Revisiting Pixar
A few years ago, I came across a tattered copy of the book ‘To Pixar and Beyond: My Unlikely Journey with Steve Jobs to make Entertainment History’ at my college library. Having freshly read two non-fiction books, ‘When Breath Becomes Air’ by Paul Kalanithi and ‘Albert Einstein: A Glimpse of His Life, Philosophy and Science’ by Ajoy Ghatak, I was riding on the surge, itching to read as many non-fiction books as I could get my hands on while the high lasted. The cover and the synopsis of the book drew me in. Even more exciting was the subject.
Pixar.
That one word encompasses several aspects. Not only does it bring to mind images of animated characters that have been an integral part of pop culture and my childhood for several years, but also the enigma that is animation. Being a Computer Engineering undergraduate, I had many ideas about what animation is, but they were all just that. Ideas. Naturally, I was excited to voyage into the unknown, sparkly worlds of Silicon Valley and Hollywood.
Unfortunately, for reasons I don’t remember anymore, I was unable to finish the book before returning it to my library.
Cut to several years later.
It’s 2020. Most of the world is locked in at their homes, Coronavirus being our captor. This forced quarantine has led to my family developing an unusual routine. Every evening we gather around to watch a movie together. It’s the first time in years that the entire family is at home and has time for each other. So, we are taking this tradition very seriously :)
A day earlier, we watched Toy Story, followed by an awe-inspiring Ted Talk by Danielle Feinberg from Pixar, who has previously worked on Coco, among other Pixar (ad)ventures. You can watch the talk here. My entire family watched on in complete silence; absorbed and serious, taking in every detail. My second tryst with Pixar’s world brought out the memory of the book which was neatly tucked in a corner of my mind.
I got hold of the ebook and haven’t been able to focus on anything else ever since. I finished reading the book a few hours earlier, and I knew I had to put down my thoughts about it, because it definitely is a book I would like to revisit in the future.
Lawrence Levy, former CFO of Pixar, has written this book with so much passion for the work that he did at Pixar, that not even the nitty-gritty aspects of the Business world can deter you from putting the book down. The book’s plot, I observed, was much like any other fictional story I’ve read. There was a problem (several, in fact), and there were heroes.
Who won, you may ask? The book won my heart because of the answer to that question. Stories won. Above and beyond pressing matters of financial instability, threats to culture, and the questionable reputation of Steve Jobs, stories took front and center, waging a war against all that is convenient and not risky.
“If I learned anything at Pixar, it is that story comes first.”
The book has many financial and business details, etched out in clarity, sometimes hard to keep up with, but never once a hurdle. I learnt a great deal about IPOs, the stock market, making a company public, agreements, and so many other foreign aspects of business we aren’t taught in college. Of course, I don’t study business but given an opportunity or the time to study it, I wouldn’t know where to start.
The simplicity and compassion with which Lawrence described the characters made me empathise with them. Ed Catmull, John Lasseter, Hillary Levy, Rinpoche, Larry Sonsini, and most famously, Steve Jobs. Steve Jobs is as much an enigma as he is a master innovator. During the course of the book, he was frustrating, at times, but most times what struck me the most was his conviction; the belief he had in a seemingly flimsy and impossible dream. (Spoiler Alert: It did come true)
I visited Lawrence’s website, and scrolling through the photo gallery, I felt like I was revisiting old friends, seeing them in flesh and bone after having known them in theory. It was joyful to finally see the picture of ‘Production Babies’, and I searched for Jenna’s name with an excitement that could’ve matched Lawrence and his family’s.
The words were witty where they could be, always intelligent. There is a modesty to Lawrence Levy’s writing that strikes you the most towards the end. His part in making Pixar what it is worth today is never excessively highlighted. He mentions his team every step of the way, never taking the full credit of anything. A man who has worked with Steve Jobs, and acted on the Board of Directors of Pixar could be excused for not being the humblest person on earth, yet you don’t have to make any such exemptions for Lawrence Levy.
Silicon Valley is as much a wonder to me as Hollywood would be to an aspiring filmmaker. I’ve previously read about the creativity that fosters there, and the book justifies every bit of it. After all, it is where the world’s biggest, most successful businesses were born and fed.
“I loved the idea that filmmaking could use a dose of Silicon Valley bravado.”
“In an instant, he became Disney’s largest shareholder”. I read this line, but didn’t grasp the enormity of its significance until I’d read it over and over again. It seemed as sweet a victory to me as any personal achievement. The book took me along a series of challenges, with me rooting for Pixar, waiting with bated breath as the day of release of Toy Story in the book came closer. I was satisfied with the verdict, felt gratified when I went back and Googled Toy Story box office figures and the tiny little Disney•Pixar detail I wouldn’t have otherwise noticed or given credit to.
The book gave me an idea of what I would want my future career to look like. He writes, “At Pixar, it was vital to feel really good about what we were doing.” The world is becoming a nurturing ground for technological breakthroughs, and the competition is cut-throat. Sometimes, a book like this comes along and brings with it a reminder for you to run your own race. The odds may be against you but one Friday night movie can change everything :)
Facts and details aside, the book is more than just Lawrence’s voyage into a brave new world where a belief in innovation, creativity, and values beats all odds. He writes about his philosophical journey as well. Something more personal, something that may not resonate with the fast-paced lives of engineers and coders and men wanting to be millionaires. Yet, there is so much sincerity in his words that you can’t overlook the philosophy. You can’t brush it aside and claim it to be another one of a millionaire’s whims. It forces you to think, to answer the questions for your own self. If nothing, it sets into motion an urge within you to live a good life. Not just full of ambitions and successes, but with creative fulfilment, gratitude and a respect and acknowledgement for change.
“Our perception of solidity often belies an underlying movement that is difficult to perceive. Sometimes we can see the wave of change coming. But more often we are swept along.”
Pixar felt as much a child to me as it had to Lawrence Levy when I read about his departure from all duties at Pixar and the emotional goodbye that followed. The story was worth a lot, but the writer worth a lot more. This is one of the books in which the writer did not need to use too many lucrative words or heroic actions to make the reader fall in love with the main character. Many would argue that the main character of this book was Pixar itself. And while I wouldn’t completely disagree, I would point out that I fell in love with Lawrence Levy’s viewpoint of Pixar’s journey. Let us settle on equal share then, no less :)
The conclusion to the book was bittersweet. Learning about Lawrence Levy’s changed life made me realise that this was all a thing of the past. Pixar’s transformation, a historical and groundbreaking event that took place in the last century. Undoubtedly, Pixar’s brilliant and committed team has grown now, their talent acquisition probably more ruthless than I can imagine. Yet, I’m sure that the next time I watch an animated movie, I will be filled with a sense of nostalgia as Pixar’s logo follows Disney’s, and I will sit till the very end to see the ‘Thanks to’ credits roll up.
How good it would have felt […] to walk down the hallway to Steve’s office and knock gently on the door; to peer inside and check if he was there; and then, just one more time, to see him look up, smile, and say to me: “Hey Lawrence. You up for a walk?”
Thank goodness for the world of stories and words, a world that is consoling and eye-opening. But more importantly, thank goodness for the league of inspiring storytellers that Lawrence Levy definitely belongs to. Pick up this book, I’m sure it will transform your life just a little.
