Pride Month: It Gets Better… Love, Pixar

A celebration of the 13th anniversary of a video project I created and co-directed at Pixar Animation Studios which became one of the most unforgettable moments of my career.

Hi everyone!

Pride Month begins today, bringing with it a time for reflection and celebration. I want to share a story about a project from my time at Pixar that profoundly impacted my life and continues to shape the ethos of my work to this day.

Thirteen years ago, I had the privilege of creating and co-directing a video titled “It Gets Better… Love, Pixar” as part of Dan Savage's It Gets Better project. This initiative aimed to combat LGBTQ+ bullying and support The Trevor Project, an organization that remains crucial in helping kids navigate their youth. Working on this video remains one of my most significant and treasured memories from Pixar.

Recently, my good friend and former Pixar colleague, Daniel C., invited me back to the studio for a Q&A and a special screening of the video. This invitation was a poignant reminder of the meaningful work we did and the incredible people I had the fortune to meet during my time at Pixar.

Given the current challenges facing our industry and the recent layoffs at Pixar Animation Studios, I wanted to share this story as a beacon of gratitude and hope at the start of Pride Month. It’s a testament to the power of being in the right place at the right time, surrounded by the right people, and the beautiful outcomes that can arise from those moments.

I hope you enjoy reading this post and take a few minutes to watch the video at the end.

Happy Pride. Be safe, be kind, be loving.

The Making Of

I closely followed the overwhelming wave of It Gets Better videos with enormous interest. Like many other LGBTQ+ individuals, I carried trauma and experiences that shaped my identity and relationships. These challenges brought multiple insecurities, which I gradually learned to overcome as I started to lead a productive adult life.

These original videos resonated deeply with me. I knew they had the power to profoundly impact countless people, especially those like me who endured relentless bullying during a particularly rough period of school. The idea of sharing our stories to offer hope was both powerful and essential.

When Google created the first contribution from a major brand, I immediately knew we at Pixar had to do the same. Or at least try. Our brand had the unique ability to touch the lives of families and kids worldwide. I felt a deep sense of responsibility to use our love for storytelling for this cause.

So one day, I sent an email to the Pixar community asking, “Should we do this?” Within an hour, a small group of us were in a conference room planning our contribution. Daniel and Kyle had a quick debate about whether or not to get permission from Pixar. Thankfully, Kyle won that argument in less than a minute, and we immediately started discussing the logistics.

Tony K. agreed to film it, enlisting Sarah D. to assist. Lauren M. volunteered to organize the shoot. Volunteers poured in from the Pixar community, and Lauren scheduled everyone who wanted to participate.

We filmed over two days in 20-minute increments, with Erica M. conducting off-camera interviews. We aimed for bright, warm lighting on faces against a black background to emphasize vulnerability and authenticity. We wanted stories that were honest, intimate, and immediate.

I edited the footage and then handed it over to Bradley F., who created a three-minute test. When he showed it to us a week later, we were stunned by its quality. Bradley asked about the length, and after another debate at my apartment in San Francisco, Daniel convinced us to keep it longer and proposed giving Bradley the final cut. We were so impressed with his work that we agreed without hesitation.

Bradley found the perfect music with his friends at Geographer, and Kyle suggested having Adrian M. create an opening drawing, something that would bring more of that Pixar uniqueness. This was quickly scheduled and shot.

Another week passed, and Bradley brought us the eight-minute version, which closely resembled the final cut. At that point, we knew we needed Pixar's permission to release it. Daniel and Kyle met with Darla A. to show her the eight-minute cut. She was moved by it and agreed to film an introduction and champion the project as an official Pixar message. We filmed her segment, included a few other late additions, finalized the piece, and secured permissions from both Pixar and Disney,

For me, this project was a pivotal moment in my life. It showcased the profound impact our stories can have, not only bringing characters to life but also breathing life into those who connect with them. For many kids who grew up loving our films, seeing that those stories were created by people just like them—people they could look up to—was an incredibly powerful and unforgettable experience.

In our daily lives, it's easy to lose sight of why we do what we do, why we create stories, and why we pour so much of ourselves into the art of animated filmmaking. In this age of budget cuts, outsourcing, layoffs, and crunch times, it's crucial to remember the humanity at the core of our work. This project was a testament to that humanity. It reminded us to breathe, to feel, and to remember the profound impact of our stories.

Our work as creatives has always been about more than just entertainment. It’s about inspiring and educating, about touching hearts and opening minds. The stories we tell through film, painting, games, or poetry, through any art form, have the power to make the world a better place, to bring joy to those who need it most, and to provide a sense of belonging and hope to those who feel isolated.

This project reminded me of the incredible impact we can have when we come together and share our truths. It showed me that even in the darkest times, our creativity and dedication can light the way for others. It reinforced that our ability to tell stories is a gift that can uplift and transform lives.

As we navigate these crazy weird times, let's remember why we chose this path. Let's hold onto the belief that our stories matter, that our voices can make a difference, and that our collective creativity has the power to shape a brighter future. The spirit of resilience and hope that fueled this “It Gets Better… Love, Pixar” project is still within all of us.

Many of us are no longer at Pixar; I left just over a year after we published this video. Life sure moves fast, and to everyone who worked and collaborated with us on this project, I extend my heartfelt thanks once again.

I hope that we continue to create, inspire, and persevere—because the world needs our stories now more than ever.

The Video

Questions and Answers

How did the idea come to pass?

It all started with the explosion of It Gets Better videos. The realization that we could contribute something meaningful spurred us into action. The sense of urgency and the desire to connect with struggling youth drove our quick and determined efforts. We had the best brand in the world to make an impact. I felt I had to do something about it.

What were the filmmaking ideas that guided the piece?

Our primary goal was authenticity. We wanted participants to look directly into the camera, sharing their stories as if for the first time. The bright, warm light on their faces against a stark black background created an intimate and impactful visual experience. It was the simplicity of it that worked. It made it genuine and personal. It was vulnerable.

What was it like sharing your story on camera?

Personally, it was both daunting and liberating. Finding the words to encapsulate my journey was challenging, but knowing that my story could help others made it worth it. I was very sick with a fever when I was filmed for my story, but I couldn’t skip the day. I knew I had to share it. The support from my colleagues during the process made it a collective effort of healing and solidarity.

When did you see the completed piece, and what was its impact?

Seeing the final version was a profound experience. The film beautifully captured our stories and conveyed a powerful message of hope and resilience. It was a testament to the collective strength of our community. Reading the YouTube comments receiving so much positive feedback from all over the world, and learning about the direct impact our project brought to so many people. It was all very humbling.

Did you attend the screenings at Pixar?

Yes, and those screenings were incredibly moving. Watching the film with my colleagues and seeing their reactions reinforced the importance of what we had created. It was a moment of shared pride and emotional catharsis.

How did your experience at Pixar change after the film's release?

The film fostered a deeper sense of connection and understanding among us, that lasts to this day even though many of us, including myself, are no longer at the studio. It brought our community closer and highlighted the importance of supporting one another. The positive reception from both within and outside Pixar reaffirmed our commitment to inclusivity and representation in every aspect of my life and whatever team I end up working with next.

What about the idea that this was a tipping point for the country?

The It Gets Better movement, including our contribution, played a significant role in shifting public sentiment. It demonstrated the power of storytelling in fostering empathy and driving social change. Our video became part of a larger narrative that encouraged acceptance and love. We ended up re-releasing it at a later date in a national prime-time TV ad with Google, and we managed to get authorization to re-animating a shot from Toy Story with Woody saying “It Gets Better, Partner”. That brought a whole new avalanche of emotions and responses online as you can imagine.

Looking at this 14-year-old video in the current age of backlash?

It serves as a reminder of how far we've come and the ongoing challenges we face. Revisiting the video reinforces the importance of standing up against hate and continuing to advocate for a more inclusive and compassionate world.

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The Celebration

Daniel also wrote this beautiful text to introduce the project at an upcoming celebration and screening at the studio. With his authorization, I am sharing it here in its entirety.

The It Gets Better Project was a video-sharing phenomenon initiated by Dan Savage in the early Fall of 2010.  Feeling crushed and helpless by the rash of LGBTQ+ suicides that were being featured in the news, he had the realization that he could reach gay teens who were in despair with a message of hope, using the new-ish phenomena of video-sharing. He wanted to reach across the barriers that existed (and still exist) between gay adults and gay teens, to share the simple message that as bad as it seems, there’s a way out of the despair and isolation, and that a beautiful life was waiting for them on the other side of the darkness.  He and his husband recorded a video within a week of having the idea, uploaded it to YouTube, and invited others to do the same, hoping for a hundred or so. Soon, thousands of videos were being recorded and uploaded to YouTube, and a collective oral history of the suffering, struggles, and triumphs of gay folks of every stripe was introduced to the culture-at-large, widely. Non-LGBTQ+ folks joined in what became a viral movement, recording messages of encouragement and support.  It was a spontaneous outburst of public support for LGBTQ+ people that we had never experienced before.  Many millions of viewers watched these videos and were deeply affected, and they became part of what we now see as a critical tipping point in public sentiment, that many believe helped usher in critical gains made in the years that immediately followed. Pixar’s contribution to the movement, “It Gets Better, Love Pixar” was uploaded on November 22, 2010 and quickly racked up over a million views, becoming the second most watched video in the genre.  It sparked an outpouring of positive sentiment and acclaim and changed the way Pixar was viewed forever. 

This little short film […] reached legions of struggling young queer folks who grew up watching our movies, and lives were saved because of it. It also had an incredible impact on the LGBTQ+ community at Pixar, since we were sharing our stories and our colleagues at Pixar for the first time as a group. In the telling of our stories, we learned that we had all experienced an isolation that was suffocating and killing in its power and that we all shared the experience of growing up in an environment where many people wanted to destroy us. We experienced all manner of cruelty, bullying, violence, shame, and humiliation and lived in a constant state of fear, with no one to turn to, no one to protect us - not even our families. Some of us fell into such deep despair that we attempted to take our own lives since we could see no future worth living for.  We learned, also, that we could survive.  That we could take control of our stories, that we were strong and could shape our futures.  We learned that we were beautiful, loving, and alive in extraordinary ways. That we were powerful storytellers, that we were filmmakers.  That we were bold and defiant. That we could marshal the unique power of who we were to survive, and that we could emerge triumphant.  That no matter how dark the night, we could figure out a path to a new day.  In our way, with our voices.  As ourselves.

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Thank you for reading.

PS. Kyle, who was such a huge part of our team behind this video, is an outstanding writer and he has an incredible Substack newsletter Being Alive that I highly recommend you explore.