Mar 31, 2022
Pixar’s rules of storytelling (there are 22) are legendary. Scribed in blogs and essays like the Ten Commandments. Spoken of in hushed and reverential tones. But for their latest movie - Turning Red - Pixar have ditched the rule book and thrown out the formula.
So What?
Pixar’s formula has been praised because it works. It’s won them a heap of awards, fans, and box office success. But it’s also restricted them from creative exploration.
You may have a formula that works. A tried and tested approach to appeals, to content, to storytelling. But is that formula holding you back? Is it limiting the voices you can platform, the stories you can tell, the people you can reach? What would happen if you wrote down your rules (like Pixar) and picked one or two to pivot? We’re not suggesting ditching the lot, but there’s little risk (and a lot to gain) by iterating the edges.
“Predictably, some reviewers didn’t get it—after movies about robots and talking cars and clown fish, they felt a story about a 13-year-old Chinese girl was too unrelatable, too “narrow” and “limiting in scope.” But ultimately, the whole point of cinema is to transport you into the head of someone you’ve never met and teach you something about yourself in the process.”