Pixar was still working on A Bug’s Life, and, suddenly, their workload had doubled overnight. While Catmull was thrilled to approach Toy Story 2 as a full-fledged theatrical release, he now faced a predicament. Catmull didn’t feel comfortable creating a mediocre film, so he asked Disney to make it a full theatrical release. At the time, this typically meant the film would be given less attention, time, and money, leading to a lower-quality product. The Toy Story 2 Fiascoĭisney originally wanted Toy Story 2 to be a direct-to-video sequel. This realization came following a near-disaster with one of Pixar’s films: Toy Story 2. Following the success of Toy Story, Catmull and his team adopted two principles they believed would lead to success: “Story is King” and “Trust the Process.”īut while these mottos were inspirational, Catmull soon discovered they fell apart when put to the test. Pixar’s Principles: Story Is King and Trust the ProcessĪs Pixar started its journey, Catmull had to determine what the company’s guiding principles would be. Read more about the “Story is King” principle and what Pixar’s revised principles are. Pixar learned that the hard way when Toy Story 2 production didn’t go as planned. Unfortunately, a good idea isn’t enough if you don’t have a great team to execute it in the right way.

Pixar used to believe that the principle of “Story is King” would help bring success. What does the “Story is King” motto mean? Why did Pixar adapt and then abandon this motto? Like this article? Sign up for a free trial here.

Shortform has the world's best summaries and analyses of books you should be reading. This article is an excerpt from the Shortform book guide to 'Creativity, Inc.' by Ed Catmull.

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