The Pixar animator office is a place full of magic. There are large screens displaying works - in - progress everywhere. Once, there was a competition among the animators to create the funniest short animation within a week. They all worked hard, some staying up late. In the end, one animator created a story about a clumsy little alien trying to learn how to ride a bicycle on Earth. The whole office laughed when it was presented, and it became an inspiration for future projects.
One interesting thing is the impromptu brainstorming sessions. Animators might be chatting over coffee and suddenly an idea for a new character or plot pops up. For example, they could be talking about pets and then come up with an idea for a movie about a talking dog. Another is when they test out new animation techniques together. They might try out a new way to make water look more realistic in an animated scene.
Not sure. I haven't come across 'Joy Story' being identified as a Pixar short. Maybe it's a relatively new or less popular one that I'm not familiar with.
To be a good short story animator, you should start by mastering the basics of animation principles. Build a portfolio to showcase your work. Network with other animators and stay updated on the latest industry trends.
It's possible that the team at Pixar felt that the full-length Toy Story 4 told the story completely and didn't require a short to enhance it. Or perhaps they wanted to save their creative energy for future installments or different projects altogether.
It could be that the story of Toy Story 4 didn't lend itself well to a separate short. Or perhaps Pixar had other projects in the pipeline that took priority.