Persistence and Patience finishes the race

Pixars credit for Glass Man effect

On a recent nostalgic binge I loaded up my Netflix queue with several films that reminded me of simpler preteen days. Among them was Spielberg’s 1985 film, Young Sherlock Holmes (written by Chris Columbus). Like several other Spielberg/Columbus films it convinced me as a 10-year old that I could save the day (much like Harry Potter does for kids today). Sure it freaked me out in parts, but any movie that inspired me to read Arthur Conan Doyle can’t be bad right?

When watching the credits (a habit I’ve picked up since working for an animation studio) I was reminded of Pixar’s small role in the flick. John Lasseter’s design and animation of the stained glass knight scene marked two firsts. The first use of the Pixar Image Computer in a feature film and the first computer generated character mixed with live action scenery.

There were many steps (and some missteps) that the people behind Pixar took to get to where they are. But they didn’t waver from the primary goal of someday making a feature length animation…maybe kept it on the down-low…but it was always there.

Even though others (Lucasfilm, Steve Jobs) didn’t necessarily see beyond their computer hardware beginnings they kept moving slowly forward towards their goal. Through short demos and commercials they slowly honed their craft. The dream began in the 70’s…Toy Story didn’t come out until 1995.

Pixar (and Young Sherlock Holmes) is a reminder to me that having a big hairy audacious goal mixed with persistence and patience is critical in the work we do.

Check out “The Pixar Touch” by David A. Price for a captivating look at Pixar’s history (There is an excerpt online on Google Books). And here is the author’s book blog: http://thepixartouch.typepad.com/

Online clip of the stained glass knight scene from Young Sherlock Holmes:
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xa1wun_young-sherlock-holmes-stained-glass_shortfilms