Redwarmin This movie is the proof that the world is becoming a sick and dumb place

BeSummers Funny, strange, confrontational and subversive, this is one of the most interesting experiences you'll have at the cinema this year.

Fatma Suarez The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

Madilyn Not sure how, but this is easily one of the best movies all summer. Multiple levels of funny, never takes itself seriously, super colorful, and creative.

Sergeant_Tibbs Like almost every child of my generation, I grew up on Pixar and in particular Toy Story. Some of my fondest and most memorable cinematic memories were going to see Monsters Inc, Finding Nemo and The Incredibles (where afterwards I thought "I can't wait for the sequel"). I remember that one of my first dream jobs in film was to write stories for Pixar and explore all the imaginative possibilities. Now that I've gotten more into film, I've gained a deeper respect for their storytelling and their technology and how hard it is. The Pixar Story tracks the origin of Pixar from when John Lasseter was first inspired to pursue animation to around 2007, before Ratatouille hit the screens. It's an informative look into how the company came to be and of all the struggles. It's very interesting as I would like to get into the industry as well. The biggest chunk is the struggle to create Toy Story - not just to get it commissioned but also to find the story. This is also a trouble with Monsters Inc. where they had the concept but almost too many possibilities to explore. Narrowing down those possibilities is a incredibly difficult job and is something I'm aspiring to achieve at this very moment so it was especially fascinating to watch.It's always great fun to have a look into their offices with their scooters and arcades. However, perhaps this documentary has come too soon, they talk about fears of being too factory-line, setting a standard they can no longer top and as this comes before one of their most successful strands of films with Wall-E, Up (a film that I didn't like at first but it's grown on me) and Toy Story 3 and then perhaps the beginning of a very boring strand with Cars 2, Brave and Monsters University, I want to know whether they think they're topping themselves or have sunken into a comfort zone. A short reflection on their fears would be very interesting. The doc focuses on the followup chaos after the Toy Story section, with second project syndrome lingering over the Pixar team. A Bug's Life was considered a success at the time and although in hindsight, many disagree, the documentary put me in the mood to rewatch and while the first act is perhaps a bit too childish, it grows and grows and is exceptional storytelling in the end. I hope Pixar haven't peaked with the closure of Toy Story 3 and they can continue making films that get to me. The documentary also makes great use of graphics and animation which is pretty appropriate for this topic. Very entertaining and informative.8/10

Hamish Joy The documentary of the history of Pixar Animation Studios. Pixar is absolutely a fabulous success story. It has been often spoken of as an overnight success, but as Steve Jobs says in the film, most overnight successes takes years of hard work.It was interesting to see the evolution of animation and the kind of dedication and vision that goes behind something that is - in hindsight - a no-brainer decision. For me, I was surprised to see the fat Steve Jobs in here. The images of slim Steve Jobs with his penetrating eyes was so strongly embedded in my mind that every time Steve spoke, I hardly heard what he was saying over the sound of how chubby he looked. :DAlso, I found out Pixar's original foundation, Lucasfilm, had to regretfully let go due to lack of funds. It was once again a surprise for me that George Lucas, the creator of the 'Holy Trilogy', had a cash problem.It was also surprising that even after an unsurpassed, unimaginable success with it's first feature release, creating a whole new genre, raking in cash, accolades and awards, Pixar still had bureaucratic challenges for almost all of its releases. I guess I don't understand Hollywood executives or production houses. But that's OK - I understand the movies, and Pixar is pure magic.

MartinHafer Wow...what a great and thorough film. This is the story of Pixar Studio--from its earliest days to the present (which was 2007 at the time). It offers so much more than you might expect from such a film--wonderful access to the folks who built the studio who you might think were too busy or too important to participate--but they did. So, in addition to seeing lots of great films being made, you get to meet folks like John Lasseter and Steve Jobs and see them as people--very excited and creative people, but still people. Amazing access, however, isn't all. You also get a great sense of excitement and fun--and it's practically impossible to watch this film without feeling this and feeling inspired--and the music sure helps with this as well. For fans of CGI...heck, for ANYONE, this is a must-see film and you learn a lot and have a great time learning. See this film.

lizziebeth-1 Writer/producer/director/co-editor Leslie Iwerks, granddaughter of Ub Iwerks (SFX Oscar-winner, The Birds(1964)), submitted this doco of hers for Oscar consideration too, but The Pixar Story received only Emmy and American Cinema Editors award nominations.Such oversights don't prevent this delicious voyage from Mickey to Ratatouille(2007) from also being an emotive, ennobling ride--much as Pixar Treks usually are. Along the way we discover that animation is a labour of love for keen students, the best of whom go to CalArts to be lectured by Disney's retired artists, who themselves retain a student's attitude despite being lifelong pros. And when the lecturers went home, we're told the animation students taught each other--just like computer scientists do. I know that excitement well.It dawns on us that animation really is a me-generation- and recession-busting globaliser of minds.Back in 2004-5, according to this "lucid" ('Bottom Line: the lucid and entertaining story behind Pixar's success', Kirk Honeycutt, THR, 9 Oct 2007) feature documentary, the traditional animation industry was being dismantled. Established and talented 2D animators were being laid off in an industry contraction blamed on 3D and Pixar specifically. Ed Catmull goes to great lengths on camera to emphasize how being scapegoated hurt them. After all, they were just animators trying to survive in a hostile business environment.The trades kept declaring that 'Animators draw less as computers tooning up' (Greg Reifsteck), and '3D success is flattening traditionally animated pix' (THR's Carl Diorio). Of course by then Pixar had been in a production deal with Disney Studios, which distributed their product, for 14yrs. Perhaps to buy time for their own 2D animators, Disney is alleged to have decided to source Pixar's blockbusters to create direct-to-video 2D sequels without any Pixar input. The decision would prove contentious since Pixar creators would not abandon their "children" (to career-killing sequelitis). A mighty battle over creative control allegedly ensued within the Pixar/Mouse House.Eventually, 6yrs after the alleged Toy Story2(1999) near-calamity, there was a massive Disney shake-up instead.According to Iwerks' roadmap, the Mouse House had also been struggling with an industry-wide Fear of the Computer for some time, which first resulted in their early loss of John Lasseter in 1984. They had expected 3D to be cheaper than 2D! This industry war may have lasted 30+yrs, but venerable Disney artist Joe Grant, speaking just months prior to his death in 2005, makes the astonishing admission that in losing Lasseter, Disney was set to lose their heir to Walt.Lasseter had been 3D-animating his 'Brave Little Toaster' at Disney during the early 1980s, while concurrently, Pixar co-founders Alvy Ray Smith and Ed Catmull were creating the famous high-quality early CGI "Genesis Project" clip for STII-The Wrath of Khan(1983) at ILM. Interestingly, Star Trek performed the same universal-appeal humanist function then that Pixar does today.Iwerks' documentary reveals that during that momentous year at a computer graphics conference, Catmull, having heard SOME of Lasseter's tale of woe, instantly snapped him up post-Disney as the new animation hire for the fledgling CGI company that George Lucas had permitted them to start up. The Pixar Story also claims that for two decades afterwards, Disney kept trying to tempt Lasseter back, but he always remained more committed to Pixar.In the late 1990s Disney finally over-invested in the lukewarm 2D/3D actioner Treasure Planet(2002), and LOST around $100M for their Feature Animation division. This was almost certainly the cause of the subsequent organisational shake-up in late 2005, when Michael Eisner was replaced by Bob Iger as head of Disney. And with that, The Pixar Story informs us, the entire mood, prospects, and history of Pixar changed.3D's success is arguably just a natural evolution; if it wins the final look of cinema feature animation, so what? Conversely, many feel much more comfortable with 2D full-frame for TV weekly comedies, which according to Seth MacFarlane of Family Guy fame, is a much more intimate format for his type of entertainment.As industry insiders know, 2D is still the staple of animation and the bulk of the business--it's just not sexy. 2D is also vital to 3D itself pre-rendering, so plenty of animation jobs remain at as many studios as are able to offer great UNIVERSAL STORYTELLING. Roy Disney (Walt's nephew) confirms this in the home stretch of Iwerks' triumph.But more than that, enchanting storytelling perhaps needs to be rarer/harder to do than the annual supply of 3D multiplex features currently proposed. Even 3D's over-reliance on animal-allegories/fables can prove fatal. Audiences are already reaching saturation point from their inundation by the big three 3D studios. This could prove just as devastating as Disney's "perfectionist" movement-over-characterisation had become to 2D. Under no circumstances should anybody again attempt a Meet Dave(2007)-like stylistic debauchery of contemporary cultural cool.Thankfully, Iwerks reveals Pixar artists as remaining "hungry" after a decade-and-a-half of financial success. Equally, they're well aware of their high regard not only by the public at large, but among 2D traditional animators, recently giving their "9 Old Men"/CalArts lecturers Ollie Johnston and Frank Thomas animated cameos within The Incredibles(2005).The Pixar Story also features welcome live-action cameos by the two saddest quick-succession losses to animation in 2005: Joe Grant (Fantasia(1940), Dumbo(1941)--heart attack); and Joe Ranft (our beloved Heimlich--car accident). Tragically neither saw Iwerks' doco, 7yrs in the making, completed.This often gobsmacking, educational and deeply moving feature documentary finally concludes with a moving end credit sequence full of quiet dignity showcasing the enormous workloads underpinning wireframes. The end crawl is overlain by a powerfully Beatlesesque instrumental, "Modern Inventions", by The Submarines. It sells the whole message of 3D, willing us to fall in love with the entire precept of animation--and certainly with the Pixar folks at Emeryville, CA.For everything else I had to say about The Pixar Story(2007), consult Honeycutt's review referenced earlier.(10/10)