Ed Catmull, co-founder of Pixar and four-time Academy Award winner, has profoundly changed the animation industry – both as a pioneer of computer graphics and as a longtime executive of Pixar and Disney Animation.
In Creativity Inc., he shares his personal story – beginning with his research on computer graphics at the University of Utah in the early 1970s, the development of the Pixar Image Computer at Lucasfilm in the early 1980s, the founding of Pixar with John Lancester and Steve Jobs in 1986, the release of the first fully computer-animated film, Toy Story, nine years later, and the acquisition of Pixar by Disney in 2006.
A quarter of a century after Pixar's founding, he not only shares his personal journey but also provides fascinating insights into the management of one of the most creative companies of recent decades.
He reveals how Pixar fosters sustained excellence, creativity, and innovation: through an atmosphere of trust and openness, through the freedom to take risks, make mistakes and learn from them, and through the constant questioning of its processes combined with a willingness to adapt them to changing circumstances constantly.
The book is enjoyable to read. In the historical part, you can literally feel the author's enthusiasm for computer animation, and you root for him on his way to a breakthrough.
I found it interesting that Steve Jobs is shown in a completely different light than usual: not as an "autocrat" but as a companion and supporter who knows his limits and learns from his mistakes.
I can recommend the book to anyone interested in the history of computer animation and those who want to promote creativity in their own business.
🎧 Suitable as an audiobook? Yes.
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