Pixar and the Craft of Storytelling

It’s the last chance to enroll in the new 1-week online class I start teaching tomorrow: “Pixar and the Craft of Storytelling.” I know there are a lot of fans of Pixar out there, but even those of you who may not know that much about their films, the simple fact they have produced 12 movies and each of them has been a #1-hit at the box office should get your creative juices flowing.

Pixar’s success is unprecedented in the history of Hollywood and one big reason for it is their absolute commitment to writing the best stories possible. How do they do that?

I have studied Pixar movies for years. Plus I have read everything I can get my hands on about their creative process. This course represents my take on their approach to crafting a story and six dynamics that appear over and over in their movies. The seven lecture topics are:

1. The Secret of Storytelling

2. Small Story / Substantial Saga

3. Special Subculture

4. Strange Sojourners

5. Separation

6. Sentimentality

7. Surprise

With four more movies in the pipeline through 2014, Pixar is set to have released 16 movies in the first 20 years of their existence (their first movie Toy Story came out in 1995). Creating one terrific story after another, I think we can accurately call this time “The Pixar Decades.”

I’m thrilled to have the chance to dig into these ideas that have been evolving in my brain for years as I tracked Pixar, so I hope you can join me starting tomorrow. For more information, you may go here.

I look forward to going to infinity and beyond with you this week!

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