I have just finished reading Ed Catmull's Creativity, Inc., and I have to say... I liked it! I really liked this book.

Overall, any Disney or Pixar fan out there would have fun reading this. It gives a lot of background context on how Pixar made movies like Toy Story and Bug's Life, and how Walt Disney Animation went from a big hit like Lion King II to a string of box office disappointments over the next 16 years.

But this book isn't just about Pixar's journey. It's a mind-map for how Ed and John Lasseter learned to organize themselves around hundreds of employees who needed to be inspired to be creative. They also had to learn how to accept candor, which is blunt honesty delivered for the good of the project, rather than simply critical feedback. (If you want to know the difference, you'll have to read the book!) It's also a really inspiring story about how they founded Pixar alongside Steve Jobs and everything they had to go through to survive.

I think I enjoyed the first half of the book more than the second one. It focuses more on the startup phase, from parting ways with Lucasfilm to almost being acquired by General Motors. Yes, General Motors. I know, crazy. And then, of course, finally having Steve Jobs come to the rescue.

As the book goes on, Ed does a fantastic job of showing off how they established systems to make sure employees didn't feel burnt out, and that they eagerly looked forward to going to work every day. However, since I work alone from home, I had a hard time fully sympathizing with this aspect of the story. Still, all in all, this was a phenomenal read.

If you've read this book, let me know what you think please!

Oh, and please... Make sure you read the last chapter. Ed shares some really beautiful moments he lived with Steve before he passed away.