WASHINGTON—Last month, Pixar Animation Studios and Walt Disney Animation Studios announced 10 new animated motion picture releases over the next four years.
The earliest release begins this month with "WALL•E," a movie about a functioning robot left behind by the last humans leaving earth. "Up," in which an old man befriends an 8-year-old boy to explore the world, will be released in 2009. The much-awaited "Toy Story 3" is set to reach theaters by 2010.
Pixar "continues to push the envelope in its art-and-technology inspired movie making endeavors," says its Web site. The venerable animation studio has produced numerous box-office hits including "Toy Story," "Finding Nemo," and "Monsters Inc."
In 1986, Steve Jobs—the co-founder and current CEO of Apple Inc.—acquired the computer graphics division of Lucas Films Ltd. for $10 million and named it "Pixar."
A little more than two years ago, the Walt Disney Co. acquired Pixar Animation Studios in an all-stock deal worth around $7.4 billion. This deal catapulted Jobs, who held a 50.1 majority ownership of Pixar, to a 7 percent ownership of Disney, making him its largest shareholder.
Despite 2006 media rumors that Jobs was angling for Disney CEO Robert A. Iger's job, Jobs is content holding down a position on its board of directors.
Within a little less than four months of assuming the CEO position at Disney, Iger announced "the acquisition of creative powerhouse Pixar Animation. The Disney/Pixar partnership had been one of the most successful in film history and, by acquiring the studio, the continuation of Disney's animation legacy is all but assured," according to Disney.
Let the Unconventional Ideas Flow
Creativity and flexibility are the main mottos at Pixar since Phillip Bradley Bird, known as Brad Bird, assumed the director position, according to a recent interview by two Stanford University professors and a McKinsey editor. McKinsey & Co. recently published an interview with Bird, titled "Innovation Lessons from Pixar: An Interview with Oscar-winning Director Brad Bird."
According to McKinsey, Bird was told by his superiors, "The only thing we're afraid of is complacency—feeling like we have it all figured out. We want you to come shake things up."
"One thing that was unbelievably different about this company was that they were worried about becoming complacent," said Brad Bird during the interview.
Bird, striving continuously to bring out creativity in all those who work with him, is himself a creative genius and has worked as a writer, director, and co-producer of a number of screenplays and movies. Before joining Pixar, Brad Bird had made a name in the movie and screenplay industry. He won Academy Awards for "The Incredibles" and "Ratatouille," both produced under his direction at Pixar.
Unconventional individuals, who can function as a team and still retain their individuality, are the ones Bird wants on his team. They should have a good dose of intensity, innovation, imagination, perhaps a little eccentricity, willingness to follow their inspiration, resourcefulness, visionaries and "have a restless, probing nature," he said in the interview.
"Give us the black sheep. I want artists who are frustrated. I want the ones who have another way of doing things that nobody's listening to," were the exact words he told Pixar's management team when he came on board.
The proverb "perfection is the mother of invention" is not part of Brad Bird's thought process. He is perfectly willing to bypass conventions and "cheat" to create an effect for the least cost that will capture the imagination of the audience.
"I had to shake the purist out of them [the animation team at Pixar]—essentially frighten them into realizing I was ready to use quick and dirty "cheats" to get something on screen if they took too long to achieve it in the computer," he said.
Bird's team was apprehensive at first, as Bird's predecessor at Pixar could be labeled as rather abusive. It took a few meetings and positive action to catch the attention of the group, but after they came on board they were no longer afraid to speak their minds.
"The animation team was much stronger than at the beginning, because we had all learned from each other's strengths. But it took two months for people to feel safe enough to speak up," explained Bird.
To foster an environment where people felt relaxed and comfortable, Jobs had torn the place apart, rebuilding it into something like a large hall with the bathrooms in the center, so everyone had to run into each other several times a day and make eye contact.
Everyone was uneasy in the beginning, but as time went by, the point Jobs wanted to make came across loud and clear and relationships began to flourish.
Dissent is encouraged when it improves on the task at hand. Bird explained, "Give me the bad news straight to my face. Ultimately we both win … we're open in our conflict. Nothing is hidden."
Creativity and innovation require someone to move outside the box, to be interested in subjects other than their own expertise. Pixar's management encourages cross-learning. Pixar employees are encouraged by the company to take classes in something outside their own interests and comfort zone.
Before finishing the interview, Bird said that when he moved to Pixar, Disney had matured. He said it had arrived at a point where it lacked the ingredients that had made it vibrant in the past. Disney needed fresh ideas that were innovative and not totally based on making money. He implied that the Pixar acquisition was that shot in the arm.
"[Disney] had the best talent. The movies were still well executed, if uninspired … For imagination-based companies to succeed in the long run, making money can't be the focus," Bird said.
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