Watch: 1996 Interview with Steve Jobs Discussing Pixar’s Early Days

by Alex Billington
November 21, 2025
Source: YouTube

“We’re trying to build a great animation studio.” A fascinating blast from the past – returning to the very early days of Pixar and the Computer Graphics industry. A long lost interview from 1996 has been found & uploaded to YouTube – thanks to the Steve Jobs Archives website. The 22 minute video (recorded exactly 29 years ago) features Steve Jobs talking about the “early days” of Pixar Animation Studios, which he was integral in founding back in the 80s & 90s. This was recorded just after the original Toy Story opened in 1995. It is a compelling conversation with Steve Jobs, because it’s about the business side of things, the industry, the culture, and how Pixar is so unique. He explains quite succinctly: The very best creative people will only go to work at a few places… And the very best computer scientists will work at a few places. Pixar is the only place that can hire the best from both of these areas. I also really like what he says about he “works for all these people” meaning the creators & animations & technicians that actually do all the hard work at Pixar. And that wisdom can’t be bought, it’s in the talent of the creators and the passion of the people who make movies. I wish studios still held onto these ideals and tried to stick to what he says here. View below.

Posted by the Steve Jobs Archive (via Daring Fireball). Their intro: “To mark Toy Story’s 30th anniversary, we’re sharing a never-before-seen interview with Steve from November 22, 1996—exactly one year after the film debuted in theaters. In this footage, he reveals the long game behind Pixar’s seeming overnight success. With striking clarity, he explains how its business model gives artists & engineers a stake in their creations, and he reflects on what Disney’s hard-won wisdom taught him about focus & discipline. He also talks about the challenge of leading a team so talented that it inverts the usual hierarchy, the incentives that inspire people to stay with the company, and the deeper purpose that unites them all: to tell stories that last and put something of enduring value into the culture.” Jobs also discusses the actual origins of Pixar: Ed Catmull from Lucasfilm helped found Pixar in 1986 with Jobs’ help and they made commercials for 9 years before making Toy Story as their first feature. And the rest is history! Their staff doubled in 1996 then they made A Bug’s Life in 1998. It really is fascinating to listen to Jobs talk about the ideas & aspects of Pixar that have remained as values still driving their vision & operation. Pixar’s 30th movie Hoppers is due out next March.

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