Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
This episode is presented by Wispr Flow, a tool that turns voice notes into clear writing. I use it every day and recommend it to every writer I know. Try it for free at ref.wisprflow.ai/howiwrite
Andrew Stanton was the second animator at Pixar, and he has been working there for 30 years. If you want to know how Pixar runs, this is your guy. He has directed movies like Finding Nemo and WALL-E, and he's the director of Toy Story 5.
I had to ask him, "What have you done at Pixar to keep that quality bar so high? It's hit after hit, appealing to both kids and adults. How do you achieve this consistently?" That's what this episode is all about.
00:00:00 Introduction
00:00:34 Don't write down to kids
00:03:50 How to get useful feedback
00:04:52 Writing WALL-E
00:11:53 Make failure feel safe
00:17:09 Pixar's work culture
00:18:53 What makes good dialogue
00:22:02 Lessons from silent films
00:23:48 How WALL-E came to life
00:25:58 Lessons from Steve Jobs
00:28:47 Lessons from John Lasseter
00:30:47 Do all good stories already exist?
00:34:56 How to keep the audience hooked
00:38:51 What makes an ending land
00:40:40 Why wonder matters
00:42:50 The 22 Rules of Storytelling myth
00:43:23 Every story needs change
00:47:40 Just write the bad sentence
00:51:45 Inside Pixar's Brain Trust
00:56:18 The impact of AI in animated movies
00:58:04 Andrew's book recommendations
*About the host*
Hey! I’m David Perell and I’m a writer, teacher, and podcaster. I believe writing online is one of the biggest opportunities in the world today. For the first time in human history, everybody can freely share their ideas with a global audience. I seek to help as many people publish their writing online as possible.
*Follow me*
Apple: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-i-write/id1700171470
YouTube: youtube.com/@DavidPerellChannel
Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/2DjMSboniFAeGA8v9NpoPv
X: https://x.com/david_perell
This episode is presented by Wispr Flow, a tool that turns voice notes into clear writing. I use it every day and recommend it to every writer I know. Try it for free at ref.wisprflow.ai/howiwrite
Andrew Stanton was the second animator at Pixar, and he has been working there for 30 years. If you want to know how Pixar runs, this is your guy. He has directed movies like Finding Nemo and WALL-E, and he's the director of Toy Story 5.
I had to ask him, "What have you done at Pixar to keep that quality bar so high? It's hit after hit, appealing to both kids and adults. How do you achieve this consistently?" That's what this episode is all about.
00:00:00 Introduction
00:00:34 Don't write down to kids
00:03:50 How to get useful feedback
00:04:52 Writing WALL-E
00:11:53 Make failure feel safe
00:17:09 Pixar's work culture
00:18:53 What makes good dialogue
00:22:02 Lessons from silent films
00:23:48 How WALL-E came to life
00:25:58 Lessons from Steve Jobs
00:28:47 Lessons from John Lasseter
00:30:47 Do all good stories already exist?
00:34:56 How to keep the audience hooked
00:38:51 What makes an ending land
00:40:40 Why wonder matters
00:42:50 The 22 Rules of Storytelling myth
00:43:23 Every story needs change
00:47:40 Just write the bad sentence
00:51:45 Inside Pixar's Brain Trust
00:56:18 The impact of AI in animated movies
00:58:04 Andrew's book recommendations
*About the host*
Hey! I’m David Perell and I’m a writer, teacher, and podcaster. I believe writing online is one of the biggest opportunities in the world today. For the first time in human history, everybody can freely share their ideas with a global audience. I seek to help as many people publish their writing online as possible.
*Follow me*
Apple: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-i-write/id1700171470
YouTube: youtube.com/@DavidPerellChannel
Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/2DjMSboniFAeGA8v9NpoPv
X: https://x.com/david_perell
