Examining Pixar’s Storytelling Machine
I’m in a movie theater watching the opening to Pixar’s Up. All of a sudden, I can feel the tears welling in my eyes.
I try to keep it together because I’m in a public place and can’t start crying now! And this is an animated movie, so why am I even about to start bawling my eyes out?!
But then I realize, “Hang on. This isn’t just an animated film. It’s great storytelling!” I’m actually feeling the emotions the characters are going through.
Pixar films know how to raise the emotional stakes with their beautiful, powerful, and (at times) heartbreaking messages. And today, I’m excited to have as my special guest the guy who literally wrote the book on great Pixar movie storytelling, Dean Movshovitz.
In this episode, we discuss elements of meaningful storytelling with lots of examples from Pixar’s popular films. You’ll discover the three different genres within every Pixar film, hear how to bring a kernel of a story to life, connect with characters through the vulnerable and idealized side of your personality, and emphasize the effect of your story on the world (whether it’s real or fictional).
What you will learn in this episode:
- What two elements you must include in your story
- How to bring out the uniqueness within your story
- How to write a great ending for your lead character
Who is Dean?
Born in Israel, Dean Movshovitz is a speaker, screenwriter, and author of the #1 Amazon bestseller, Pixar Storytelling: Rules for Effective Storytelling Based on Pixar’s Greatest Films. At age 14, a film class introduced him to The Manchurian Candidate and The Graduate. He’s been hooked on film ever since and finds the way movies and TV create stories and how viewers experience those stories to be endlessly fascinating.
Dean served in the IDF for five years, then earned his Screenwriting Bachelor’s degree at Tel Aviv University. He also graduated from Serial Eyes, Europe’s premier post-graduate training program for TV writers and producers. His work includes TV projects for Cineteve, UFA, and Blackpills. He currently lives in Los Angeles and also works as a freelance script consultant.
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