Meg LaFauve and Kelsey Mann ⋆ Life With Heidi

Meg LaFauve and Kelsey Mann

*Disclosure: I received an all expenses paid trip to Los Angeles for the coverage of several press events for Disney, Pixar and Google. All opinions are 100% my own.

Making a movie is something that takes lots of people working together to make it the best it can be. There are teams of writers, animators, producers, directors, artists, voice over actors and that is just the tip of the movie iceberg. While at Pixar I had the chance to sit down with Screenwriter Meg LaFauve and Story Supervisor Kelsey Mann and learn how the story gets developed and boarded. I even learned how to draw Arlo and I can barely draw a stick person, so that was a pretty cool experience in and of itself.

The day we visited Pixar we got to visit the storyboard room where The Good Dinosaur was brought to life. Meg LaFauve writes the story and then brings it to the Storyboard room where the team then brings her words to life. Kelsey Mann was the Story Supervisor and gave us a glimpse into Pixar history and was very welcoming as well as animated during the entire presentation. He even told us how easy it is to change the location of drawing because of the programs they use and while the artists love to draw on paper, computers make their jobs so much easier.

Kelsey Mann is photographed on September 25, 2013 at Pixar Animation Studios in Emeryville, Calif. (Photo by Deborah Coleman / Pixar)

Peter Sohn got his start as a story artist and was the best according to Kelsey! But because they worked together so closely with computer, paper and working in the same room the storytelling, writing, and of course the animation comes to life. Kelsey even told us how some of the scenes were made to come alive with common items such as a squeaky toy for the gopher scene. I’m sure that will make more sense when you see the movie, but his love for his job was very apparent for the entire presentation.

Meg LaFauve and Kelsey Mann — THE GOOD DINOSAUR – Screenwriter Meg LaFauve and Story Supervisor Kelsey Mann present at the Long Lead Press Days at Pixar Studios. Photo by: Marc Flores. ©2015 Disney•Pixar. All Rights Reserved.

But I do have to admit that my favorite part of this presentation was being taught how to draw Arlo. While I will admit that I’m not the best artist getting a chance to see how the story comes together behind the scenes was amazing. With Kelsey telling us what to do as well as drawing on the screen I am happy to report I can now draw Arlo! While I won’t be a professional story artist it was a lot of fun to pretend.

I love that each person has an intricate part of the movie making process and they all put their heart into their work. Together they make Pixar magic come to life from the characters in the movie to each and every person watching the movie. I can’t wait for the whole movie to be released! Be ready for the adventures of Spot and Arlo when The Good Dinosaur opens in theaters on November 25th!