So it was decided that Stanton would go with a linear approach by showing the flashbacks at the very beginning, axing the idea of the Tank Gang as the main plot of the movie and relegate it to a subplot, and many, many other changes.

The flashbacks were confusing, the Tank Gang plot loomed far too large, and Marlin came across as smothering and unlikeable. The execs and the filmmakers wanted to avoid the costly and messy process of figuring out the story while also animating the film, so they greenlit Finding Nemo with Stanton’s story locked and ready to go.īut, upon seeing the first rough reels of the movie, nothing worked. His pitch outlined the way that flashbacks would explain how Marlin became so overprotective, something that the creative execs at Pixar really loved. Finding NemoĪndrew Stanton’s original pitch for Finding Nemo - a story about a worry-wart clownfish in search of his abducted son - sounds a lot like the movie we all know and love. So, in the spirit of embracing suckiness, let’s take a look at some of the stories Catmull shares in his book - stories behind four classic Pixar movies and how they went from terrible to absolutely amazing. Only then will they have discovered an idea worth turning into a movie. To make a movie better, Catmull argues, the filmmakers must develop and develop and develop the core concept until they reach the strongest manifestation of that idea. Creativity has to start somewhere, and we are true believers in the power of bracing, candid feedback and the iterative process-reworking, reworking, and reworking again, until a flawed story finds its throughline or a hollow character finds its soul.” We dare to attempt these stories, but we don’t get them right on the first pass. “Think about how off-putting a movie about rats preparing food could be, or how risky it must’ve seemed to start WALL-E with 39 dialogue-free minutes. As Catmull believes, all movies were, at one time, terrible. He shares the sentiment, and the stories of when some of Pixar’s most popular movies did suck, because it’s a crucial part of the creative process. In his book, Creativity Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces that Stand in the Way of True Inspiration, Ed Catmull is adamant about one key point in regard to the creation of Pixar’s phenomenal movies: Early on, they all sucked.Ĭatmull isn’t saying this to be modest, or to be too harsh on the filmmakers - it’s a true statement.

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