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Funny!: Twenty-Five Years in the Pixar Story Room
From Toy Story to The Good Dinosaur, some of the most iconic and hilarious moments in Pixar's films were first conceived by the artists featured in this book. But there are hundreds of gags that don't make it past the cutting room floor, like Mater as a ninja and Sadness wearing mom jeans. Funny! explores this material in depth, showcasing classic moments from all of Pixar's films to date, plus never-before-published illustrations and doodles from the Pixar archives. With an introduction by veteran story man Jason Katz, this book is a must-have for any Pixar fan.
160 pages, Hardcover
First published November 17, 2015
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131 people want to read
About the author
Walt Disney Company
38.3k books2,874 followersNote: The decision was made to consolidate all Disney publications under the name Walt Disney Company. This profile is for Walt Disney, the characters he created, and the company he founded. Any questions, please ask in the Librarian's Group.
Walter Elias “Walt” Disney (December 5, 1901 – December 15, 1966) was an American film producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, animator, entrepreneur, entertainer, international icon, and philanthropist. Disney is famous for his influence in the field of entertainment during the 20th century. As the co-founder (with his brother Roy O. Disney) of Walt Disney Productions, Disney became one of the best-known motion picture producers in the world. The corporation he co-founded, now known as The Walt Disney Company, today has annual revenues of approximately U.S. $35 billion.
Disney is particularly noted for being a film producer and a popular showman, as well as an innovator in animation and theme park design. He and his staff created some of the world's most famous fictional characters including Mickey Mouse, a character for which Disney himself was the original voice. He has been awarded four honorary Academy Awards and has won twenty-two competitive Academy Awards out of fifty-nine nominations, including a record four in one year, giving him more awards and nominations than any other individual. He also won seven Emmy Awards. He is the namesake for Disneyland and Walt Disney World Resort theme parks in the United States, as well as the international resorts Tokyo Disney, Disneyland Paris, and Disneyland Hong Kong.
Disney died of lung cancer in Burbank, California, on December 15, 1966. The following year, construction began on Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. His brother Roy Disney inaugurated the Magic Kingdom on October 1, 1971.
The Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS) (commonly referred to as Disney) is the largest media and entertainment conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by brothers Walt Disney and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, the company was reincorporated as Walt Disney Productions in 1929. Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into live-action film production, television, and travel. Taking on its current name in 1986, The Walt Disney Company expanded its existing operations and also started divisions focused upon theatre, radio, publishing, and online media. In addition, it has created new divisions of the company in order to market more mature content than it typically associates with its flagship family-oriented brands.
The company is best known for the products of its film studio, the Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group, today one of the largest and best-known studios in Hollywood. Disney also owns and operates the ABC broadcast television network; cable television networks such as Disney Channel, ESPN, and ABC Family; publishing, merchandising, and theatre divisions; and owns and licenses 11 theme parks around the world. On January 23, 2006, it was announced that Disney would purchase Pixar in an all-stock transaction worth $7.4 billion. The deal was finalized on May 5. On December 31, 2009, Disney Company acquired the Marvel Entertainment, Inc. for $4.24 billion. The company has been a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average since May 6, 1991. An early and well-known cartoon creation of the company, Mickey Mouse, is the official mascot of The Walt Disney Company.
--from Wikipedia
Walter Elias “Walt” Disney (December 5, 1901 – December 15, 1966) was an American film producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, animator, entrepreneur, entertainer, international icon, and philanthropist. Disney is famous for his influence in the field of entertainment during the 20th century. As the co-founder (with his brother Roy O. Disney) of Walt Disney Productions, Disney became one of the best-known motion picture producers in the world. The corporation he co-founded, now known as The Walt Disney Company, today has annual revenues of approximately U.S. $35 billion.
Disney is particularly noted for being a film producer and a popular showman, as well as an innovator in animation and theme park design. He and his staff created some of the world's most famous fictional characters including Mickey Mouse, a character for which Disney himself was the original voice. He has been awarded four honorary Academy Awards and has won twenty-two competitive Academy Awards out of fifty-nine nominations, including a record four in one year, giving him more awards and nominations than any other individual. He also won seven Emmy Awards. He is the namesake for Disneyland and Walt Disney World Resort theme parks in the United States, as well as the international resorts Tokyo Disney, Disneyland Paris, and Disneyland Hong Kong.
Disney died of lung cancer in Burbank, California, on December 15, 1966. The following year, construction began on Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. His brother Roy Disney inaugurated the Magic Kingdom on October 1, 1971.
The Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS) (commonly referred to as Disney) is the largest media and entertainment conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by brothers Walt Disney and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, the company was reincorporated as Walt Disney Productions in 1929. Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into live-action film production, television, and travel. Taking on its current name in 1986, The Walt Disney Company expanded its existing operations and also started divisions focused upon theatre, radio, publishing, and online media. In addition, it has created new divisions of the company in order to market more mature content than it typically associates with its flagship family-oriented brands.
The company is best known for the products of its film studio, the Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group, today one of the largest and best-known studios in Hollywood. Disney also owns and operates the ABC broadcast television network; cable television networks such as Disney Channel, ESPN, and ABC Family; publishing, merchandising, and theatre divisions; and owns and licenses 11 theme parks around the world. On January 23, 2006, it was announced that Disney would purchase Pixar in an all-stock transaction worth $7.4 billion. The deal was finalized on May 5. On December 31, 2009, Disney Company acquired the Marvel Entertainment, Inc. for $4.24 billion. The company has been a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average since May 6, 1991. An early and well-known cartoon creation of the company, Mickey Mouse, is the official mascot of The Walt Disney Company.
--from Wikipedia
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
July 17, 2016
A delightful little collection of often humorous sketches and concepts from the artists who have created some of the all-time best animated movies ever. I love them, and therefore found this book fun. And it's good to see the creative process and wittiness of such people. I wish I had similar talents, and envy those who do. My son enjoyed thumbing through it too.
November 25, 2015
There are few companies out there as innovative as Pixar. One of the reasons for this is that they encourage creativity, and it's clearly demonstrated in the book "Funny! Twenty-Five Years of Laugher from the Pixar Story Room". The book is a collection of humorous drawings from Pixar story artists. Comedy is a key part of Pixar's storytelling process; filmmakers are often looking to add humor to their stories, but it has to come from the truth of the character and the circumstance.
As artist Jason Katz says in his introduction, these are images "you were never supposed to see". Nothing you see in the book made it into the finished movie. Since Pixar films are extensively planned and prepped before a single frame is animated, this is as close as you will likely ever get to "deleted scenes". Some of the ideas clearly contradict the tone of movie and were probably just done for fun; but others are genuinely worthy of consideration and would seemingly fit right in. It just goes to show the abundance of ideas that come out of such an open and collaborative environment - for every idea that makes it into the movie, there are hundreds that do not. And while the ideas in the book might not have made the cut, they still played a crucial role in fleshing out who these characters are and what their personality will be.
If it's not obvious, I should mention that I am a big fan of Pixar, having seen all their films multiple times -- and I'd imagine I'm not alone. The pieces of comedy on display in the book - sometimes a visual gag, other times a funny one-liner - are made even more interesting (and funnier) if you are familiar with the characters and the films. Whatever the idea is on the page, it's enhanced if you already have the knowledge of what the character looks and sounds like, as well as how he/she behaves in the film.
This is a fantastic book of art and humor. If you love Pixar, then you really have to give this one a look. Highly recommended!
Original Review for MovieArtBook.com
As artist Jason Katz says in his introduction, these are images "you were never supposed to see". Nothing you see in the book made it into the finished movie. Since Pixar films are extensively planned and prepped before a single frame is animated, this is as close as you will likely ever get to "deleted scenes". Some of the ideas clearly contradict the tone of movie and were probably just done for fun; but others are genuinely worthy of consideration and would seemingly fit right in. It just goes to show the abundance of ideas that come out of such an open and collaborative environment - for every idea that makes it into the movie, there are hundreds that do not. And while the ideas in the book might not have made the cut, they still played a crucial role in fleshing out who these characters are and what their personality will be.
If it's not obvious, I should mention that I am a big fan of Pixar, having seen all their films multiple times -- and I'd imagine I'm not alone. The pieces of comedy on display in the book - sometimes a visual gag, other times a funny one-liner - are made even more interesting (and funnier) if you are familiar with the characters and the films. Whatever the idea is on the page, it's enhanced if you already have the knowledge of what the character looks and sounds like, as well as how he/she behaves in the film.
This is a fantastic book of art and humor. If you love Pixar, then you really have to give this one a look. Highly recommended!
Original Review for MovieArtBook.com
October 13, 2016
In this art book, we see some very rough looking sketches by the teams that helped create many of the famous Pixar films, including Toy Story, Monsters Inc, Bug's Life, Up, etc. The book is divided by movie and some movies have a lot more material than others. The contents are kind of crude drawings, some in nature or others in application. It was a quick flip and did not have nearly enough text to my liking, but some of the pictures were cute and made me chuckle.
December 30, 2021
A relatively inconsequential title, 'Funny!' is a collection of Pixar art work that demonstrates how important humour has been to their animated movie production. The drawings and illustrations that dominate the pages of this book are on the whole charming without being uproariously funny, and they rely on the context of each film. Therefore there is little for a non-Pixar fan to find especially comedic in the book's pages. However that category of reader is not this publication's audience. This is a book for Pixar lovers and students of animated films.
It is noticeable that specific films have more possibilities to showcase jokes and humour, as per the representative artwork in this book. Earlier films such as the first two 'Toy Story' movies, 'A Bug's Life', 'Finding Nemo' and 'Monsters Inc' are well represented with genuinely funny drawings and cartoons. Later movies, particularly 'Brave' and 'The Good Dinosaur' are less rich in comedic imagery. Whether this says something about Pixar's tonal history as a studio is debatable.
The other important aspect of this book is that it provides more insights into the creative processes at Pixar, and how still drawings and visual language informs their film making activities. There is little supportive text to provide context and background to the cartoons and artwork in 'Funny!', however there is enough to show the reader that there is a substantial artistic discourse surrounding Pixar's animated films. These nominally childish films are very mature in how they have been created.
In conclusion, 'Laugh! Twenty-Five Years in the Pixar Story Room' is an entertaining and informative book that will be of most appeal to anyone who has a passion for the output of Pixar and those who propelled it into the front rank of popular culture in the last three decades.
It is noticeable that specific films have more possibilities to showcase jokes and humour, as per the representative artwork in this book. Earlier films such as the first two 'Toy Story' movies, 'A Bug's Life', 'Finding Nemo' and 'Monsters Inc' are well represented with genuinely funny drawings and cartoons. Later movies, particularly 'Brave' and 'The Good Dinosaur' are less rich in comedic imagery. Whether this says something about Pixar's tonal history as a studio is debatable.
The other important aspect of this book is that it provides more insights into the creative processes at Pixar, and how still drawings and visual language informs their film making activities. There is little supportive text to provide context and background to the cartoons and artwork in 'Funny!', however there is enough to show the reader that there is a substantial artistic discourse surrounding Pixar's animated films. These nominally childish films are very mature in how they have been created.
In conclusion, 'Laugh! Twenty-Five Years in the Pixar Story Room' is an entertaining and informative book that will be of most appeal to anyone who has a passion for the output of Pixar and those who propelled it into the front rank of popular culture in the last three decades.
January 26, 2025
I don't know how I found this book - but it was a fascinating insight into the way Pixar develops scripts and movie plots. It contains a number of humorous sketches and drawings which seem to rift off of ideas for the movies.
Whilst, the vast majority of them never made it into the movies, there were a few which made me giggle. Split into chapters covering the first 25 years of Pixar, there is definitely something for every Pixar film contained.
I wish it had more narrative - a look inside the rooms in which these drawings were done and the workshops/ideas behind them.
But overall, a really interesting way to learn more about Pixar.
Whilst, the vast majority of them never made it into the movies, there were a few which made me giggle. Split into chapters covering the first 25 years of Pixar, there is definitely something for every Pixar film contained.
I wish it had more narrative - a look inside the rooms in which these drawings were done and the workshops/ideas behind them.
But overall, a really interesting way to learn more about Pixar.
June 29, 2022
This book has some very original sketches of those Pixar animations which are so different as I've seen on screen. Happy to have found that. How some simple gags developed to a piece of work. I'm stydying drawing and I think this is useful for me. Save the little ideas that crush on you somethimes, because they may be used in your following work. Good habbit. Also envy that Working atmosphere.
May 19, 2023
周六一早，翻完了这本《Funny！皮克斯故事版幽默集》。这本书基本是一本将皮克斯每部电影创意初期艺术家们创作的幽默桥段汇集成册。天马行空，寥寥数笔，活灵活现，不愧是天才的艺术家们！
继续我之前的一个观点：冒犯可以是一种幽默和艺术，但我仍然觉得更高水平的幽默，是在不冒犯中，让更多的人开心。
我最喜欢结尾的这张图：制作过程中，艺术家们互相殴打，嘴里喊着你个蠢货去死吧！收官party是大家搂搂抱抱互相吹捧，太真实了哈哈😆
继续我之前的一个观点：冒犯可以是一种幽默和艺术，但我仍然觉得更高水平的幽默，是在不冒犯中，让更多的人开心。
我最喜欢结尾的这张图：制作过程中，艺术家们互相殴打，嘴里喊着你个蠢货去死吧！收官party是大家搂搂抱抱互相吹捧，太真实了哈哈😆
July 16, 2018
Not as interesting as I'd thought. Kind of cute.
June 22, 2019
Many laugh-out-loud moments in this collection of images generated during the story development process on Pixar animated features, many of which did not end up in the finished films.
August 31, 2019
I do not find immature and childish humor very funny so this book fell flat for me. Based on a few drawings I would not share this with my daughter or recommend it unless they enjoy immature humor.
January 7, 2020
Meh! Kind of boring! Just a bunch of rough sketches that don’t really appeal to the artist in me!
May 30, 2020
Cute book that gave me a couple chuckles
January 30, 2021
Not as funny as I thought it would be, Pixar has funnier scenes and lines in the actual movies.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 23, 2021
A quick, easy, browsing book good for a few laughs. Some folks might be put off by some of the dark humor (not suitable for younger kids).
July 28, 2022
SPOILER ALERT:
There’s a reason these gags weren’t in the film for many reasons. But mainly they just weren’t FUNNY!
There’s a reason these gags weren’t in the film for many reasons. But mainly they just weren’t FUNNY!
Read
March 20, 2016Fun, quick read. Majority of the book was images, so flew through it pretty quick.
Entertaining insight into the origins of ideas to Pixars films or humorous bits from the story department that didn't make it into the films.
I've always thought Pixar does some of the best storytelling, they get it and have told story after story that connects with audience. Really cool to see the behind the scenes of their process.
A lot of these 'gags' as they call them, were either funny, clever, or a neat bit of artwork. Also get a glimpse at a few crude jokes or concepts that one wouldn't usually associate with Pixar's work. Nothing extreme by any means just unexpected, humorous all the same.
These sketches or rough work ups really stood on their own - since leaving out the foreword and intro, there is hardly any text. I think a little more insight into the artists process or thoughts on a concept would have brought this up a notch. But this book is a lot of fun for what it is and time well spent to go through.
Entertaining insight into the origins of ideas to Pixars films or humorous bits from the story department that didn't make it into the films.
I've always thought Pixar does some of the best storytelling, they get it and have told story after story that connects with audience. Really cool to see the behind the scenes of their process.
A lot of these 'gags' as they call them, were either funny, clever, or a neat bit of artwork. Also get a glimpse at a few crude jokes or concepts that one wouldn't usually associate with Pixar's work. Nothing extreme by any means just unexpected, humorous all the same.
These sketches or rough work ups really stood on their own - since leaving out the foreword and intro, there is hardly any text. I think a little more insight into the artists process or thoughts on a concept would have brought this up a notch. But this book is a lot of fun for what it is and time well spent to go through.
January 23, 2017
- I'm a big Pixar fan, and I was really excited to get this from our Christmas book club party.
- I would love to sit in on a gag session at Pixar Studios. It would be SO much fun!
- I liked reading and seeing how some of the jokes in the movies came to be. I love get back story on movies I love.
- The variety of illustrations were a lot of fun to look at. My favorite picture was Bud Luckey's picture of the jackolopes crossing the road. I'm a Bud Luckey fan, and the Boundin' is my favorite Pixar short.
- There were some explanations about the artwork, but I wish there had been more! I wanted to read more about these amazing movies.
- Overall, this was a really fun book. I highly recommend it for Pixar fans.
- I would love to sit in on a gag session at Pixar Studios. It would be SO much fun!
- I liked reading and seeing how some of the jokes in the movies came to be. I love get back story on movies I love.
- The variety of illustrations were a lot of fun to look at. My favorite picture was Bud Luckey's picture of the jackolopes crossing the road. I'm a Bud Luckey fan, and the Boundin' is my favorite Pixar short.
- There were some explanations about the artwork, but I wish there had been more! I wanted to read more about these amazing movies.
- Overall, this was a really fun book. I highly recommend it for Pixar fans.
May 1, 2016
Like many of the Pixar art books, this one suffers from a lack of information. While it's great to see a book entirely dedicated to gag concept art, it would have been nice to get context or more behind-the-scenes tidbits.
As is, the art itself is chuckle-worthy with a few surprisingly irreverent pieces. Let's just say that I would hesitate to show a couple of pages to younger Pixar fans.
I would only recommend purchasing this if you're a die-hard Pixar fan, and even then I'd only buy it used at a much lower price.
As is, the art itself is chuckle-worthy with a few surprisingly irreverent pieces. Let's just say that I would hesitate to show a couple of pages to younger Pixar fans.
I would only recommend purchasing this if you're a die-hard Pixar fan, and even then I'd only buy it used at a much lower price.
August 30, 2016
This selection of gags and concept sketches from the Pixar Story Room is adorable, and definitely recommended to fans of the films, animation buffs who love to peek under the hood at how some of this stuff does (and doesn't) get made, and general lovers of comics and cartoons. It's fairly slight, but necessarily so - this is essentially a collection of outtakes, so probably a bit esoteric or meh for the general reader. The rest of you - you know who you are.
April 10, 2016
I enjoyed the behind-the-scenes type of drawings that appeared in this book. I've seen all of the movies before, so it was neat to compare the character drawings to what actually ended up in the film. The nerd in me also appreciated the drawings were labeled with the medium of art product used to create them.
December 23, 2015
An interesting behind the scenes look at some of my favorite movies. I just wish it had a bit more context and commentary. As it is, the majority of the images stand up well on their own, but artist or producer insight would have been just that much better.
March 13, 2016
Most of the Pixar 'Art of' or related books all suffer from the similar negative - not enough text. However beautiful or energetic the concept work is, and as someone with an interest in concept creation and storyboarding, I'm still looking for much more text to complement the images.
March 14, 2016
A fun look into the gag sessions for each movie where jokes are invented in the form of concept art that may find a place in the movie. Such jokes as the toy story characters crossing the road in orange construction cones were created here.
May 27, 2016
The title says it all:)
January 11, 2016
Mostly pictures of humorous sketches, some included in Pixar movies, most not included. A quick read as it's mostly pictures.
February 6, 2016
Very quick "read:" just look at the pictures.
August 22, 2016
This book provided about 15 minutes of entertainment while eating breakfast. I read the entire thing. Not bad, but not particularly good either.
January 3, 2016
Quick read. Enjoyed the Ratatouille drawings the most.
February 13, 2016
Mostly pictures from gag sessions for Pixar films. A quick read that brought many smiles.
October 8, 2016
Fun book. Though I'm sorry none of Richard Thompson's comic strips for Inside Out made it in.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews