How a single lunch changed Pixar forever
A story, quote and lesson about how progress really works
Trust the process
Easier said than done right? It was especially difficult to believe for four of the main creatives behind Pixar’s initial slate of movies: Andrew Stanton, John Lasseter, Pete Docter, and Joe Ranft. It was 1994 and Toy Story was almost ready for release. With the clock ticking, they had to think of new ideas, and fast.
On what seemed like an ordinary day, the four of them grabbed lunch at the Hidden City Café near Pixar’s original headquarters. What started as casual conversation quickly turned into an impromptu brainstorming session. Ideas flew across the table. Could a movie about bugs or fish work? What about a fresh spin on the 'monsters under your bed' cliché? Would robots ever take over the world? In just a couple of hours, they unknowingly laid the foundation for Pixar’s next wave of films: A Bug’s Life, Monsters, Inc., Finding Nemo, and WALL-E.
At the time, their first movie had yet to be released, meaning Pixar was still in its infancy and far from the critically acclaimed brand it is today. But this didn’t faze them. They believed in their vision and trusted their creative process. For them, it was simply a matter of coming up with the right ideas and executing them correctly.
It’s easy to get impatient when results feel out of reach, especially after long stretches without progress. These four creatives knew this frustration all too well. Like many creators, they faced a plateau—a point where breakthroughs seemed sporadic, if not impossible. However, their lunch wasn't just a burst of inspiration; it was also a testament to how patience and the right mindset are essential to overcoming this plateau.
“Everything I do and everything Pixar does is based on a simple rule: Quality is the best business plan, period.”
John Lasseter, Chief Creative Officer at Pixar and Walt Disney Studios
Pixar’s story reveals an essential truth about progress: it’s not always a steady climb. Creative breakthroughs often come in waves, especially after periods of slow or unseen progress. For Stanton, Lasseter, Docter, and Ranft, the lunch wasn’t a fluke but rather a product of this very mindset. By consistently nurturing their ideas and patiently working toward their goals, they allowed space for breakthroughs to happen organically, turning an ordinary lunch into an extraordinary turning point.
The plateau of progress is a natural phase in any creative or personal pursuit. It’s the quiet in-between where most give up, but the patient find their footing. Pixar’s path shows that by staying consistent, trusting your process, and keeping an open mind, you can achieve breakthroughs—even when they seem elusive.
So now I ask you:
What areas in your life might benefit from more patience and trust in the process, even if progress feels invisible right now?
It is human to be over burdened by the daily operational tasks and what I learned from this article is that we must always make time available to have a quick stop and think (this is hard) and push our minds to think outside the box. Great article
With perseverance one can achieve many things. Great story.