Joe Ranft

You probably never heard of Joe Ranft. Only 45, he died in a car accident earlier this week, and while his obituary notice wasn't as big as a major star or director's, he was one of the most important creative people in Hollywood.

Ranft was head of story at Pixar Animation. Starting with Toy Story, Pixar has had a string of blockbusters: A Bug's Life, Toy Story 2, Monsters, Inc., Finding Nemo and The Incredibles. There's a reason why Pixar has the biggest hits, and it's not primarily because they have the best computer animation (though they do)--it's because they're the best at creating compelling stories.

All you have to do is look at comparable offerings, such as this year's Madagascar or Robots. They may make money, but they don't have the zing that Pixar offers. In fact, Pixar does the job so well, they make it look easy. It's not. Story is the hardest thing to get right. And Joe Ranft was one of the few people who seemed to understand it.