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Pixar narrative artist Louise Smythe, BFA ’10, conveys her impulse to create as inherent; she’s perpetually generating stories and concepts in her mind. Throughout her youth in Memphis, she sketched incessantly and absorbed animated films with great focus. Yet it was at WashU where she unearthed how to harness her creative prowess into a career in filmmaking.

In the late ’00s, while Smythe was not occupied with her education at the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts, she often visited the fantasy bookstore Star Clipper on Delmar Boulevard, captivated by the sequential narratives found in the shop’s comics. This enthusiasm, intertwined with her passion for drama and film, brought her to the realization that she was meant to become a storyboard artist.

Nevertheless, her initial attempts at storyboarding were far from successful. “I was truly, truly poor at it,” Smythe admits, “but I had John Hendrix and D.B. Dowd as instructors at Sam Fox, and they were incredibly supportive.” Dowd, a design educator, and Hendrix, the Kenneth E. Hudson Professor of Art, crafted assignments specifically for Smythe to develop her storyboarding skills. She even drew inspiration from WashU’s history, finding a stylistic predecessor in the works of Al Parker (a peer of Norman Rockwell), who attended WashU’s School of Fine Arts from 1923–28.

After completing her degree, Smythe applied multiple times for a Pixar internship, submitting pieces of art she believed would impress; each attempt ended in rejection. However, the fourth time proved fortunate. She chose to illustrate what she desired and convey the narratives she wanted to share. “If they’re unusual, that’s okay,” she thought. “I’m just going to explore what happens.”

That was when Smythe received a call. She secured the internship, which quickly transitioned into a full-time position at Pixar Studios, where storyboarding is a collective endeavor aimed at solidifying a narrative before animation begins.

“It’s generally more beneficial to consider: ‘Create the film you aspire to create.’ ”

Louise Smythe, BFA ’10

“They were searching for that unique perspective,” Smythe states. “I aim to keep that in mind more and more, because producing films here sometimes leads me to wonder: ‘Does this align with the brand?’ But it’s usually wiser to think: ‘Create the film you aspire to create.’” Smythe is doing precisely that, contributing a touch of her own essence to Pixar’s filmmaking journey.

Since 2012, her skills have been put to use in Toy Story 4, Cars 3, and The Good Dinosaur. She particularly enjoyed her contributions to the 2020 film Onward, and to this day, an entire wall in her office is devoted to the film’s fantasy-inspired artwork. Recently, she took on the role of lead story artist for Inside Out 2, which, at $1.69 billion, stands as Pixar and Disney’s most successful animated feature.

In her position, she contributed to the creation of the new character Anxiety and delighted in illustrating the continuing journey of Joy, one of the original Inside Out characters. Her storyboards proposed narrative elements and visuals for the shots themselves. Collaborating closely with the director, writer, and editor, she continually presented ideas and modified the story structure.

Throughout it all, she remains grateful for the influence of her mentors, and she is reciprocating that support for others — whether by instructing animation classes or offering online tutorials in illustration. “Considering those who seek that knowledge — because I yearned for it during my time at WashU — serves as a significant motivator for me.”

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