Edwin Catmull

“One term that's used in this industry a lot is this notion of 'feeding the beast.' You've got all of these people whose livelihoods are dependent on it. There are enormous pressures to keep material going into it, and the pressures to feed it are not irrational. They're the basis of your business.”

“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 leading technological pioneer in the field of computer animation.”

“I use a progressive alarm that makes a soft sound at first and then progressively gets louder. But I usually wake on the first sound, so it doesn't disturb my wife. When I used a loud alarm clock, I was more likely to hit it on the head and go back to sleep.”

“My best advice came by examples. A supportive environment at home, school, and grad school. Support at the New York Institute of Technology, then George Lucas, Steve Jobs, and Bob Iger. The examples meant that I should support other people, even when things aren't going well. It will pay off.”

“I know that with most companies that have a lot of success, it tends to throw you off, and you can become more conservative. One of our questions is, How do we keep from being pulled into conservatism because we're afraid of not being successful again?”

“Pixar is a community in the true sense of the word. We think that lasting relationships matter, and we share some basic beliefs: Talent is rare.”

“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.”

“I worked closely with Steve Jobs for twenty-six years. To this day, for all that has been written about him, I don't believe that any of it comes close to capturing the man I knew.”

“The Pixar name means more than any other name. It's very important to us to keep that name at a high level.”

“I did like 'Despicable Me.' I thought it was quite good.”

“If something works, you shouldn't do it again. We want to do something that is new, original - something where there's a good chance of failure.”

“I actually feel awkward being at the center of attention.”

“Part of being the successful Pixar is that we will take risks on teams and ideas, and some of them won't work out. We only lose from this if we don't respond to the failures. If we respond, and we think it through and figure out how to move ahead, then we're learning from it. That's what Pixar is.”

“We encourage our people to build their ideas from scratch, and we give them the resources - and, crucially, the candid feedback - that are required to transform the first wisps of a story into a truly compelling film.”

“I love solving the problems of having groups work together and removing barriers. But to actually turn around and be in the center of that is an awkward place to be.”

“Programmers are very creative people. And animators are problem solvers, just as programmers are.”

“At heart, we believe that the films that work well are the films that do touch people emotionally.”

“It is not the manager's job to prevent risks. It is the manager's job to make it safe to take them.”

“Technical understanding should be a core competency of any company.”

“Candor is the key to collaborating effectively. Lack of candor leads to dysfunctional environments.”