Television series
Inside Pixar
- Light-hearted
- Dip in and out
A slim but generous peek behind Pixar's curtain. Each fourteen-minute episode isolates one creative problem—a sound, a color, a character's walk—and watches a specialist solve it. Unassuming in format but rich in the kind of detail that makes you understand why Pixar films feel alive. For anyone who's ever wondered how the sausage gets made, or who just loves watching someone excel at their job.
If you liked this
The Pixar Story2007
A full-length documentary that traces Pixar from startup to studio, with footage, interviews, and the trajectory that explains everything. Essential context for why their process matters.
But It's a corporate history, so it hits the broad strokes—less granular than Inside Pixar's microscopic focus. Can feel a bit hagiographic.
Abstract: The Art of Design2017
Netflix's eight-episode series follows world-class designers solving real problems. Same DNA as Inside Pixar—intimate, focused, celebratory of craft. Episodes on typography and industrial design are particularly brilliant.
But Some episodes are stronger than others. The pacing can feel slack if you're not already invested in the subject.
Making It2018
Pixar animator Steve Marmoleo helms this seven-part series about the studio's creative problem-solving, with more time to breathe than Inside Pixar allows. Deeper dives into lighting, rendering, and story structure.
But Less accessible if you're not already comfortable with animation terminology. Can get technical fast.
Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Inside Pixar
The wildcard
Something you would not have found on your own.
Jiro Dreams of Sushi2011
Both treat mastery as a moral and artistic act. Inside Pixar's animator perfecting a walk and Jiro perfecting a grip are the same story told at different speeds.
A feature-length meditation on an eighty-five-year-old sushi master perfecting his craft. Same spiritual reverence for expertise and repetition. You watch a man solve the same problem ten thousand times and understand why that matters.
But Slow, meditative, and hypnotic in a way that feels like work if you're not in the mood. Not a narrative; an experience.
More like this (4)
Won't You Be My Neighbor?2018
A documentary about Fred Rogers' meticulous creative process—how he made children's television with intention and care. Shares Inside Pixar's reverence for craft and the human detail.
But It's about a television personality, not animation. If you're purely chasing the visual-effects angle, this won't scratch that itch.
Chef's Table2015
Four Seasons' documentary series about elite chefs. Long, gorgeous episodes about obsession and technique. If Inside Pixar is the appetizer, this is the meal—same reverence for craft, much more expansive.
But Slower pacing and poetic filmmaking may feel indulgent if you want practical information. Also, you'll get hungry watching it.
The Toys That Made Us2017
Both celebrate how a small, deliberately-made choice—a line, a gesture, a color—scales into something massive. The granular decision-making that Pixar animators obsess over is Hello Kitty's entire origin.
A forty-minute Netflix documentary about how a single design became a global phenomenon. Celebrates the obsessive attention to detail in character design and marketing. Lighter than Inside Pixar but similarly specific about how something works.
But It's entertainment history, not creative process. Shorter and breezier; won't give you the technical depth. Heavy on nostalgia, light on craft.
Marco Polo2014
Both are about experts solving invisible problems through repetition and intuition. Inside Pixar shows you the pixel; Marco Polo shows you the climber's finger. Different disciplines, same poetry.
A two-season Netflix series following professional climber Alex Honnold and BASE jumper Marco Sifuedi. Gorgeously shot documentary-realism about people solving physics problems through their bodies. Same careful attention to how a thing is done, just vertical instead of digital.
But Niche subject matter; if heights terrify you, this won't feel like pleasure. Meandering narrative and slower pacing than Inside Pixar's tidy structure.
