--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What I've learned running Pixar applies…" description: "\"What I've learned running Pixar applies to all businesses.\" — Edwin Catmull" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/04e/edwin-catmull-5340_business_what-i-ve-learned-running-pixar-applies_739991.png" --- # What I've learned running Pixar applies to all businesses. ![“What I've learned running Pixar applies to all businesses.” quote by Edwin Catmull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/04e/edwin-catmull-5340_business_what-i-ve-learned-running-pixar-applies_739991.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/04e/edwin-catmull-5340_business_what-i-ve-learned-running-pixar-applies_739991.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/04e/edwin-catmull-5340_business_what-i-ve-learned-running-pixar-applies_739991.png) > “What I've learned running Pixar applies to all businesses.” [Edwin Catmull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-catmull/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Principles from Pixar’s process are universally applicable to business. **In simple terms:** Pixar lessons work for any company. Key Takeaway Apply Pixar’s creative process. Themes innovation leadership process learning Mood informative motivational Type business creative When to use this quote - startup teams - corporate training - product development Key Concepts design thinking team dynamics storytelling feedback loops Questions to Reflect On - Which Pixar principle can improve your workflow? - How to balance creativity with business constraints? A Different Perspective Requires adaptation to non‑creative contexts. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Applies Businesses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/applies-businesses-5779814/) [Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Businesses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/businesses/) [Disney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disney/) [Learned](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learned/) [Pixar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pixar/) [Pixar Applies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pixar-applies-5779812/) [Running](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/running/) [Running Pixar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/running-pixar-5779813/) [Ve Learned](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ve-learned/) ## Related quotes > [Oh yeah, I'm still employed at Pixar and I love it here.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-bird/oh-yeah-i-m-still-employed-at-pixar-and-i-love-it-here/) [Brad Bird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-bird/) > [The saddest day in Pixar history was when some guy said 'get Larry the Cable Guy on the phone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-kindler/the-saddest-day-in-pixar-history-was-when-some-guy-said-get-larry-the/) [Andy Kindler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-kindler/) > [The silliness-much of which is clearly intentional-is blended with some genuine grandeur. The Pixar touch is evident in the precision of the visual detail…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-o-scott/the-silliness-much-of-which-is-clearly-intentional-is-blended-with/) [A. O. Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-o-scott/) > [The way we work at Pixar is we write the script, but then we quickly move on into story reel, which is basically like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-docter/the-way-we-work-at-pixar-is-we-write-the-script-but-then-we-quickly/) [Pete Docter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-docter/) > [There's the animation ghetto of feature films in this country. There's this flavor at DreamWorks, and Pixar does their own thing, and generally they're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-selick/there-s-the-animation-ghetto-of-feature-films-in-this-country-there-s/) [Henry Selick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-selick/) > [Everybody involved in Pixar, I've not met one person who's not incredibly creative and nice and lovely and know what they're doing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-smith/everybody-involved-in-pixar-i-ve-not-met-one-person-who-s-not/) [Phyllis Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-smith/) > [All Pixar movies are heartbreaking, aren't they?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-brooker/all-pixar-movies-are-heartbreaking-aren-t-they/) [Charlie Brooker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-brooker/) > [At Pixar, I don't have to compromise at all. When I look at the finished "Toy Story 3," I don't sit and constantly think,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-unkrich/at-pixar-i-don-t-have-to-compromise-at-all-when-i-look-at-the/) [Lee Unkrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-unkrich/) > [Why would I ever want to run Disney? Wouldn't it make more sense just to sell them Pixar and retire?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/why-would-i-ever-want-to-run-disney-wouldn-t-it-make-more-sense-just/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [There's always room out there for the hand-drawn image. I personally like the imperfection of hand drawing as opposed to the slick look of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-groening/there-s-always-room-out-there-for-the-hand-drawn-image-i-personally/) [Matt Groening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-groening/) > [I'm really proud of 'Cars.' 'Cars,' when it first came out, got probably the most mediocre reviews of a Pixar film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lasseter/i-m-really-proud-of-cars-cars-when-it-first-came-out-got-probably-the/) [John Lasseter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lasseter/) > [Well, we try to - we definitely try to have a balance. And I think things have gotten a lot better at Pixar. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-docter/well-we-try-to-we-definitely-try-to-have-a-balance-and-i-think-things/) [Pete Docter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-docter/) > [A lot of the album 'The Definition' was made from two things: Pixar movies and J. Dilla.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-bellion/a-lot-of-the-album-the-definition-was-made-from-two-things-pixar/) [Jon Bellion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-bellion/) > [The way Pixar has always worked is that we think of an idea and then we make it. We don't develop lots of ideas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-stanton/the-way-pixar-has-always-worked-is-that-we-think-of-an-idea-and-then/) [Andrew Stanton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-stanton/) > [Probably more than any other movie we've made here at Pixar, 'Up' was the one we were the most nervous about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lasseter/probably-more-than-any-other-movie-we-ve-made-here-at-pixar-up-was/) [John Lasseter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lasseter/) ## More by Edwin Catmull > [Lucasfilm has always had an openness to technology.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-catmull/lucasfilm-has-always-had-an-openness-to-technology/) [Edwin Catmull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-catmull/) > [Creative ideas aren't like Jenga blocks, where they fall apart and you've got to start from scratch, though it can feel that way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-catmull/creative-ideas-aren-t-like-jenga-blocks-where-they-fall-apart-and-you/) [Edwin Catmull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-catmull/) > [With every one of our films, we try to touch emotions, but we don't try to touch the same emotions each time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-catmull/with-every-one-of-our-films-we-try-to-touch-emotions-but-we-don-t-try/) [Edwin Catmull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-catmull/) > [Every new idea in any field needs protection.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-catmull/every-new-idea-in-any-field-needs-protection/) [Edwin Catmull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-catmull/) > [Creativity has to start somewhere, and we are true believers in the power of bracing, candid feedback, and the iterative process - reworking, reworking,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-catmull/creativity-has-to-start-somewhere-and-we-are-true-believers-in-the/) [Edwin Catmull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-catmull/) > [At heart, we believe that the films that work well are the films that do touch people emotionally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-catmull/at-heart-we-believe-that-the-films-that-work-well-are-the-films-that/) [Edwin Catmull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-catmull/) > [Creativity doesn't follow titles. It just comes from where it comes from.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-catmull/creativity-doesn-t-follow-titles-it-just-comes-from-where-it-comes/) [Edwin Catmull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-catmull/) > [We'll fund a project even if I'm skeptical because I'd rather be proven wrong by somebody on the inside than by somebody on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-catmull/we-ll-fund-a-project-even-if-i-m-skeptical-because-i-d-rather-be/) [Edwin Catmull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-catmull/) > [I actually feel awkward being at the center of attention.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-catmull/i-actually-feel-awkward-being-at-the-center-of-attention/) [Edwin Catmull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-catmull/) > [We have a whole industry which is gigantic: games. Games is very successful. It's its own art form, though, and it's not the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-catmull/we-have-a-whole-industry-which-is-gigantic-games-games-is-very/) [Edwin Catmull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-catmull/) > [A movie contains literally tens of thousands of ideas. They're in the form of every sentence; in the performance of each line; in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-catmull/a-movie-contains-literally-tens-of-thousands-of-ideas-they-re-in-the/) [Edwin Catmull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-catmull/) > [With certain ideas, you can predict commercial success. So with a 'Toy Story 3' or a 'Cars 2,' you know the idea is more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-catmull/with-certain-ideas-you-can-predict-commercial-success-so-with-a-toy/) [Edwin Catmull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-catmull/) > [Beware of being blinded by your own success.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-catmull/beware-of-being-blinded-by-your-own-success/) [Edwin Catmull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-catmull/) > [My best advice came by examples. A supportive environment at home, school, and grad school. Support at the New York Institute of Technology, then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-catmull/my-best-advice-came-by-examples-a-supportive-environment-at-home/) [Edwin Catmull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-catmull/) > [When it comes to producing breakthroughs, both technological and artistic, Pixar's track record is unique. In the early 1990s, we were known as the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-catmull/when-it-comes-to-producing-breakthroughs-both-technological-and/) [Edwin Catmull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-catmull/) [Explore all 101 Edwin Catmull quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-catmull/) ## More Business quotes > [Companies with cultures that celebrate diverse opinions and encourage the exchange of ideas have an advantage when solving difficult problems. A company that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-mcmillon/companies-with-cultures-that-celebrate-diverse-opinions-and-encourage/) [Doug McMillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-mcmillon/) > [You can laugh at me, but I understand show business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ksenia-sobchak/you-can-laugh-at-me-but-i-understand-show-business/) [Ksenia Sobchak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ksenia-sobchak/) > [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [I'm a business first and foremost so whatever my business is, it's separate from my personal. It's like whatever I do business wise, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/snoop-dogg/i-m-a-business-first-and-foremost-so-whatever-my-business-is-it-s/) [Snoop Dogg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/snoop-dogg/) > [Many early-stage entrepreneurs make one simple mistake: Describing this 'big picture' in vague concepts and words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunil-nagaraj/many-early-stage-entrepreneurs-make-one-simple-mistake-describing/) [Sunil Nagaraj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunil-nagaraj/) > [Nobody has a crystal ball, and part of evolving a business plan is to say, 'I might have said we're going left, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-kavanaugh/nobody-has-a-crystal-ball-and-part-of-evolving-a-business-plan-is-to/) [Ryan Kavanaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-kavanaugh/) > [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/) [G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/) > [ “\[S\]ometimes, when you are a food person, the possible irrelevance of what you are doing doesn’t cross your mind until it’s too late. (Once,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-ephron/s-ometimes-when-you-are-a-food-person-the-possible-irrelevance-of/) [Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-ephron/) > [If you have a different mindset, you will have a different outcome: if you make different choices from your peers, your life will then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-ma/if-you-have-a-different-mindset-you-will-have-a-different-outcome-if/) [Jack Ma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-ma/) > [“Some say the Earth is angry Because he wants no company; I say the Earth is angry Because he lives alone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/some-say-the-earth-is-angry-because-he-wants-no-company-i-say-the/) [N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/) > [ If the State does not acquire supremacy over \[vast private\] enterprises, it becomes their puppet, and they become the real State. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/if-the-state-does-not-acquire-supremacy-over-vast-private-enterprises/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [It's not just that families can't buy a home or start a business without some savings tucked away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cooper/it-s-not-just-that-families-can-t-buy-a-home-or-start-a-business/) [Jim Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cooper/) > [I'm not into business at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-mercury/i-m-not-into-business-at-all/) [Freddie Mercury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-mercury/) > [I've long believed one of the mainsprings of our own liberty has been the widespread ownership of property among our people and the expectation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/i-ve-long-believed-one-of-the-mainsprings-of-our-own-liberty-has-been/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) [Browse all 39,016 Business quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "What I've learned running Pixar applies to all businesses.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Edwin Catmull" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-catmull/what-i-ve-learned-running-pixar-applies-to-all-businesses/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Business" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-catmull/what-i-ve-learned-running-pixar-applies-to-all-businesses/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/04e/edwin-catmull-5340_business_what-i-ve-learned-running-pixar-applies_739991.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/04e/edwin-catmull-5340_business_what-i-ve-learned-running-pixar-applies_739991.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/04e/edwin-catmull-5340_business_what-i-ve-learned-running-pixar-applies_739991.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“What I've learned running Pixar applies to all businesses.” — Edwin Catmull", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Edwin Catmull", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-catmull/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "What I've learned running Pixar applies...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-catmull/what-i-ve-learned-running-pixar-applies-to-all-businesses/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-catmull/what-i-ve-learned-running-pixar-applies-to-all-businesses/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```