--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The way the films look will never…" description: "\"The way the films look will never entertain an audience alone. It has to be in the service of a good story with great characters.\" — John Lasseter" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac5/john-lasseter-2122_alone_the-way-the-films-look-will-never-entert_2339452.jpg" --- # The way the films look will never entertain an audience… ![“The way the films look will never entertain an audience alone. It has to be in the service of a good story with great characters.” quote by John Lasseter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac5/john-lasseter-2122_alone_the-way-the-films-look-will-never-entert_2339452.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac5/john-lasseter-2122_alone_the-way-the-films-look-will-never-entert_2339452.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac5/john-lasseter-2122_alone_the-way-the-films-look-will-never-entert_2339452.jpg) > “The way the films look will never entertain an audience alone. It has to be in the service of a good story with great characters.” [John Lasseter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lasseter/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote emphasizes that visual style alone cannot engage viewers; it must serve a compelling narrative and well-developed characters. **In simple terms:** Good visuals need a strong story and characters to succeed. Key Takeaway Prioritize story and character development alongside design. Themes film storytelling visual design character development animation Mood inspirational pragmatic critical Type analytical motivational When to use this quote - scriptwriting - character design - storyboarding - production meetings - audience testing Key Concepts narrative structure character arcs visual storytelling aesthetic integration Questions to Reflect On - How do you ensure story drives visual choices? - What character traits make a story memorable? A Different Perspective Focusing too much on visuals can lead to style over substance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Alone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alone/) [Audience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/audience/) [Characters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/characters/) [Cinema](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cinema/) [Film](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/film/) [Films](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/films/) [Good story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-story/) [Service](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/service/) [Story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/story/) ## Related quotes > [“The story can be great but the characters make the book”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-p-heinz/the-story-can-be-great-but-the-characters-make-the-book/) R.P. Heinz > [To be completely honest, I just like whatever tells a good story. Put me in whatever setting, scenario, genre. If you're telling a good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-roy/to-be-completely-honest-i-just-like-whatever-tells-a-good-story-put/) [Drew Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-roy/) > [Any good story can galvanize a person, make him/her think about things a different way, reassess their own motives and needs, but that's never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-e-feist/any-good-story-can-galvanize-a-person-make-him-her-think-about-things/) [Raymond E. Feist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-e-feist/) > [“A story is a great way to describe your vision. Unlike a list of requirements, it helps the reader understand what’s important and why.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-colborne/a-story-is-a-great-way-to-describe-your-vision-unlike-a-list-of/) [Giles Colborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-colborne/) > [It wasn't necessary to win for the story to be great, it was only necessary to sacrifice everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-miller/it-wasn-t-necessary-to-win-for-the-story-to-be-great-it-was-only/) [Donald Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-miller/) > [“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button", great story, great film.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deyth-banger/the-curious-case-of-benjamin-button-great-story-great-film/) Deyth Banger > [To me, a great love story is a great love story, and it doesn't matter what gender is involved,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/piper-perabo/to-me-a-great-love-story-is-a-great-love-story-and-it-doesn-t-matter/) [Piper Perabo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/piper-perabo/) > [It's not just superheroes that make a story great.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liu-yifei/it-s-not-just-superheroes-that-make-a-story-great/) [Liu Yifei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liu-yifei/) > [I told my how-I-got-discovered story. 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It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-sutton/i-m-not-really-a-science-fiction-fan-i-quite-like-the-idea-of-getting/) [Sarah Sutton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-sutton/) > [“History is like a story with great characters, fantastic storylines, and wonderful settings. ~ Chip Lagerbom, 2011”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-webb/history-is-like-a-story-with-great-characters-fantastic-storylines/) [Dave Webb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-webb/) ## More by John Lasseter > [It’s so important to create in your own voice, to hold onto what makes you unique, and have faith in your vision.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lasseter/it-s-so-important-to-create-in-your-own-voice-to-hold-onto-what-makes/) [John Lasseter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lasseter/) > [The only thing Steve Jobs has ever asked me in all the years we've been together and have been partners, the only thing he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lasseter/the-only-thing-steve-jobs-has-ever-asked-me-in-all-the-years-we-ve/) [John Lasseter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lasseter/) > [The hardest thing to get is true emotion. I always believe you need to earn that with the audience. You can't just tell them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lasseter/the-hardest-thing-to-get-is-true-emotion-i-always-believe-you-need-to/) [John Lasseter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lasseter/) > [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/) > [Car love is the sound of a throaty V-8 rumbling and revving, the acceleration throwing you back in the seat - especially when you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lasseter/car-love-is-the-sound-of-a-throaty-v-8-rumbling-and-revving-the/) [John Lasseter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lasseter/) > [When you make these films, they become like your children. 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But also, animators are great observers, and there's this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lasseter/people-who-get-into-animation-tend-to-be-kids-we-don-t-have-to-grow/) [John Lasseter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lasseter/) > [I love the villains who are really hyper-smart. When at the end of the movie you find out what they were about, and it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lasseter/i-love-the-villains-who-are-really-hyper-smart-when-at-the-end-of-the/) [John Lasseter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lasseter/) > [Toys are put on this Earth to be played with by a child.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lasseter/toys-are-put-on-this-earth-to-be-played-with-by-a-child/) [John Lasseter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lasseter/) > [Humor is the easiest to achieve; the 'heart' is always the toughest, because you can't tell people to feel a certain way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lasseter/humor-is-the-easiest-to-achieve-the-heart-is-always-the-toughest/) [John Lasseter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lasseter/) > [I laugh very hard at work every day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lasseter/i-laugh-very-hard-at-work-every-day/) [John Lasseter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lasseter/) > [Short films really helped me develop as a story teller, animator, and as a director.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lasseter/short-films-really-helped-me-develop-as-a-story-teller-animator-and/) [John Lasseter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lasseter/) > [I believe in the nobility of entertaining people and I take great, great pride that people are willing to give me two or three…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lasseter/i-believe-in-the-nobility-of-entertaining-people-and-i-take-great/) [John Lasseter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lasseter/) [Explore all 184 John Lasseter quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lasseter/) ## More Alone quotes > [I can be taken away from myself quite easily, I kind of start betraying myself and compromising my integrity, to keep someone else happy.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aimee-lou-wood/i-can-be-taken-away-from-myself-quite-easily-i-kind-of-start/) [Aimee Lou Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aimee-lou-wood/) > [Perhaps our own opposition to even the level of European integration we have now, let alone any more, is well known.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-farage/perhaps-our-own-opposition-to-even-the-level-of-european-integration/) [Nigel Farage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-farage/) > [If your goal is to look different, you'll see results faster with strength training than with cardio alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-kaiser/if-your-goal-is-to-look-different-you-ll-see-results-faster-with/) [Anna Kaiser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-kaiser/) > [With my songs, the question is always, 'Can you pull it off live, alone on just an acoustic guitar?' 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I go to sleep when I'm tired, get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-dennis/i-should-have-liked-to-get-married-but-over-many-decades-i-have-lived/) [Felix Dennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-dennis/) > [I am not alone in that I've had times of unemployment - unemployment is huge amongst disabled people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosie-jones/i-am-not-alone-in-that-i-ve-had-times-of-unemployment-unemployment-is/) [Rosie Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosie-jones/) > [I never knew a heart could feel so cold so empty so broken until now , I don't know what to say I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-never-knew-a-heart-could-feel-so-cold-so-empty-so-broken-until-now/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If you're disabled or different from what general society deems normal, it's fine. There will always be people who won't accept you, but there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/millicent-simmonds/if-you-re-disabled-or-different-from-what-general-society-deems/) [Millicent Simmonds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/millicent-simmonds/) > [Real love is a permanently self-enlarging experience…A Journey With My Girl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luckybannu/real-love-is-a-permanently-self-enlarging-experience-a-journey-with/) Luckybannu > [“What I'm trying to say is that I spent the last four months learning to be alone, avoiding the world, hating pretty much anyone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-cremer/what-i-m-trying-to-say-is-that-i-spent-the-last-four-months-learning/) [Andrea Cremer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-cremer/) > [I'm used to being alone in a quiet, isolated environment - I'm kind of a low-energy, low-vibration, low-stamina person to begin with - so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethel-cain/i-m-used-to-being-alone-in-a-quiet-isolated-environment-i-m-kind-of-a/) [Ethel Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethel-cain/) > [“When I look back at myself at age twenty, what I remember most is being alone and lonely. I had no girlfriend to warm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/when-i-look-back-at-myself-at-age-twenty-what-i-remember-most-is/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [I have developed a nasty habit of losing to the guy who wins the tournament, and that alone makes you think what you could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-robertson/i-have-developed-a-nasty-habit-of-losing-to-the-guy-who-wins-the/) [Neil Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-robertson/) > [As a child, I was this record collector/listener that would sit in a room and listen to the entire Beatles catalog alone, over and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-cornell/as-a-child-i-was-this-record-collector-listener-that-would-sit-in-a/) [Chris Cornell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-cornell/) > [How one hates to think of oneself as alone. How one avoids it. It seems to imply rejection or unpopularity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-morrow-lindbergh/how-one-hates-to-think-of-oneself-as-alone-how-one-avoids-it-it-seems/) [Anne Morrow Lindbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-morrow-lindbergh/) [Browse all 3,082 Alone quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alone/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The way the films look will never entertain an audience alone. 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