The Pixar Way of Telling a Story

Over the past 25 years, animation studio Pixar has proved that animation is more than just a genre — it’s a storytelling medium. By challenging its studio to best itself repeatedly, Pixar has created tons of generation-defining films for people of all ages to enjoy. Films such as The Incredibles, Up, and Inside Out, go to show that Pixar has practically mastered their way of storytelling by using everything they have to their advantage: animation, original music, and their writing.

Casting aside animation and original soundtracks, how does Pixar present their stories? What’s the secret behind each tear-jerking scene and ones that make you so enthralled you feel like rewatching it all over again? According to former story artist for Pixar Emma Coats, Pixar uses a guide known as the “22 Rules to Storytelling”. This set of rules showcases how Pixar creates a story, from character creation to the major event of your tale.

However, there are some rules that stick out more than others. Take rule #4 for example: “Once upon a time there was ___. Every day, ___. One day ___. Because of that, ___. Because of that, ___. Until finally ___.” The first rule goes over one’s understanding of a story’s structure. Most, if not all, Pixar movies have this same format. In the beginning of the movie, they introduce the audience to the characters and watch them complete their daily routine. However, the safety of that routine gets shattered by an unforeseen change. The rest of the film then follows the characters’ struggle against this change, until finally, they learn a lesson.

With this being said, many Pixar movies feature change. In Toy Story, this change is the arrival of a new toy, in Inside Out, it’s the movie to a new city, and in Up, it’s the death of a loved one. In each movie, the characters struggle to accept or adapt this change, yet Pixar puts a twist on this: any change gets treated as an opportunity to grow and learn from. This conflict is apparent to the audience since Pixar spends time on helping the viewers who these characters are.

This brings us to rule #13, “Give your characters opinions." A large part of Pixar’s magic is because of its characters and how they’re written. These characters feel as if they could pop through the screen: they’re real and complex because each one has their own opinion. The opinions and beliefs Pixar gives these characters don’t always have to be agreeable or likeable, they just need to be understood. Giving these characters opinions that others could sympathize with makes them feel emotions. Emotions are universal, they’re feelings anyone can have, no matter your age, gender, etc. It doesn’t matter if said emotions are necessarily good, they just have to be honest. In Toy Story, it may compel one to say its main villain is Sid, but it’s Woody whose jealousy gets him and Buzz into the major conflict of the movie. In Inside Out, Joy’s ignorance of the importance of other emotions is the reason Riley ends up wanting to run away from her new home.

When characters end up resisting change, Pixar spices things up a bit and throws them a challenge: rule #19, “Coincidences to get characters into trouble are great…” Pixar is no stranger to coincidences. No matter in what way they may occur, Pixar uses coincidences a bit differently. While bad writing will have coincidences get characters OUT of trouble, Pixar uses them to get it. Using a coincidence to get a character out of trouble feels like cheating; it doesn’t really feel deserved and can be unsatisfying. Pixar’s coincidences force its characters to face and confront the situation at hand. Coincidences aren’t used as a simple way out; that’s all up to the characters. Even when Pixar may include what feels like a Deus Ex Machina in their writing, it serves as a great character moment and is a payoff.

However, Pixar doesn’t enjoy throwing in characters into dangerous situations by themselves; sometimes they need a friend by their side! Rule #6 states, “What is your character good at, comfortable with? Throw the polar opposite at them. Challenge them.” In most cases, throwing the opposite of your protagonist is carried out in the form of a villain; they’re villains because the morals of them and the main character don’t align. Pixar uses villains in this way, yes, but most Pixar duos are built with this thought in mind. It’s a no brainer that Pixar loves the buddy film genre (a type of film that’s almost as old as movies themselves), but it seems like the perfect way for Pixar to achieve their goal of teaching the audience a lesson. In fact, 15 (almost 16) out of the 22 films Pixar has released over the years follow this exact formula. This is because many people learn through the people around them and the differing opinions they may have. In Inside Out, Joy learns about the necessity of negative emotions thanks to her adventure with Sadness. Carl Fredrickson can finally move on from his wife’s death because of a young boy scout who reminds him of his younger self, but is the polar opposite of the man he’s become. When films end up putting these opposites together, the two characters have no choice but to grow and learn from each other.

Finally, Pixar wraps their stories by using rule #3: “...you won’t see what the story is actually about til you’re at the end of it.” In almost every Pixar film, there’s a certain moment where everything sort of clicks in your head. It’s a moment where everything you and the characters just experienced suddenly makes sense. This moment of clarity is what many would call a “Pixar Moment." In terrible movies and stories, the person behind them is so focused on trying to get a specific theme or motif across that it feels like it’s all for attention. Yet, Pixar integrates a lesson into their films so well that it’s subtle. They tell stories that feel like the audience is learning a lesson not from the characters, but alongside them. They’re never expected, never come easy, and we fail countless times in the process. In the end, it becomes clear why the overall journey was so worth it.

It’s no surprise that Pixar has storytelling figured out to a T. Along with their stunning visuals and emotional soundtracks, every step of the movie-making process comes together seamlessly and creates a film worth watching. Although it’s sad to see some newer Pixar films not carrying the same weight and feeling as other films in their filmography, every time a new one comes out I desperately hope it replaces my current favorite. With the release of Pixar’s Soul on the horizon, many Pixar fans, including me, are excited to see what’s in store next for the studio and can’t wait to see how it holds up to their other masterpieces.