I love a behind-the-scenes story. Especially when it’s about creativity or writing. That’s probably why the Inside Pixar documentary series on Disney+ captivated me.

Pixar is a legendary storytelling machine, and I was curious about what I could learn from their magic. So I binge-watched the entire season and wasn’t disappointed. Each episode focuses on one particular employee’s work, the scope of which is incredibly diverse—from film director to lighting crew. Here are some storytelling lessons I took away.

The best stories create fiction from real life

Director Dan Scanlon was searching for a story idea and kept coming back to his own experience growing up without a father and being guided by his older brother. This became the genesis for the animated feature, Onward. During the Inside Pixar episode, the show’s crew travels to Michigan to interview Scanlon’s mother and brother about Dan’s childhood. Later, I watched Onward. It was fascinating to compare his real life and the film’s story and characters. Much was the same, yet much was different. As a writer, this resonated. I love taking kernels of real-life and crafting them into something entirely new.

Stories move culture forward

Steven Hunter based his animated short film on his own experience coming out as gay after growing up in a small, provincial town in Canada. As he says, “Most good stories are digging into some vulnerable truth inside yourself.” His hope is that his fictionalized story will make another kid feel better than he did growing up. In another episode, Jessica Heidt, who manages Pixar scripts, created a program to improve the gender balance in Pixar films, which prior was skewed male. These Pixar employees are earnestly trying to make a difference in the world through film.

Setting tells its own story

Soul, the winner of this year’s Oscar for best animated film, stalled years into production work. The directors felt the film didn’t quite capture the authentic African American experience, which would be essential to the story. So they hired writer Kemp Powers to help. It was his brilliant idea to add the community barbershop, a place that would feel authentic. It certainly worked, and the dynamics within that barbershop became a key aspect of the film

Stories take on life outside their original medium

In another episode, it was fun to learn about Marylou Jaso, the pastry chef in the Pixar company cafeteria. She creates amazing desserts for the crews, including many movie-themed treats. It’s a reminder that stories can be springboards to other creative work. Who wouldn’t want to celebrate the film Inside Out with an ice cream sundae featuring flavors that correspond to the emotions portrayed in the movie?

How great is Pixar at storytelling? Well, they created an engaging documentary series of stories about their own storytelling. Very meta! You can learn more about Inside Pixar and read a review here.