John Lasseter is tearing up. His eyes are shining and his lashes are moist. He reaches out a warm hand to cover mine and looks deep into my eyes as he talks. He's feeling things, powerful things, and it's impossible not to feel them too. From any other studio executive, this would come across as insincere, even manipulative, but Lasseter, chief creative officer of Walt Disney Animation Studios and Pixar, is quite possibly the most earnest, emotional, enthusiastic man working in Hollywood. So check your cynical heart at the door of his toy-crammed office. His emotions—and his tears—are real.