Heroes with Heart

I saw the amazing new Wild Robot flick. It’s filled with amazing art, heart, and excellent filmmaking. It reminded me of another cinematic combo of machine and fowl -- Bastion and Ganymede from Overwatch.

I loved that game at launch. I even went to a league match at the Burbank arena. I have the satin jacket to prove it. Overwatch might not be what it used to be. Lots of nerfs, buffs, and role cues under that bridge. But my affection for the IP lives on.

It’s hard to remember an original IP that engaged hearts and minds so effectively on day one. Sure, the gameplay was easy to pick up and team up, with tight controls, fresh design ideas, plus the dopamine rush of loot box gambling. But I was hooked by the vibe and design of those characters.

I think the cinematic shorts introducing the Overwatch agents had a lot to do with that. A big part of why those shorts worked so well is how they followed Pixar's storytelling principles.

Andrew Stanton, one of the key minds at the house that Lassiter built, TEDs about how the number one rule of storytelling is to make the audience care. It doesn’t matter if your characters are robots, super-soldiers, or talking animals; hit the audience in the feels, and they'll ready up.

Players didn’t fall in love with Overwatch agents because they were extraordinary super soldiers. That was part of it. But it was their ordinary human motivations and relatable dramatic tensions that got us invested.

Bastion wasn’t just a war machine; his coming-of-age story was about learning redemption and peace. Winston (RIP Harambe) was dealing with grief, loneliness, and the weight of responsibility. Tracer’s speed and identity made her an outsider. Hanzo and Genji were sibling rivals. Mei finding her courage. The mother-daughter reconciliation of Kiriko’s intro.

A trick in the Pixar toolbox is the “2+2” rule. Don’t give the audience 4. Give them 2+2, and let them figure it out. The Overwatch shorts nail this. We didn’t need voiceover telling us why Bastion loved Ganymede; they showed us their connection.

Another Pixar principle is that every character has a core motivation that drives everything they do. Think of Woody in Toy Story; his need to feel like Andy's favorite toy drives his every choice.

Overwatch had this, too. Winston’s hope to reunite his old team, Tracer’s determination to do the right thing, Bastion’s longing for peace after a lifetime of war.

The Overwatch cinematics weren’t just about cool fights or flashy animations. They had heart. Like Pixar, they trusted the audience to fill the emotional gaps, connect it to our own experiences, and connect.

Overwatch had, and still has, so much potential. Those characters still hold up because of the hard work everyone on the dev team and the cinematic squad did to deliver compelling stories. I hope the stewards of Overwatch revisit what makes their IP so special.

"The world needs them now. More than ever. Are you with me?" Winston

Fundamental principles and tropes from Andrew Stanton’s TED Talk "The Clues to a Great Story" and in other discussions about Pixar's approach.

Make Me Care – Stanton emphasizes the importance of creating an emotional connection right from the start. The audience has to care about the characters, their journey, and what’s at stake. Pixar’s films always establish this connection early on, grounding extraordinary characters in relatable emotions and situations.

The Unifying Theory of 2+2 – Rather than handing everything to the audience, Pixar often allows viewers to piece together elements of the story. The idea is to present "2+2" and let the audience solve it, which keeps them engaged. It's about not over-explaining but trusting the audience's intelligence.

Storytelling is Joke Telling – According to Stanton, a story and a joke both have setups and payoffs. The goal is to create a sense of anticipation and surprise, which keeps the audience invested. Every Pixar movie, including Overwatch’s cinematics, follows this structure: there's a setup, a complication, and a payoff.

Character over Plot – This is a major Pixar principle. The best stories are driven by characters and their emotional journeys, not by intricate plotting. The characters' decisions and growth are what move the story forward.

Every Character Must Want Something – Stanton stresses that every character, even side characters, should have a clear goal or desire. This desire drives their actions and creates tension.

Change is Fundamental – At Pixar, the belief is that a character must go through some kind of transformation. They start the story wanting something, but by the end, they’ve either achieved it or realized they needed something else.

Theme as Foundation – Stanton mentioned that all great stories are about something deeper than just the events on the surface. Pixar stories often revolve around universal themes like belonging, love, or self-worth, and the characters’ emotional journeys reflect those.

Give Them a Spine – Stanton also talks about how each character should have a spine, or a core motivation that drives them throughout the story. This spine is usually connected to the character’s deepest desires or fears, and it remains consistent even as the character grows or changes.

Endings are Powerful – Pixar puts a huge emphasis on creating emotionally satisfying endings. Stanton points out that great endings come from resolving the emotional arcs of the characters, often in ways that feel both surprising and inevitable.