Michael Arndt joined Pixar Animation Studios in 2005. In 2007 he won the OSAR Best Original Screenplay for his debut film, Little Miss Sunshine. Toy Story 3, from a story by John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton and Lee Unkrich is his first screenplay for Pixar.
Michael, can you tell us how you got your first contact with Pixar? Is it you who have requested them or who you sought?
They contacted me. In early 2005, Pixar was looking for a writer to work with Lee Unkrich on an idea he had done. One of the people of Pixar's development, Mary Coleman, fell on Little Miss Sunshine producer Ron Yerxa, the Sundance Film Festival and asked him if he knew good writers, and he recommended me. So I was hired at Pixar while LMS was still in post production. It is a tribute to Pixar for making trust a writer they did not know for one of their biggest films.
Have you been surprised by the success of Little Miss Sunshine? I was extremely surprised to have been sold, to see this film made, having been chosen by a producer and that the public has followed. I've always seen as a scenario very modest and very personal, then go somewhere to see it was a huge surprise for me.
Were you a fan of animation before working for Pixar? What are your favorite animated films ?
I have always loved animation. I few courses in my animation film studies [NYU] and made some animated shorts, but I never thought having a chance to work in animation. It's hard to pick a favorite, but the animated film's most important to me is My Neighbors the Yamada Isao Takahata. See this movie in 2000 prompted me to sit down and write "Little Miss Sunshine after having rejected for years. So I have a special attachment to this film (especially the Japanese version).
What are the films that had the greatest impact on you during your life?
One of my favorite movies is Late Spring by Yasujiro Ozu. For me, it's great art film.
Did you feel any pressure in trying to deliver a good third movie for the Toy Story franchise?
I never felt as much pressure (and I think I would feel ever so much) in my life. There has never been a moment of panic or despair, but I did really, really not let anyone down, so the pressure was pretty unbearable during the four years of film making.
Have you placed limitations on the characters or the plot on which you worked?
To me, it was the most extraordinary thing in this work on Toy Story 3: there had no limits. Obviously, when working on a family film, we must aim at something that pleases everyone. But beyond these global considerations, we have never received any instructions or limitations whatsoever, except to "pass the film." I remember sitting in an office with Lee Unkrich, the director and Jason Katz, head of story. I looked around me and I told myself: "Should not there be an adult in the room? Should not there be a vice-president, a producer or manufacturer of toys with us to tell us what to do? "There was never. We were encouraged to give free rein to our imagination, and it shows in the film, I hope.
The creative process for an animated film is quite different from that for a film live. That you did not live to your vision every step of the creation of Toy Story 3 or have you been involved throughout the implementation?
I have been involved throughout the three year duration of writing the screenplay for Toy Story 3. A Once it was finished, it took another year to make the film. I did never felt excluded from the process of creating the movie, then it's something that can often happen in live action movies.
Have you worked on the final script? At which point the other authors were they involved in the final version?
I worked on all versions of the script, and there were several dozen. It was truly a collaborative effort: Lee Unkrich has guided every step John Lasseter and Andrew Stanton kept us on track, and a team of artists we suggested ideas and gags.
Have you made a version of the script to a young audience before writing the final version?
We did a test screening of the film when he was almost finished (about nine months before its release), before a barrier land chosen for young children. I was afraid that the movie is a bit too dark for a family audience, but all children who have seen it really seemed to love, which we have not changed. It's always smart to try to see the film through the eyes of people of all ages, just to verify there are no missing facet.
Before knowing the film's success, do you have a moment of fear you do not conform to "standard Pixar? Almost all the time it took to write the script (three years), I was afraid not to conform to "standard Pixar.
How many versions have you written before the final version?
At Pixar, we cut 20 or 25 scripts in separate sequences. One of them, called "Treasure Hunt" (when Woody is Boonie's room, and he plans to return home) was Written in just six or seven drafts. Most sequences are written in 20 to 30 drafts. The opening meeting, we learned "Adulthood," has requested 60 drafts.
You've said in other interviews that even comedies should tell a story, or have values and take a stand. What do you think are the values or positions you have defended in writing Toy Story 3?
One of the biggest challenges of Toy Story 3 was how the hero, Woody, would evolve progressively in history. In the first Toy Story, Woody had to learn to share with Buzz. In Toy Story 2, he has faced and accepted his own mortality. For Toy Story 3, what we realized is that Woody begins the story thinking that her love for Andy means it must always be there for him. Lotso as it does not differentiate the expression of love with a physical presence. Therefore it maintains that toys should definitely stay with Andy.
Only at the very end, when he saw Andy and his mother to say goodbye, Woody realizes that you can love someone and yet let him go. It is sometimes the best thing that may have to do if you love this person. It is a universal experience: We met many people in our lives (childhood friends, lovers at school, university professors, coworkers ...) which you can attach strongly for a period but we must leave to get ahead in life. Admit it and learn to accept it, it feels very mature for Woody, and I think it complements all aspects of the character we have known in all three films.
Do you have any rituals when you start writing a screenplay? Yes: I begin each scenario in the most amount possible my confidence. It fades quickly, but it's my way to get to work on a script.
You take your time to complete a scenario, and this method seems to be paying. Scenarios on how you can work in parallel?
I can work in parallel on two scripts, but I prefer to do one at a time. For cons, I always five or six story ideas in my head every time, so sometimes it is jostling there. Some
animated films using humorous winks to pop culture ... Pixar seems to avoid this approach. What other methods are used by a movie like Toy Story 3 to be timeless?
One of the things I love about Pixar films, and what separates them from other animated movies is that most of the actors speak with their own voices. Nobody takes a vote "funny" on the pretext that the character is animated. Tom Hanks, for example, double Woody with his natural voice. We try to make the story and characters as real as possible, and use of natural voice actors has much to do. This assistance, we hope, the film has to be timeless.
Did you take part in decisions about the choice of dubbing the characters?
Like almost everything at Pixar, the cast is a team decision. So I had my say, with Darla Anderson, producer John Lasseter and the rest of the core. At the end, the director, in this case Lee, who has the last word. But it was very nice, as author, to take part in these discussions.
After working on the characters in Disney / Pixar in this project, do you have a favorite character? I love Edna in The Incredibles, just because I love Brad Bird to hear his voice.
I do not remember ever seeing a bonus DVD if available on the art of writing a script. Was it fun for you to break the secrets of writing and search Pixar classics, including your own Toy Story 3?
Make the bonus DVD was more fun than writing the script. When everything goes well, there is nothing better or more fun than writing. But when it goes wrong, it can become a nightmare. Can you tell us what you are going to work then, or is it top secret?
is top secret. Sorry.
Have you any advice to writers just starting to put them back on track?
Be patient. I wrote ten years before selling my first script. I know that the rule of 10,000 hours of Malcolm Gladwell is a bit cliche, but for me it is 100% accurate. I was actually taken in the 10 000 hours before meeting with success.
How much of your personal experiences influenced your writing? You
necessarily put a part of you in everything you write. This is not so much moments or experiences very specific, but rather memories of particular emotions, emotions that can be private or personal. But in my experience, the more you're sincere in those memories or the emotions, the more the public will respond positively. The best writing comes really from the deepest, most intimate part of you.
Do you want a career that balances the family side of Pixar and the more adult side of films like Little Miss Sunshine ?
I want to live my career whatsoever. Obviously, I want to remain part of the family Pixar, as they wish me well. But I also do a variety of live action movies.
Michael, before closing this virtual roundtable, have you one last thing to add about Toy Story 3?
I am immensely grateful for the opportunity to leave Pixar to take part in the project Toy Story 3, and I sincerely hope we have shown ourselves worthy of the legacy of the first two movies! 
Thanks to Angeline for the translation!
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