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mcoppadge07's review against another edition
4.0
I won this book from a Goodreads giveaway.
I'm just going to say it: I entered to win this book because it was about Pixar. Lol. Don't get me wrong I read what it was about and it sounded interesting but the word Pixar won me over.
Second admission: I do not read non-fiction especially if it's about technology. Once again magic word was Pixar!
Ok now that I've said that I LOVED THIS BOOK!! The only reason it's not 5 stars is because I skimmed through part of the more techy parts that I didn't understand. This was such an interesting book! I loved learning the background story of Pixar! It was fascinating! And how close Pixar came to not being Pixar! So good!
I'm just going to say it: I entered to win this book because it was about Pixar. Lol. Don't get me wrong I read what it was about and it sounded interesting but the word Pixar won me over.
Second admission: I do not read non-fiction especially if it's about technology. Once again magic word was Pixar!
Ok now that I've said that I LOVED THIS BOOK!! The only reason it's not 5 stars is because I skimmed through part of the more techy parts that I didn't understand. This was such an interesting book! I loved learning the background story of Pixar! It was fascinating! And how close Pixar came to not being Pixar! So good!
bookblabber_abhi's review against another edition
5.0
Reading To Pixar and Beyond felt like going on an emotional ride. You feel yourself a part of Pixar, elated with the wins, shattered with the losses.
The book is an amalgamation of info about animation tech, entertainment industry and business processes.
The book is an amalgamation of info about animation tech, entertainment industry and business processes.
sruthi_sreenivasan's review against another edition
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.75
libbie1984's review against another edition
5.0
VERY very in depth look at the creation and building of PIXAR from the view of the CFO, Lawrence Levy. I really appreciated his upbeat, kind words regarding Steve Jobs and the rest of the team. I will never look at a PIXAR movie the same again.
djotaku's review against another edition
4.0
I think this book would probably pair quite well with [b:Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration|18077903|Creativity, Inc. Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration|Ed Catmull|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1400863577s/18077903.jpg|25384143], although I haven't read that one. If it's about the movies they were making at the same time that this book takes place, that'd be brilliant. If it's also about management, that wouldn't be horrible - at the very least it would be told from a different point of view - from that of an insider. This book is about how Steve Jobs tapped Lawrence Levy to be the CFO of Pixar in its darkest hour. Levy then leads the company through a series of situations that without a combination of his skill and some luck would have left us in a poorer cultural state.
I came to this book already knowing the general outline of Pixar's history because I'm an animation geek. But I had no idea of the many leadership obstacles it took to get there. In this book I learned of the original deal Pixar and Disney had and how it would have killed the goose that laid the golden eggs. It was also interesting to see how Steve Jobs was moderated by Levy, but also provided a backbone for Levy in negotiations.
It's a bit light on the struggles of creating movies from a story standpoint, but it's very strong on details of how they created a company that is equal parts technology company and movie studio.
The ending reveals that the entire thing has to do with Buddhism, but I won't spoil how it all goes together.
I came to this book already knowing the general outline of Pixar's history because I'm an animation geek. But I had no idea of the many leadership obstacles it took to get there. In this book I learned of the original deal Pixar and Disney had and how it would have killed the goose that laid the golden eggs. It was also interesting to see how Steve Jobs was moderated by Levy, but also provided a backbone for Levy in negotiations.
It's a bit light on the struggles of creating movies from a story standpoint, but it's very strong on details of how they created a company that is equal parts technology company and movie studio.
The ending reveals that the entire thing has to do with Buddhism, but I won't spoil how it all goes together.
crousecm's review against another edition
medium-paced
3.0
Lots of business/finance talk in this book.
biktokai86's review against another edition
4.0
Lawrence has a magic touch that transmits some of the emotions that he felt during some key steps at pixar. Id say it's great to get to know pixar at this early stage of its life. For sure there are a lot of myths and specially the relation with Disney is hardly known but Levy guides you through all that with a lot of detail. For people unaware of finances Levy does a magnificent work in explaining a lot of the intricacies of going public, albeit for a knowledgeable one would be kind of simple. Towards the end of the book it kind of looses traction and gets deviated from the main Pixar plot. But it's just like 20 pages. Recommended!
clairebelmont's review against another edition
5.0
Great read, especially for those interested in business. Book keeps you on your toes.