The Succesful Pixar Methodology, Creativity Inc.
In this book Creativity, Inc. tell us the extraordinary history in which Ed Catmull, the president of PIXAR Animation y Disney Animation had the dream to take the computer technology into the animation here we can learn from him about how to become a creative organization with its setbacks and successes to achieve his goal and fulfil his dreams.
I start talking about how Ed began with his dream. He studied in the University of Utah which is referred to as U of U in this book, it mentions one invention in his age around the final ages of 50’ s and beginning of 60’s the ARPA which is the predecessor of the current Internet which was the response of SPUTNIK achievement of the USSR in the 50' s in the spacial career.
He mentioned how the government with its new invention started sharing it with universities and institutions of developing it faster and effectively. One of the areas which took off was the ones in computer graphics, he acquired a prestigious name in the development of this technology in the 70’ s but his main goal during that period was to take the computer science developments into animation as he was inspired by Walt Disney animations.
The brief story of PIXAR starts when he met one who started to take the computer into films, his name George Lucas, well-known for Star Wars, after the New Hope success, Lucas began with a parallel project in which he has interest about special effects generated by a computer in Lucas Film, suddenly Ed Catmull was the chosen one for his experience in developing computer graphics in that project as he said Luke Skywalker allow George Lucas to do this. In that time Ed met John Lasseter who in that time get fired of Disney and he worked as the animator of the new´s Lucas Film, also he started that project with Alvy who took the leadership of the graphics group, the name Pixar was suggested by Alvey and another member of the animation group as Pixar
Several years later Pixar represents an unviable project for George Lucas as the Star Wars name didn´t generate enough to rise the project, also by that time Ed noted the George Lucas had a different usage about what Pixar is created, George wanted a graphics project for live-action movies which was nothing related to the dream Ed and Alvy wanted. When Goerge announced this, the team though in various offers in Silicon Valley tech enterprises such as the new in that time HP, other candidates were Phillips, General Motors but none of them had the original vision to take the computer graphics into animation, it runs the 1979 year when Steve Jobs came to the scene, he was looking a startup, well in that age the term had very low popularity meaning.
While Ed and Alvey talked to Jobs to acquire Pixar and save it for imminent ruin. He got fired of Apple´s directive area, it means he was rejected for his own company. Now Steve´s wish was to acquire Pixar as a possible opponent of Apple´s Macintosh, but Ed and Alvey rejected the idea, Jobs start NexT and acquired Pixar under the terms, wishes and dreams of Ed. He was named as the President, in this part of the story, Ed didn´t know how to direct an animation company nearly none company, so he started developing a magnificent path to becoming a great manager.
By that time the team composed John Lasseter, Alvy, Ed and Jobs providing them money, he needed a great idea. Pixar experiment a process in which it sold software to publicity campaigns and started selling to Disney animations which can get successful films such as Sirenita. But that wasn´t the kind of animation Ed imagined. The first hit of the company was the Las Aventuras de André y Wally B. a short animation film and the first computer animation of John Lasseter animator career in the 1980' s decade. In the 90' s the developing and investigation of Pixar made possible the computer animation in a unique way, the thought Toy Story. Few weeks before Toy Story were launched, Steve Jobs as a very visionary man, realised that Toy Story will be a success, he advised to became public as he guaranteed they can negotiate with Disney the 50/50 percentage of the company. In the beginning, Ed and his team thought a lot but finally, they support and give a green flag to Job´s idea.
Steve Jobs as a visionary was right, all those things happened, but now at this point, Ed achieved his goal of taking the computer graphics into animation. But then at this point begin with what is next?
This is when Ed started to start his path to become a great manager. When finally he achieved his goal, it´s time to continue, the next path was in mind with A Bug´s Life and at the same time Toy Story 2 was thought, now Pixar has two projects. Some errors happened with Toy Story 2, one day one important people of the technical team accidentally type a command in his computer and delete everything about Toy Story 2 characters, stories but this is a challenge what need to do in these circumstances? Well, you can blow your mind or act, one day a few weeks before the Toy Story 2 premiere one female employee worked for some time at her home and she had made a backup of the database, that´ s saved the team, Finally while the team start thinking and trying some options, even consider starting from scratch, Ed, the creative and technical teams have this solution as part of Ed philosophy for a creative company is to connect and create brainstorm and something was created the view which is the first step had Dailies or Solving problems together with the teams every day.
My Thoughts
I enjoyed the book and when I started reading I could not stop until I finished. The history of Pixar is incredible but the history of the person who had a big dream in mind is better, he transmits me several lessons for taking into account of how Ed Catmull led Pixar into its glory and create a creativity, honest and sharing ideas team and how its principles applied to Disney animation creative department raise Tangled, Frozen, Wreck-it Ralph, biggest successful films.
Recommend it?
I recommend this book for all the people was interested of leading a business but also to ones that want to read a fascinating history, you will not regret, during the book, you will notice very high-level persons such as George Lucas, John Lasseter, Steve Jobs as well as references to Silicon Valley high tech enterprises. Also if you are a fan of Pixar and/or Disney films you will find well-known names. For instance, Monsters Inc, Wall -e, Up, Toy Story 1, 2 and 3, Ratatouille and more and Disney such as Sirenita, Lilo & Stitch, Frozen, Tangled and its best part telling by the creator of the animation created by computer technology, also if you are a fan of storytelling you can learn a kind of by the master of animation stories John Lasseter.
You have the big package here, management, creativity, design, technical and great stories.
Also, you can notice the admiration Ed and maybe all Pixar team has for Steve Jobs as he saved Pixar for bankrupting and spent money from his savings and also he made the alliance with Disney.
Book recommendations to:
Read it!!!! 👌👌 Absolutely
Buy it!!! 💰💳 if you are looking for inspiration, Yes!!
Read it again, personally by this time I read the book two times so, …..
Get Inspiration and start with your projects!!!!
