Video: “John Lasseter Looks Back on 30 Years of Pixar”

Last week to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the founding of Pixar, the company put out this short video featuring John Lasseter, Walt Disney Animation and Pixar Studios Chief Creative Officer, and his reflections on why the studio has become so successful as a movie company:

An excerpt of Lasseter’s comments:

What makes a Pixar movie a Pixar movie. First its roots are based in the work of Walt Disney. Story is king. Story is the most important thing. You want it to really resonate with the audience… You want the movies to touch people. And that really is kind of a hallmark of Walt, make them funny, make them beautiful, make them scary, but in the end you want that heart of the movie to be so strong.

Story. Resonate. Touch people. Heart. It’s interesting. I have conversations with people who work in the movie and TV business all the time. They all want scripts with a strong story concept. Solid structure. Memorable scenes. And all the rest. However at the end of the day, perhaps the most important thing they’re looking for is this: They want to feel something.

So perhaps that’s a big reason why Pixar has been so successful. Guided by their own philosophy, they make movies with resonate with people and connect with them on an emotional level.

Something for writers to remember.

Video via the Walt Disney Company.