Andrew Stanton Quotes

Powerful Andrew Stanton for Daily Growth

About Andrew Stanton

Andrew Stanton is an eminent American screenwriter, filmmaker, and animator who has left an indelible mark on the world of cinema. Born on September 3, 1965, in Illinois, Stanton was fascinated by storytelling from a young age. His family moved frequently due to his father's career in the Air Force, which provided him with diverse experiences and perspectives that would later influence his work. Stanton attended California Institute of Arts (CalArts) where he honed his skills as an animator. After graduating, he joined Pixar Animation Studios in 1986 as a technical assistant, rising through the ranks to become a key figure in the studio's success. His work at Pixar includes co-writing the screenplay for "Toy Story" (1995), the first feature-length computer-animated film, and directing "Finding Nemo" (2003) and "WALL-E" (2008). Stanton's work at Pixar earned him numerous accolades, including three Academy Awards for Best Animated Feature - for "Finding Nemo," "WALL-E," and "Toy Story 3" (2010). His films are renowned for their compelling narratives, memorable characters, and innovative animation techniques. In addition to his work at Pixar, Stanton has also ventured into live-action filmmaking with the critically acclaimed "John Carter" (2012) and the highly successful reboot of "The Lion King" (2019), where he served as a screenwriter. Throughout his career, Andrew Stanton's work has been influenced by his love for adventure, his fascination with science fiction, and his desire to tell stories that resonate with audiences of all ages. His quotes reflect his commitment to storytelling and the power of a good narrative: "Stories are wrapped in mystery... and mysteries have more power over our thoughts than we realize," and "The best way to honor the characters is to let them do what they would naturally do."

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"Story is king."

In this quote, Andrew Stanton emphasizes that storytelling holds a central role in any creative endeavor or communication. A compelling story has the power to captivate an audience, evoke emotions, convey ideas, and ultimately leave a lasting impact. Therefore, "Story is king" suggests prioritizing the crafting of a powerful narrative as the foundation for success in any field that involves human connection, be it filmmaking, literature, marketing, or personal interactions.


"The audience supplies the last pound-and-a-half."

This quote emphasizes that a significant portion of the success of a storytelling endeavor (such as movies, books, or even conversations) lies with the audience's participation and interpretation. The creator provides the basic structure and elements, but it is the audience that brings their own experiences, emotions, and perspectives to fully realize the story, completing the narrative experience in a way that is unique to them.


"Emotional truths are more universal than facts."

This quote emphasizes that human emotions, experiences, and feelings are universal and transcend specific facts or events. By focusing on emotional truths, stories and narratives can resonate with a wider audience, as everyone can relate to the shared human experience of emotions like love, joy, fear, sadness, etc. In essence, it suggests that universal emotional truths are more impactful and relatable than rigid facts or data, making them more universally meaningful.


"You can't build an exciting story around a character who doesn't want anything."

This quote by Andrew Stanton highlights the importance of creating dynamic, engaging characters in storytelling. A protagonist who lacks desire or ambition will not drive the narrative forward, as there'll be no internal conflict to propel the character through their journey and keep readers or viewers invested. Conversely, a character with a strong goal or objective provides both conflict (when obstacles arise) and growth (as they overcome those obstacles), making for an exciting, compelling story.


"If you're going to tell a story, make it a good one, or not at all."

This quote from Andrew Stanton emphasizes the importance of quality in storytelling. In essence, he suggests that if one chooses to engage an audience with a narrative, the tale should be compelling, engaging, and worthwhile. It's a reminder that creating something lackluster or uninteresting might not resonate with its intended audience, so it's better not to tell the story at all. This quote serves as motivation for creators to put their best effort into crafting captivating narratives that leave lasting impressions on those who encounter them.


There are so many times and places in history in our world that I just don't know anything about, and when I learn about them they're always fascinating.

- Andrew Stanton

Learn, Always, About, Our World

In fact, I don't think I'll ever make anything that will feel as divinely dropped in my lap as the opening of 'Wall-E.'

- Andrew Stanton

Think, Fact, Will, Divinely

The thing about working at Pixar is that everyone around you is smarter and funnier and cleverer than you and they all think the same about everyone else. It's a nice problem to have.

- Andrew Stanton

Think, Everyone, Funnier, Smarter

Working at Pixar you learn the really honest, hard way of making a great movie, which is to surround yourself with people who are much smarter than you, much more talented than you, and incite constructive criticism; you'll get a much better movie out of it.

- Andrew Stanton

Smarter, Movie, Pixar, Great Movie

Being a sci-fi geek myself and going to movies all my life, I came to the conclusion that there were really two camps of how robots have been designed. It's either the tin man, which is a human with metal skin, or it's an R2D2.

- Andrew Stanton

My Life, Skin, Been, Tin

There's a mercurial nature, but more of a mysterious nature to women that I think is what makes them so attractive. And I think that that's what I love: Guys never seem to know when they've come too close and crossed the line, and then the temper comes.

- Andrew Stanton

Love, Line, I Think, Crossed

I've always been shocked and waiting-for-the-other-shoe-to-drop that a girl would ever talk to me, let alone want to marry me. They always seem to hold the power to me, and from my mother to my wife to my daughter, every time I try to really figure them out, and think I've got them pegged, I pay for it.

- Andrew Stanton

Been, Marry, Got, Every Time

If you're trying to do multiple agendas, you'll confuse yourself as a storyteller. If you have one purpose, everything else will fall into place.

- Andrew Stanton

Purpose, Will, Agendas, Everything Else

And I'm not anti-sequel, but I just feel like there are very few ideas that are meant to be continued.

- Andrew Stanton

Like, Very, Meant, Meant To Be

We're all going to keep telling love stories, we're all going to tell hero stories. It's all a question of what your own thumbprint, your own DNA, is, and what it brings to the table that makes it unique.

- Andrew Stanton

Love, Stories, Telling, Table

I never think about the audience. If someone gives me a marketing report, I throw it away.

- Andrew Stanton

Think, Audience, Away, Report

Even as a kid I was never the generator of humor, but I always knew who was funny, who to hang out with.

- Andrew Stanton

Never, Always, Hang, Generator

We all fall into our habits, our routines, our ruts. They're used quite often, consciously or unconsciously, to avoid living, to avoid doing the messy part of having relationships with other people, of dealing with a person next to us. That's why we can all be in a room on our cell phones and not have to deal with one another.

- Andrew Stanton

Doing, Habits, Next, Routines

I mean, frankly, I'm not speaking as a representative of Disney or Pixar, I'm speaking as just myself as a filmmaker: I don't go into anything that often thinking about a sequel.

- Andrew Stanton

Myself, Go, About, Disney

I think you could go back to any filmmaker or musician or artist, and look at what their input was in their formative years, and you could trace all the lines.

- Andrew Stanton

Think, Artist, I Think, Lines

The happiest moments of my childhood were when my toys broke, because then I could destroy them with impunity.

- Andrew Stanton

Childhood, Toys, Broke, Impunity

Well, I have no problem with 3-D but I don't think it's necessarily a blanket requirement for every film.

- Andrew Stanton

Think, Film, Requirement, Blanket

Sadly, my hobby is what I do for work, so I don't go off and go fishing. I go home and veg, and then I go back to work.

- Andrew Stanton

Work, Go Home, Sadly, Hobby

Well, executive producer can mean anything in the world of Hollywood, sadly. It can be a bought title in many instances.

- Andrew Stanton

Hollywood, Sadly, Bought, Producer

Great art inspires great art.

- Andrew Stanton

Art, Great, Great Art, Inspires

Loneliness is, I think, people's biggest fear, whether they are conscious of it or not.

- Andrew Stanton

Think, I Think, Biggest, Conscious

I think in the future we might see things arrive the way Prince announces a concert where a few days before the show he announces it and tickets just go up. You might see that with movies and other things.

- Andrew Stanton

Other, I Think, Tickets, Prince

I had never touched a computer in my life before I came to Pixar.

- Andrew Stanton

My Life, Never, Touched, I Came

I'm also a huge cinephile, and I have witnessed that to honor the book literally word-for-word never makes a good movie.

- Andrew Stanton

Movie, Witnessed, Literally, Good Movie

Art is messy, art is chaos - so you need a system.

- Andrew Stanton

Art, Chaos, System, Messy

Most people know me at Pixar as the guy that doesn't like to do sequels or very reluctant to do sequels.

- Andrew Stanton

Like, Most, Very, Sequels

The way Pixar has always worked is that we think of an idea and then we make it. We don't develop lots of ideas and then pick one.

- Andrew Stanton

Think, Always, Idea, Pixar

I'm still craving approval from my parents. It took a lot of success for me to realize it was never coming. It's just not in their nature.

- Andrew Stanton

Nature, Still, Took, Craving

I was that kind of kid that was going to the movies every weekend, I couldn't get enough of the movies, and now I get to make them. So I kind of have a one-track mind.

- Andrew Stanton

Mind, Kind, Going, Weekend

I'm a family man, I have kids, and I go to the movies. And I'm just going to make the kind of movie I want to see.

- Andrew Stanton

Kind, Want, Going, Movie

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