Ever wonder why Pixar movies make you cry over a toy or a robot? There’s actually a method to their magic. Back in 2011, Emma Coats, who worked as a story artist at Pixar, shared 22 storytelling tips on Twitter. These became known as the 22 rules of storytelling Pixar uses, and they’re honestly game-changing if you’re just starting to tell stories.
Here’s the thing—you don’t need to be a professional writer to use these. Whether you’re writing your first short story, creating content for your blog, or just want to tell better stories to your friends, these rules will help. This article is completely about the 22 rules of storytelling Pixar.
The Complete 22 Rules of Storytelling Pixar
Rule 1: People Love Characters Who Try
You admire a character for trying more than for their successes. Think about it—we love Woody from Toy Story not because he’s perfect, but because he keeps trying even when things go wrong. When you’re creating characters, show them struggling and making mistakes. That’s what makes them feel real. By learning the rule 1, you might know what actually the 22 rules of storytelling Pixar is all about.
Rule 2: Write for Your Audience, Not Just Yourself
What’s interesting to you as an audience is different from what’s fun to do as a writer. This one took me a while to understand. Just because you love writing action scenes doesn’t mean your story needs ten of them. Always ask yourself: “Would I want to read this?”
Rule 3: Your Theme Will Reveal Itself
Trying for theme is important, but you won’t see what the story is actually about until you’re at the end of it. Then rewrite. Don’t stress about the “deep meaning” on your first draft. Write the story first, and the theme will show up. Then you can go back and make it stronger.
Rule 4: Use the Story Spine
Once upon a time there was _. Every day, _. One day _.Because of that, _. Because of that, __. Until finally __.
This is the 22 rules of storytelling Pixar formula that changed everything for beginner storytellers. It’s basically a fill-in-the-blank template for any story. Try it right now with Finding Nemo:
- Once upon a time there was a clownfish named Marlin who lost his son.
- Every day, he worried about danger.
- One day, Nemo was captured by divers.
- Because of that, Marlin went on a journey to find him.
- Because of that, he learned to let go and trust.
- Until finally, they reunited and Marlin became braver.
Rule 5: Simplify Everything
Simplify focus, combine characters, and hop over detours. You’ll feel like you’re losing valuable stuff but it sets you free. This is probably the hardest rule to follow. We all want to include every cool idea we have. But trust me—cut the extra stuff. Your story will be better for it.
Rule 6: Challenge Your Characters
What is your character good at, comfortable with? Throw the polar opposite at them. Challenge them. How do they deal? If your character is super organized, mess up their plans. If they hate water, make them go on a boat. This creates natural conflict.
Rule 7: Know Your Ending First
Come up with your ending before you figure out your middle. Seriously. Endings are hard, get yours working up front. I know this sounds backward, but knowing where you’re going helps you get there. The middle is where you have fun connecting the dots.
Rule 8: Finish Your Story
Finish your story, let go even if it’s not perfect. In an ideal world you have both, but move on. Do better next time. This rule saved me from rewriting my first story a million times. Done is better than perfect. You can always write another story.
Rule 9: Beat Writer’s Block This Way
When you’re stuck, make a list of what WOULDN’T happen next. Lots of times the material to get you unstuck will show up. This trick actually works. If you’re stuck, write down: “The character definitely won’t fly to the moon” or “They won’t suddenly become a chef.” Sometimes the ridiculous ideas spark the real solution. This is also one of the best rules of storytelling pixar.
Rule 10: Study Stories You Love
Pull apart the stories you like. What you like in them is a part of you—you’ve got to recognize it before you can use it. Rewatch your favorite movie or reread that book you love. Figure out why it works. What made you feel something? Steal those techniques.
Rule 11: Get It on Paper
Putting it on paper lets you start fixing it. If it stays in your head, a perfect idea, you’ll never share it with anyone. Stop planning and start writing. Bad words on a page are better than perfect thoughts in your head. You can edit bad writing, but you can’t edit nothing.
Rule 12: Push Past the Obvious
Discount the first thing that comes to mind. And the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th—get the obvious out of the way. Surprise yourself. Your first idea is usually the most cliche. Write it down, then throw it out. Then write four more and throw those out too. Your sixth idea? That’s where the good stuff is.
Rule 13: Give Characters Opinions
Give your characters opinions. Passive/malleable might seem likable to you as you write, but it’s poison to the audience. Characters who just go along with everything are boring. Give them strong feelings about things. Let them argue, Let them be wrong, because that’s interesting in the rules of storytelling pixar.
Rule 14: Know Why This Story Matters
Why must you tell THIS story? What’s the belief burning within you that your story feeds off of? That’s the heart of it. Every story you write should mean something to you. If you don’t care about it, why should your readers?
Rule 15: Emotions Make It Real
If you were your character, in this situation, how would you feel? Honesty lends credibility to unbelievable situations. Even if your character is fighting dragons, their fear should feel real. When emotions are honest, readers believe everything else. The 22 rules of storytelling pixar says that the emotion is must to do in storytelling.
Rule 16: Raise the Stakes
What are the stakes? Give us reason to root for the character. What happens if they don’t succeed? Stack the odds against them. Make us care about what happens. If your character is trying to win a race, that’s okay. But if they’re trying to win the race to save their family farm? Now we’re invested.
Rule 17: Nothing Is Wasted
No work is ever wasted. If it’s not working, let go and move on—it’ll come back around to be useful later. That scene you cut from chapter three? You might use it in your next story. That character who didn’t fit? Save them. Everything you write teaches you something.
Rule 18: Know When to Stop Tweaking
You have to know yourself: the difference between doing your best and fussing. Story is testing, not refining. At some point, you’re just moving commas around. Learn to recognize when you’re actually improving the story versus when you’re just procrastinating on finishing it.
Rule 19: Smart Use of Coincidence
Coincidences to get characters into trouble are great; coincidences to get them out of it are cheating. It’s fine if your character randomly finds a treasure map that starts an adventure. But if they’re trapped in a cave and randomly find a secret exit? That’s lazy writing. Characters should solve their own problems.
Rule 20: Learn from Bad Stories
Exercise: take the building blocks of a movie you dislike. How do you rearrange them into what you DO like? This is super useful. That movie you hated—what could have made it better? Figure it out. This trains your brain to spot problems and find solutions.
Rule 21: Make It Personal
You gotta identify with your situation/characters, can’t just write ‘cool’. What would make YOU act that way? Don’t just write what looks cool in your head. Think about real emotions and real motivations. Why would an actual person do this thing?
Rule 22: Find Your Core Story
What’s the essence of your story? Most economical telling of it? If you know that, you can build out from there. This is the 22 rules of storytelling Pixar final lesson. Boil your story down to one sentence. That’s your compass. Everything else should support that core idea.
How to Actually Use These Rules
22 rules of storytelling pixar sound like a lot to remember and follow. You don’t need to use all of them in every story. Here’s my advice for beginners:
Start with Rule 4 (the story spine). It’s the easiest and most practical. Write out your story using that template. Then pick two or three other rules that speak to you. Maybe Rule 1 (show characters trying) and Rule 16 (raise the stakes). Apply just those to your story.
As you write more stories, you’ll naturally start using more of these rules without thinking about them. That’s when you know you’re getting better.
Why the 22 Rules of Storytelling Pixar Actually Work
These rules work because they come from people who’ve told stories that made millions of people feel something. The 22 rules of storytelling Pixar aren’t about making you write like Pixar. They’re about understanding what makes stories connect with human beings.
When you follow these guidelines, you’re learning the same lessons that took Pixar decades to figure out. You’re avoiding mistakes that beginning storytellers always make. You’re building stories that people actually want to read or watch.
Your Next Steps as a Storyteller
Here is what I want you to do right now. Take a story idea you have any idea. Fill in the story spine (Rule 4). Just do that one thing. You will be surprised how much clearer your story becomes.
Then, as you write it, keep Rule 8 in mind: finish it, even if it is not perfect. The 22 rules of storytelling Pixar shared with the world are not about perfection. They are about growth. They are about learning by doing.
Every story you finish makes you better. Every time you apply one of these rules, you understand it more deeply. That is how you become a storyteller, not by knowing all the rules perfectly, but by using them, testing them, and making them your own.
So what are you waiting for? Your story is out there. These rules of storytelling pixar are your map. Now go write something that makes people feel something.
