51-52. ↵
- Edwin Catmull and Amy Wallace, Creativity, Inc.: overcoming the unseen forces that stand in the way of true inspiration (New York: Random House, 2014), 54. ↵
- Edwin Catmull and Amy Wallace, Creativity, Inc.: overcoming the unseen forces that stand in the way of true inspiration (New York: Random House, 2014), 53; “Our Story,” Pixar, accessed August 31, 2018, https://www.pixar.com/our-story-1#our-story-main. ↵
- Edwin Catmull and Amy Wallace, Creativity, Inc.: overcoming the unseen forces that stand in the way of true inspiration (New York: Random House, 2014), 54. ↵
- Edwin Catmull and Amy Wallace, Creativity, Inc.: overcoming the unseen forces that stand in the way of true inspiration (New York: Random House, 2014), 57. ↵
- Edwin Catmull and Amy Wallace, Creativity, Inc.: overcoming the unseen forces that stand in the way of true inspiration (New York: Random House, 2014), 57. ↵
- “Our Story,” Pixar, accessed August 31, 2018, https://www.pixar.com/our-story-1#our-story-main. ↵
- David A. Price, The Pixar Touch: The Making of a Company (New York: Vintage Books, 2009), 151. ↵
- Edwin Catmull and Amy Wallace, Creativity, Inc.: overcoming the unseen forces that stand in the way of true inspiration (New York: Random House, 2014), 60. ↵
201 comments
Sarah Nguyen
This was an extremely well written article – even the title was powerful, and immediately drew me in. I like how the author portrayed Jobs and exposed him in his methods in leadership. Although I had no idea Jobs was involved with Pixar, it was interesting to see how Pixar was able to combine amination and computer graphics – the author did a good job of mentioning the emergence of mainstream cinematography as well. Great article, and very well structured! I liked the flow.
Tyanne Pearcy
I have grown up watching Pixar my whole life. I found this article good to read due to the fact I was able to get an understanding of the background of Pixar as a company. I also found it interesting the fact that Steve Jobs was involved in the company. I think they have just done so well for themselves even though at the beginning it was a struggle.
Kathyleen Lauriano
I love all Pixar movies. I never knew how Pixar started but this article really helped me understand its beginning. Its interesting to find out that Steve Jobs was involved with its creation. I guess you learn something new everyday. I like the fact that Toy Story was what made Pixar amazing. This article was well written and gave me a lot of information I didn’t know about.
Madeline Torres
I really enjoyed reading this article! I had no idea that Jobs had anything to do with Pixar, and to think that Pixar became what it did after Toy Story is amazing! I grew up watching Toy Story and the movie will never get old. I’m sure it took a lot of hard work and effort to get this type of break in the movie industry. Pixar has such amazing movies and it was great to read how much it took them to get where they are now. I really enjoyed the details provided and how in depth the author got into the story of the creation of Pixar.
Alexander Manibusan
I can’t even name one person who hasn’t seen Toy Story. Although the movie is so well-known, I find its history a bit hard to believe. How is it that these people and the teams they hired had so much perseverance? How is it that Edwin Catmull, Steve Jobs, and John Lasseter started at such a low point in life and later became so successful? I am more than amazed by their sheer determination for their dreams- they must have had astronomical amounts of endurance.
Lamont Traylor
Pixar made some of the most iconic movies ever and everyone knows them because of the little lamp that jumps around on the intro of the movie. They made toy story 1-3 which were all amazing animated movies. Just the nostalgia alone is enough to make me never forget Pixar or the amazing films that they have created. Also, the games that were influenced by the films were a big part of my childhood.
Alexandria Zapata
I enjoy how this stories started and with the reference to Toy Story, Monsters Inc, and Up. I didn’t know that Steve Jobs was apart of Pixar, and it was after (?) the formation of Apple. The three men who formed Pixar, literally started from the bottom, and made it to the top. They wanted to change the way that stories were told and create computer animated movies. It’s interesting to know that the first movie to come out of the production was Toy Story, but Disney shut it down, for a while at least.
Richard Morales
I really enjoyed reading this article as it brought me back to a simpler time. I loved to watch Pixar movies growing up and it was nice to learn about the studio’s history. I was amazed to learn that Steve Jobs played a role in the early stages of Pixar and that it started as a distributor of computer hardware. I also learned that Toy Story was the first computer-animated movie. It is amazing how far the genre has come. Great article, very well written.
Julia Deais
This article was very well written. I had no idea that Steve Jobs was even involved with Pixar, I thought he was only involved with Apple. I personally love Toy Story. I would watch it all the time with my family and I am so glad they succeeded the way they did or we would not have one of the most popular movies around.
Crystal Baeza
I enjoyed reading this article. I found it interesting how Pixar wasn’t stable when they first started out considering how big they are now and how Jobs was involved with the company. As the saying goes, “To get the rainbow you must be able to deal with the storm.” The article was filled with information all new to me, I didn’t even know Toy Story was their big break. Definitely a good read!