Pixar’s 22 Rules for Great Storytelling


Elly Clapin

 

Since the release of it’s first animated feature film in 1995 (the much beloved Toy Story) Pixar Animation Studios has earned 27 Academy Awards, 7 Golden Globe Awards, and 11 Grammy Awards, amongst many, many, many many many other impressive acknowledgements. Every one of it’s fourteen films to date has effortlessly charmed audiences of all ages, so clearly the folks over at Pixar know a thing or two about great storytelling.

 

That’s why we think these 22 storytelling tips from the studio, originally observed, compiled and tweeted by former storyboard artist Emma Coats, are really worth a read.

 

And once you’ve done that, you should definitely head over to the blog of Stephen Vladimir Bugaj, who has written and developed stories at Pixar for over 12 years. Why, you ask? Because he’s expanded on each piece of advice in an eBook, which he shares for free on his blog. Pretty cool, huh? 

 

But first things first: check out the following visualisations of the original 22 tips, via Gavin McMahon of Make a Powerful Point.

 

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PS. Did you know that the iconic hopping lamp you see before all Pixar movies is named Luxo Jr, and he was the star of Pixar’s first film in 1986?