But just bringing in people with bold, even threatening, ideas
isn't enough; Catmull says you also have to give them the freedom
and support to pursue their vision. For Bird and
The
Incredibles, that meant agreeing to make Pixar's most ambitious
movie to date. All of its previous films have featured nonhumans -
monsters, ants, toys, and fish - as the main characters.
The
Incredibles features an all-human cast, a daunting,
never-done-before task in computer generated animation,
particularly when it comes to depicting hair and clothing. "We had
hair underwater, we had hair in the wind, we had cloth in the wind,
we had cloth being grabbed, we had fire and water, and this film is
all over the place," says Bird. "It is easily the largest movie
Pixar has ever done, and probably insane."
If Ed Catmull is worried about this potentially risky, high-stakes
new movie, he hides it well. Sitting in his office off the main
atrium of Pixar's headquarters, Catmull, who is as low-key as Bird
is animated, talks assuredly about what he sees as the most
important element in having a creative, innovative company: the
right people. "Give a great idea to a mediocre team and they'll
screw it up," he says. "Give a mediocre idea to a great team and
they'll modify it and make it great."
>>get creative
looking for ways to boost the creative dna of your company? well,
who isn't? american way spoke to a number of innovation experts to
get their advice.
>>it starts at the top creating a culture of
innovation requires leadership, says nicholas evans,
author of
business
innovation and disruptive technology, and
head of
the emerging
technology business at the consultancy bearingpoint.
executive sponsorship makes it a priority in a way nothing else
can. "i think it's critical because the company has to recognize
the strategic significance [of innovation]," he says. "it's an
investment in the future of the company."