14 Pixar Scripts To Read & What You Will Learn From Them

As a HUGE fan of Pixar, I recently stumbled on a fantastic resource from the wonderful site Indie Film Hustle  (go and check them out). 

They have kindly sourced 14 Pixar Scripts - including Coco, Monsters Inc, The Incredibles,  WALL- E and Finding Nemo  - which I have included HERE. 

So, happy reading and enjoy these  3 Pixar inspired writing tips!

Pixar Writing Tip #1

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Regular Hero, Epic Journey 

Your hero needs to be relatable - whether he's a skilled chef that happens to be a rat, a tiny outcast ant or a superhero dad. 

Your story can be any genre no matter how big or small the scale, but with genuine, relatable characters, the audience will make emotional connections and go along the cinematic journey with them. 

Pixar Writing Tip #2

An Emotional Response Ups Your Game

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With the audience now invested in your characters, that brings expectations that whatever these characters will endure - there will be an emotional pay off. 

Build towards the climax, and remember - most Pixar characters don't actually end up achieving what they intended in the way they expected to:

Examples:

• Mr Fredrickson DOESN'T achieve seeing the falls in South America with Ellie, BUT their house does eventually end up landing there as a final resting spot. So, it was achieved just NOT how he intended. 

• Mike and Sully get kicked out of Monsters University, BUT they accomplish their dreams by working from the bottom to become top scarers!

 There is a moral lesson learnt, which in turn gives them what they needed all along. There is a difference between a character WANT and a character NEED. 

Pixar Writing Tip #3

Deliver A STRONG Message

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Know what it is you want to say! 

THEME is important when it comes to delivering an emotional punch - but finish writing a complete story first. 

Most likely, when you go back and edit/rewrite - a common theme will reveal itself!

Make the audience remember your story for a reason, as incredible as Pixar's worlds and characters are, it's their message that stays with audiences over the years. 

And what beautiful lessons they've taught us!