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 leading technological pioneer in the field of computer animation. ”

When I was young, it was television that was taking off, and so you had people worried that people were spending too much time watching television. ”

The desire to avoid meltdowns actually is one of the things that screws up live-action films. ”

If you see a bad live action film, what are the conclusions you draw? Typically, it is that they made a bunch of mistakes, a bad script, wrong casting. You get into 2D, and you get a few films that are not strong films. And what is the conclusion? That it's 2D? I beg to differ. It's a convenient excuse, but it's just wrong. ”

What I've learned running Pixar applies to all businesses. ”

I've really thought a lot about why other companies fail or succeed. I had to be a student of failure and find out why things went off the rails. I did that at a fairly deep level, and it's still something I do. ”

When companies are successful or not successful, they almost immediately jump to the wrong conclusions about how they got there or why they got there. ”

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. ”

Look at the computer industry. I've watched a lot of companies come and go, some that were right at the pinnacle of their success. ”

For me, one of the great tragedies is the conclusion studios have drawn about traditional animation. I believe that 2D animation could be just as vital as it ever was. I think the problem has been with the stories. ”