A Pixar Primer – 22 Rules for Storytelling

A Pixar movie always packs an emotional and visual punch, but have you ever considered the method that goes into creating it?

Earlier this month, a list of 22 rules for storytelling, compiled by former Pixar Storyboard artist Emma Coats, gained wide-spread attention as Pixar aficionados, film critics, and pop culture devotees debated whether or not these rules came close to defining what gives a film that elusive “Pixar touch.” While the rules were culled from Coats’ years working for Pixar and other animation studios, these 22 rules can be used for developing a story that connects with any audience, whether you’re working for Pixar or from your own PC. Let’s take a look, shall we?

Pixar’s 22 Rules for Storytelling

1. You admire a character for trying more than for their successes.
2. You gotta keep in mind what’s interesting to you as an audience, not what’s fun to do as a writer. They can be very different.
3. Trying for theme is important, but you won’t see what the story is actually about til you’re at the end of it. Now rewrite.
4. Once upon a time there was ___. Every day, ___. One day ___. Because of that, ___. Because of that, ___. Until finally ___.
5. Simplify. Focus. Combine characters. Hop over detours. You’ll feel like you’re losing valuable stuff but it sets you free.
6. What is your character good at, comfortable with? Throw the polar opposite at them. Challenge them. How do they deal?
7. Come up with your ending before you figure out your middle. Seriously. Endings are hard, get yours working up front.
8. Finish your story, let go even if it’s not perfect. In an ideal world you have both, but move on. Do better next time.
9. When you’re stuck, make a list of what WOULDN’T happen next. Lots of times the material to get you unstuck will show up.
10. Pull apart the stories you like. What you like in them is a part of you; you’ve got to recognize it before you can use it.
11. Putting it on paper lets you start fixing it. If it stays in your head, a perfect idea, you’ll never share it with anyone.
12. Discount the 1st thing that comes to mind. And the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th – get the obvious out of the way. Surprise yourself.
13. Give your characters opinions. Passive/malleable might seem likable to you as you write, but it’s poison to the audience.
14. Why must you tell THIS story? What’s the belief burning within you that your story feeds off of? That’s the heart of it.
15. If you were your character, in this situation, how would you feel? Honesty lends credibility to unbelievable situations.
16. What are the stakes? Give us reason to root for the character. What happens if they don’t succeed? Stack the odds against.
17. No work is ever wasted. If it’s not working, let go and move on – it’ll come back around to be useful later.
18. You have to know yourself: the difference between doing your best & fussing. Story is testing, not refining.
19. Coincidences to get characters into trouble are great; coincidences to get them out of it are cheating.
20. Exercise: take the building blocks of a movie you dislike. How d’you rearrange them into what you DO like?
21. You gotta identify with your situation/characters, can’t just write ‘cool’. What would make YOU act that way?
22. What’s the essence of your story? Most economical telling of it? If you know that, you can build out from there.

I am so guilty of breaking number three that it borders on ridiculous. I think many young writers make this same mistake – you want their to be A Message to the story, you want the story to have impact, change people’s lives, and alter the very foundations of society…only to find that you’ve spent so much time crafting The Message that you have forgotten The Story.

Number nine is something I use when writing all the time, and it’s rare that something useful doesn’t come out that exercise. What happens if the character who just exited the room comes back wielding a broadsword? What happens if they walk back in naked? What happens if they blurt out the secret that they were supposed to keep? It sounds ridiculous, but doing the unexpected can shock you (and your characters) out of their rut.

Of course, it’s impossible to codify or pinpoint exactly what makes Pixar films so special. Often it depends on the context that we bring  to our viewing of the film – I highly doubt that the ending of “Toy Story 3” packed the same emotional punch for a modern 11-year-old as it did for those of us who have grown up with Woody, Buzz, and Andy. I have friends who were left cold by the magic of “Wall-E”; for me, it was the most emotional Pixar experience that I had ever had, as my parents met doing “Hello, Dolly,” and I remember falling asleep listening to “It Only Takes A Moment.”

Pixar regularly sets the standard for advances in animation and storytelling, but I can’t help but think that what we bring to the story can be as important as what is put into it. However, this is a great list for writers in every genre and of every experience level – there’s nothing wrong with getting back to basics. Pixar films start where every story begins – a moment or a thought, just waiting to be put on paper.

Do you use any of these rules in your own writing? Does anything on this list surprise you? Do you have a favorite Pixar memory of your own? Sound off in the comments, share your own writing tips, and make sure to check out our other writing lessons!