Exclusive: Writing THE GOOD DINOSAUR at Pixar Animation Studios

I’m a reader. If I had to describe myself in three words, Reader would be one that I’d use. I’d rather read than do almost anything else in the world.

As a reader, I understand the magic of storytelling. Telling a story, articulating it in a way that grabs a person and holds them to the last word, is no easy task. Being able to do that over and over again is a skill that not many people hold.

In the past few weeks I’ve written about the sessions I attened at Pixar Animation Studios to learn all about the making of The Good Dinosaur. Here’s what I’ve covered:

• Designing The Good Dinosaur
  • Designing a Big World: How Pixar Created the Dinosaurs
  • Acting Like Dinos: How to Make Dinosaurs Move
• Creating The Good Dinosaur
  • Color Scripts: Creating the Visual Design of The Good Dinosaur
  • Special Effects: Effective Storytelling
  • A View from Above: Creating the Expansive World of The Good Dinosaur
• Researching The Good Dinosaur

Today I’m going to tell you about the final session I attended for The Good Dinosaur press event, which was all about how the story of the movie was developed and translated into the scenes from the film.

Put Your Heart Into It: Developing the Story of The Good Dinosaur

I had the incredible opportunity to sit down with these two Pixar artists:

 

After everything I learned about what goes into the making of a Pixar animated film, it’s impossible to say which aspect of the process is the most important.

I can say, however, that a movie without a great story is one that most people won’t be talking about and one that most people won’t remember.

The process of creating the story behind The Good Dinosaur is far more complex than one person simply sitting down and writing a screenplay. It’s a collaborative effort where, as Mann said, It’s our “primary job to take Meg’s beautifully written words and translate them to the visual medium.”

Meaning, the Story Team creates the images to go with the screenwriter’s story.

The Story Team is comprised of artists sketching ideas and working together to make the words come alive. Director Peter Sohn wanted The Good Dinosaur to be a collaborative effort, so he gathered the team in one room to work with one another.

In past Pixar productions, scenes would be pitched to the director and a few other team members. In making The Good Dinosaur, scenes were pitched to the whole team and worked out together. While everyone had their own responsibilities, the whole team was aware of how the film was progressing on a more detailed basis.

I’ve always believed that people skilled at storytelling were artists of a different medium, but learning about the story creation of The Good Dinosaur cemented that for me.

While the session was called Speaking from the Heart, this presentation spoke directly to my heart. I can’t wait to see The Good Dinosaur in theaters and see the whole story from start to finish!

The Good Dinosaur opens in theaters everywhere on November 25th! 

Check out newest trailer for The Good Dinosaur:

Follow the movie on these social media channels to stay on top of all The Good Dinosaur news:

• Like THE GOOD DINOSAUR on Facebook
• Follow THE GOOD DINOSAUR on Twitter
• Follow Disney-Pixar and THE GOOD DINOSAUR on Instagram
• Follow Disney Studios and THE GOOD DINOSAUR on Pinterest
• Visit Disney-Pixar and THE GOOD DINOSAUR on Tumblr
• Follow Disney-Pixar on YouTube

Check out the other posts about my recent trip to San Francisco for the #GoodDinoEvent, #InsideOutBloggers and #MilesEvent:

• The Moving Story Behind Sanjay’s Super Team.
• Exclusive: Creating The Good Dinosaur at Pixar Animation Studios.
• Exclusive: Designing The Good Dinosaur at Pixar Animation Studios.
• An Exclusive Pixar Animation Studios Tour.
• Exclusive: How Peter Sohn and Pixar Researched The Good Dinosaur in the USA.
• The Walt Disney Family Museum: A Unique San Francisco Experience.
• World Space Week, Google, Stem & Miles From Tomorrowland.
• See a New, Exclusive Inside Out Deleted Scene!
• Exclusive: Phyllis Smith, Richard Kind on Why SADNESS and BING BONG are Everything in Inside Out!
• Will There Be an Inside Out Sequel? An Interview with Pete Docter & Jonas Rivera.
• Watch Riley’s First Date: It’s Like a Little Inside Out Sequel!
• The Hottest Disney Dad? Interviewing Kyle MacLachlan and Kaitlyn Dias of Inside Out.
• Josh Cooley and Mark Nielsen on Riley’s First Date, Inside Out and Toy Story 4.

Disclosure: Disney and Pixar flew me to San Francisco to participate in The Good Dinosaur press event and other PR activities. All opinions are my own. See my disclosure policy for more information.