Toy Story 3 Essay

The mastermind behind the first computer animated film, Toy Story, Pixar Animation Studios has been producing acclaimed feature-length and short films for over 25 years since its inception in 1986. Currently owned by Disney, Pixar is based in Emeryville, CA, has 17 feature length films to its name, and has amassed over $8 billion in revenue and 27 Academy Awards (Baer). Toy Story 3 is its highest-grossing movie to date with a worldwide gross of over $1.067 billion (Boxofficemojo.com). Its current management consists of Edwin Catmull and John Morris as presidents and John Lasseter as CCO. Its movies are produced using company software, including RenderMan, a 3D image rendering program (Pixar.com). It has grown from 42 employees in 1991 to 1,200, and almost no one leaves. Pixar continues to entertain and amaze audiences with its beautiful animation and storytelling, and its people-oriented organizational culture contributes to its success. In order to

Ed Catmull, one of the two presidents of Pixar, emphasizes the importance of people over ideas: “If you give a good idea to a mediocre team, they’ll screw it up. But if you give a mediocre idea to a great team, they’ll make it work” (Catmull). Putting people as a priority was also spurred by incidents occurring during the creation of Toy Story 2; employees worked grueling hours to complete the film, one-third of the staff suffered stress-related injuries, and one exhausted employee accidentally left his infant child in his car (Stallard). To put an end to putting employees at risk, Catmull shifted more focus towards the employees’ well-being. Now, Pixar’s headquarters is home to a myriad of perks for its employees, including a free, 24-hour cereal bar, a Pizza Room with free slices for those working late nights, an olympic-sized swimming pool, and a basketball