Creativity, Inc.

The 2014 book was co-authored by Ed Catmull, the co-founder and president of Pixar Animation Studios, and journalist Amy Wallace. It serves as a business memoir detailing the management philosophies that drove the studio's massive creative success.

Catmull argues that creativity inherently involves unpredictable variables, and managers must foster an environment where it is safe to make mistakes during the process. He explains how Pixar constantly reworks and rewrites movies during production to find the story, rather than relying on initial, rigid plans.

The Braintrust is Pixar's internal feedback mechanism composed of the studio's top directors and creatives. Catmull explains that its purpose is to offer brutally honest feedback on a project, such as Toy Story, without mandating changes, protecting the director's ultimate vision.

Yes, the book covers the fraught, often contentious early relationship between Pixar and its distribution partner Disney. It also explores how Catmull and John Lasseter had to overhaul Disney's animation culture after Disney acquired Pixar in 2006.