The Pixar Touch

The Making of a Company

By: David A. Price

Narrated by: David Drummond

Length: 9 hrs and 11 mins

Publisher's summary

The Pixar Touch is a lively chronicle of Pixar Animation Studios' history and evolution, and the "fraternity of geeks" who shaped it. With the help of visionary businessman Steve Jobs and animating genius John Lasseter, Pixar has become the gold standard of animated filmmaking, beginning with a short special effects shot made at Lucasfilm in 1982 all the way up through the landmark films Toy Story, Finding Nemo, Wall-E, and others.

David A. Price goes behind the scenes of the corporate feuds between Lasseter and his former champion, Jeffrey Katzenberg, as well as between Steve Jobs and Michael Eisner. And finally he explores Pixar's complex relationship with the Walt Disney Company as it transformed itself into the $7.4 billion jewel in the Disney crown.

©2008 David A. Price (P)2008 Tantor

Nothing too surprising

The book is read well and written well. I was hoping for more details on the company culture and how they foster the great creativity. Also, many stories surrounding the movies are things I had read elsewhere. This is good if you are a Pixar fan.

Amazing

What a fantastic story! Enjoyed it start to finish! Nice to see how dreams were followed for so long, even with many hurdles and setbacks. Hats off to you Pixar!

Great book

Great to here about how computer animation started and grew. Love Pixar movies. Really enjoyed listing to this well done

nice to know

If you could sum up The Pixar Touch in three words, what would they be?

The Pixar Touch A great book on how this company started. From Debt to Profit. Sometimes a little bit too technical but I enjoyed the most of it.

An interesting look behind the screen.

What did you love best about The Pixar Touch?

An in depth look at the history and people that brought the revolutionary studio to the forefront of animation.

What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?

The look at the intentions, aspirations, and motivations of the creative minds behind Pixar is a telling parable to others looking to make a creative mark in their own industries.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The release of Toy Story and how the world of animation turned a corner that day forever.

Any additional comments?

I would recommend this not only as an entertaining read but as an inspirational tale for creatives and tech industries leaders.

Informative History

David Price has given us a current history of Pixar Animation Studios. This book will let listeners in on the technology allowing computer-aided animation which we are coming to enjoy in the theaters. It tells the stories of the back room deals, conflict between geeks and business people, financial maneuvering, and corporate feuds that tracked the growth of Pixar. The book is well written and well read. It will inform the technologically oriented and bring the novice up to speed on the industry.

I wish this book were longer

I loved the description of the rise of Lassitter and Pixar, but as they got into the individual movies after Toy Story 2, it felt like they were just skimming the subject material. I wish they would have gone into more depth about the later films.

And I wish the book covered the period that included the development of Cars 2, and what caused Pixar to release such a bad, bad, bad film. I guess I'll have to wait for a sequel.

Pixar

What did you like best about The Pixar Touch? What did you like least?

Loved the story a lot, very interesting to hear the struggles of the company and how they really over came everything to be where they are today. Also very interesting to learn about the technology. The narrator is a bit dry and it often be a little technical as well as having a lot of names of people to remember, which I found not as enjoyable when listening.

Was The Pixar Touch worth the listening time?

Yes

Any additional comments?

Good book to read before or after Steve Jobs biography.

For all lovers of Pixar

Hear how it all started through the development of Ratatouille and the sale to Disney. A fascinating look into how the magic happens.

Great book!

The most fun I've had listening to a business book. An incredible story well written and narrated.