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Like many of you, I was lucky enough to catch Toy Story 3 over the weekend (the latest in an unbroken string of instant classics from arguably the most creative place in existence). It marks the third summer in a row that Pixar has made me gut laugh and “get something in my eye” all in the same 90 minute story. I’m just going to throw this out there… If you didn’t tear up at least twice during last summer’s Up, you have no soul.

Honestly, I can’t help but stand  in awe of the way that Pixar pulls a little magic out of its pocket every time while every other studio struggles just to tell a decent story. Like any one else I admire, I try to look a little further behind the curtain to see if I can track down the method to the madness and apply it to my working life. Here are a few observations…

Don’t Be Afraid to Take Risks

I’m sure you’ve seen photos or a brief TV special about the working environment at Pixar. It’s absolutely chock full of un-office like locations to think and brainstorm. For folks that do have desks, they’re housed inside little miniature houses that employees are encouraged to customize as much as they like. Heck, they even have a monkey. Simply put, they value creativity above all else and structure their entire organization around it.

Extending that philosophy, I’m sure you’d rarely hear of a creative idea shot down at an internal Pixar meeting. For example, the “Day & Night” short that precedes Toy Story 3 is absolutely unlike anything I’ve ever seen (especially when viewed in 3D), yet I can’t imagine that idea making any sense when somebody first pitched it to a co-worker.

How awesome would it be to see The Church recapture a creative mindset again to engage our culture with fresh approaches? Don’t we have a better story to tell?

Humor is a Universal Language

There were sections of Toy Story 3 that made me laugh harder than anything else I’ve seen in the last few years (which is saying a lot given how many films Lauren and I watch together). From 8 to 80, I think just about everyone in the theater with us had a smile plastered to their faces the whole time. Pretty impressive for a G-Rated movie set in a preschool playroom.

Humor is one of the most important tools we have to engage our culture, yet we ignore it most of the time in our creative efforts. Humor breaks the ice, lifts people up and lowers the barrier to contemplate life’s big issues. And, as Toy Story proves, it doesn’t have to be riddled with profanity to be culturally significant. The Church needs to learn to be more joyful… After all, it is a fruit of the spirit!

It’s Okay to Tackle Hard Issues

This weekend, a movie about a group of plastic toys made me think hard about existentialism, obscurity and moving on (I challenge your heart not to ache in a scene involving a furnace). It hit home because these are common issues that all of us face, and we all yearn for answers.

So many times, my first instinct when sharing my faith with someone is to water it down, sanitize it and make it happier. After all, no one wants to face tough issues these days, right?

It’s important to remind ourselves that those instincts are wrong… We need to preach the real, meat-and-potatoes Gospel. God’s Word is truth for a world that is really hurting, and it won’t return void. People are already looking for the answers.

Take some time out this week to have some fun with the newest Toy Story, or maybe catch up with a few of the older Pixar classics. I promise it will bring out the kid in you, and maybe even get your creative juices flowing once again.