Finding Nemo (2003). Finding the right story in an ocean of possibilities takes time. Success comes through persistence; in never giving up. © Disney · Pixar Animation Studios.

It's been said that the secret to Pixar Animation Studios' success is story. That's the mantra. Story, story, story. And, of course -- story.

But this is not quite precise. You can have the same story, and three directors will give you three different movies. Really, the magic lies in storytelling. It's in the telling of a tale that the emotional appeal takes hold. As with a good joke, the essence of its humor will always elicit a chuckle, but in telling it masterfully, the audience can't help but guffaw. In the right hands, even a lackluster story can be told with such charm and verve that everyone in earshot will give it their attention. The ability to captivate and entertain has less to do with the words on a page, or the beats of a story, as with the performance itself.

Perhaps in being so far removed from the hallowed halls of Hollywood, Pixar has been able to think more clearly than most in the commitment to its craft. Pixar has been described as the perfect storm of art, science and studio savvy. The studio has some 20 Academy Awards to its name, and its seven animated features -- Toy Story (1995), A Bug's Life (1998), Toy Story 2 (1999), Monsters, Inc. (2001), Finding Nemo (2003), The Incredibles (2004) and Cars (2006) -- have grossed more than $3.4 billion at the worldwide box office. With its next release, Ratatouille (2007), the studio's films just seem to be getting better and better. Whatever they're doing up in Emeryville, California, they must be doing something right.

As the saying goes, if you build a better mousetrap, the world will beat a path to your door. Last October, as the centerpiece of Screenwriting Expo 5 in Los Angeles, there was an all-day seminar devoted to Pixar Storytelling. Aspiring filmmakers and studio heads came from far and wide, even overseas, to share in the keynote talks and panel discussions. Writer/director Andrew Stanton spoke on "Understanding Story: or My Journey of Pain." Michael Arndt, who recently won an Academy Award for Little Miss Sunshine, gave a talk on "Endings: The Good, The Bad and the Insanely Great." The director/writer relationship was discussed by the teams of Lee Unkrich/Arndt, Brenda Chapman/Irene Mecchi, and Gary Rydstrom/Kiel Murray. "Trust the Process: A Conversation with Pixar Story Artists" was hosted by Mark Andrews, Jim Capobianco, Ronnie Del Carmen and Jason Katz. And, rounding out the event, Brad Bird and Andrews bantered about creating The Incredibles.

C’est ne pas Andrew Stanton. After years of working at Pixar, his hair has grown long and his ways trespassed upon.

The Writing Process
Like telling a good joke, storytelling requires that you know where you're going with a tale. You must know the punchline, the end result, the goal. Then, in arriving there, it's not so much what you say, but how you say it.

Screenwriting is cinematic dictation. It is an intermediary form between the writer's imagination and what ultimately appears on screen. When developing Pixar's first feature, Toy Story, writer/director Stanton reminisces that they were too dumb or naïve to know that they couldn't do it. They were innocent to the obstacles and challenges that lay ahead, and so blithely proceeded to write the story they wanted to tell.

The process of writing a story is messy. It's something you have to play with and explore. The first draft is a kickoff and, more often than not, always bad. You have to feel safe and be willing to make mistakes -- then take the time to fix them. Good writing is rewriting. As Stanton says, "Be wrong as fast as you can." Get your ideas onto the page. The real gold is mined later. This advice is similar to that of Chuck Jones on drawing -- make your mistakes early and fast, so you can get them out of the way. Refine your efforts until you get to the good stuff. "Genius" looks effortless only because there are 100,000 bad drawings (so-called failures) already behind you.

Toy Story itself took about 36 months to write and hone. Toy Story 2, where the characters were known (except for the Roundup Gang), took about 3 months to write. Writing is all about character. When creating characters, you are giving birth to the illusion of this full person with complexities. Mr. Rogers once said, "There isn't anyone you couldn't love if you heard their story." Drama is anticipation mingled with uncertainty, and good stories have the audience caring and worrying about the characters. So, as a writer or artist, it's imperative to get out and meet all different kinds of people. As Brad Bird remarked in a recent interview, "You can't create the illusion of life if you haven't lived one."

In other studio environments, there can be an uneasiness attending development, a kind of mix-and-match approach that benefits no one. A writer is hired to work on a script, a director is chosen to helm the film, and everyone tries to invest him- or herself in this awkward situation. Executives loom over the whole process and never forget to remind the filmmakers, "If you can't make it work, we have three or four other writers or directors we can call in."

Development at Pixar, by contrast, is a very comfortable and nurturing process. They understand that, if everyone is being exhorted to think outside the box, maybe it's the box that needs fixing. As a director-driven studio that bases its movies on in-house, original ideas, Pixar is often regarded as a kind of fairytale workplace. Knowing that movies are never finished, just released, fear is a real motivating factor in doing good work. It's not the typical industry fear of losing one's position, but rather the worry of not living up to one's potential and doing one's utmost best.