--- title: "3 Disney animation Quotes By Ed Catmull" description: "3 Disney animation quotes by Ed Catmull. Plus more from Ed Catmull and more Disney animation sayings from other authors." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f7/ed-catmull-1553_creativity_that-uncertainty-can-make-us-uncomfortab_490535.jpg" --- > [“That uncertainty can make us uncomfortable. We humans like to know where we are headed, but creativity demands that we travel paths…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-catmull/that-uncertainty-can-make-us-uncomfortable-we-humans-like-to-know/) [Ed Catmull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-catmull/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f7/ed-catmull-1553_creativity_that-uncertainty-can-make-us-uncomfortab_490535.jpg) > [“Rather than trying to prevent all errors, we should assume, as is almost always the case, that our people’s intentions are good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-catmull/rather-than-trying-to-prevent-all-errors-we-should-assume-as-is/) [Ed Catmull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-catmull/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00b/ed-catmull-1553_beauty_rather-than-trying-to-prevent-all-errors_1876922.jpg) > [“Athletes and musicians often refer to being in “the zone”—that mystical place where their inner critic is silenced and they completely inhabit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-catmull/athletes-and-musicians-often-refer-to-being-in-the-zone-that-mystical/) [Ed Catmull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-catmull/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a9/ed-catmull-1553_coping-mechanisms_athletes-and-musicians-often-refer-to-be_2486777.jpg) ## Other authors on Disney animation - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b024/author-walt-disney-94295.jpg) Walt Disney 6 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disney-animation/walt-disney/) ## More by Ed Catmull > [“So I tell myself that I have time, even when I don’t. As in, ‘Okay, I’m going to proceed as if I have time—I’m…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-catmull/so-i-tell-myself-that-i-have-time-even-when-i-don-t-as-in-okay-i-m/) [Ed Catmull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-catmull/) > [“How, then, do you make failure into something people can face without fear? Part of the answer is simple: If we as leaders can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-catmull/how-then-do-you-make-failure-into-something-people-can-face-without/) [Ed Catmull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-catmull/) > [“Andrew Stanton says, adding that on each of his own films, he has made a point of doing this on a smaller scale, separate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-catmull/andrew-stanton-says-adding-that-on-each-of-his-own-films-he-has-made/) [Ed Catmull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-catmull/) > [“This was a success in itself, but it came with an added and unexpected benefit: The act of thinking about the problem and responding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-catmull/this-was-a-success-in-itself-but-it-came-with-an-added-and-unexpected/) [Ed Catmull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-catmull/) > [“This principle eludes most people, but it is critical: You are not your idea, and if you identify too closely with your ideas, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-catmull/this-principle-eludes-most-people-but-it-is-critical-you-are-not-your/) [Ed Catmull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-catmull/) > [“You might say I’m an advocate for humility in leaders. But to be truly humble, those leaders must first understand how many of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-catmull/you-might-say-i-m-an-advocate-for-humility-in-leaders-but-to-be-truly/) [Ed Catmull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-catmull/) > [“Rejecting failure and avoiding mistakes seem like high-minded”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-catmull/rejecting-failure-and-avoiding-mistakes-seem-like-high-minded/) [Ed Catmull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-catmull/) > [“The most productive creative sessions allow for the exploration of myriad trains of thought.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-catmull/the-most-productive-creative-sessions-allow-for-the-exploration-of/) [Ed Catmull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-catmull/) > [“My rule of thumb is that any time we impose limits or procedures, we should ask how they will aid in enabling people to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-catmull/my-rule-of-thumb-is-that-any-time-we-impose-limits-or-procedures-we/) [Ed Catmull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-catmull/) > [“Toy Story went on to become the top-grossing film of the year and would earn $358 million worldwide. But it wasn’t just the numbers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-catmull/toy-story-went-on-to-become-the-top-grossing-film-of-the-year-and/) [Ed Catmull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-catmull/) > [“THERE IS NOTHING quite like ignorance combined with a driving need to succeed to force rapid learning.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-catmull/there-is-nothing-quite-like-ignorance-combined-with-a-driving-need-to/) [Ed Catmull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-catmull/) > [“What makes Pixar special is that we acknowledge we will always have problems, many of them hidden from our view; that we work hard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-catmull/what-makes-pixar-special-is-that-we-acknowledge-we-will-always-have/) [Ed Catmull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-catmull/) > [“Every morning, as I walk into Pixar Animation Studios—past the twenty-foot-high sculpture of Luxo Jr., our friendly desk lamp mascot, through the double doors…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-catmull/every-morning-as-i-walk-into-pixar-animation-studios-past-the-twenty/) [Ed Catmull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-catmull/) > [“What makes Pixar special is that we acknowledge we will always have problems, many of them hidden from our view; that we work hard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-catmull/what-makes-pixar-special-is-that-we-acknowledge-we-will-always-have-2/) [Ed Catmull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-catmull/) > [“I believe that managers must loosen the controls, not tighten them. They must accept risk; they must trust the people they work with and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-catmull/i-believe-that-managers-must-loosen-the-controls-not-tighten-them/) [Ed Catmull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-catmull/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "ItemList", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disney-animation/ed-catmull/#itemlist", "name": "3 Disney animation Quotes By Ed Catmull", "numberOfItems": 3, "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“That uncertainty can make us uncomfortable. We humans like to know where we are headed, but creativity demands that we travel paths that lead to who-knows-where. That requires us to step up to the boundary of what we know and what we don’t know. While we all have the potential to be creative, some people hang back, while others forge ahead. What are the tools they use that lead them toward the new? Those with superior talent and the ability to marshal the energies of others have learned from experience that there is a sweet spot between the known and the unknown where originality happens; the key is to be able to linger there without panicking. And that, according to the people who make films at Pixar and Disney Animation, means developing a mental model that sustains you. It might sound silly or woo-woo, this kind of visualization, but I believe it’s crucial. 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We humans like to know where we are headed, but creativity…” — Ed Catmull", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Rather than trying to prevent all errors, we should assume, as is almost always the case, that our people’s intentions are good and that they want to solve problems. Give them responsibility, let the mistakes happen, and let people fix them. If there is fear, there is a reason—our job is to find the reason and to remedy it. Management’s job is not to prevent risk but to build the ability to recover. CHAPTER 7 THE HUNGRY BEAST AND THE UGLY BABY During the late 1980s and early 1990s, as an ascendant Disney Animation was enjoying a remarkable string of hit films—The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Lion King—I began to hear a phrase being used again and again in the executive suites of its Burbank headquarters: “You’ve got to feed the”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ed Catmull" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-catmull/rather-than-trying-to-prevent-all-errors-we-should-assume-as-is/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00b/ed-catmull-1553_beauty_rather-than-trying-to-prevent-all-errors_1876922.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00b/ed-catmull-1553_beauty_rather-than-trying-to-prevent-all-errors_1876922.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00b/ed-catmull-1553_beauty_rather-than-trying-to-prevent-all-errors_1876922.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Rather than trying to prevent all errors, we should assume, as is almost always the case, that our people’s…” — Ed Catmull", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Athletes and musicians often refer to being in “the zone”—that mystical place where their inner critic is silenced and they completely inhabit the moment, where the thinking is clear and the motions are precise. Often, mental models help get them there. Just as George Lucas liked to imagine his company as a wagon train headed west—its passengers full of purpose, part of a team, unwavering in their pursuit of their destination—the coping mechanisms used by Pixar and Disney Animation’s directors, producers, and writers draw heavily on visualization. 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