By: Nick Gambino
On the 30th anniversary of Toy Story, a never-before-scene interview with Steve Jobs has surfaced online. In the 1996 sitdown, Jobs talks about the formation and business model of Pixar – of which he was an owner and key figure – as well as the groundbreaking first fully computer-animated film.
This is Jobs just one year after Toy Story took the world by storm, ushering in a new style of filmmaking and storytelling. The story of how Woody and Buzz made it to the big screen and into all our hearts was at least 10 years in the making.
The Apple co-founder met Ed Catmull in 1985 when the then Lucasfilm Computer Graphics Lab director shared his vision of one day making a completely computer-animated feature film. A year later, Jobs acquired this division from Lucasfilm and spun it off into its own company which became Pixar. That allowed them to get to work crafting what would eventually become 1995’s Toy Story.
On the heels of the animated movie’s breakout success, Pixar went public and instantly doubled their IPO. The studio continued to make timeless classics through the 90s and 2000s and eventually sold to Disney in 2006. Up until that point, Jobs owned a controlling stake in the company and was a pivotal force in its success, though not creatively.
The interview highlights things we’ve come to understand about Steve Jobs. He had an unwavering confidence and a certainty in who he was and what he had to offer. Early in the video the interviewer calls the tech mogul a filmmaker. Jobs is quick to correct him and make it clear he does not direct Pixar’s films, giving credit to the creative force behind many of the studio’s biggest successes – John Lasseter.
This never-before-seen interview was released as part of the ongoing Steve Jobs Archive series which includes a collection of quotes, videos and other resources for up and coming creators.
