I would say that Pixar is doing for animation what Chaplin did for film, infusing it with heart and characters that you care about and stories that you lose yourself in. They are similar revolutionaries and changing a medium.
My favorite favorites are people like Bunuel, Fellini and Charlie Chaplin.
As I don't know what life would be like without my Chaplin connections, I work with them. I'm just really happy it's a family I can be proud of; it's not as if I'm related to some Z-list celebrity.
Chaplin was notoriously strict with his sons and rarely gave them spending money.
I grew up and I was weaned on the Marx Brothers. They were sort of my all-time favorite. My parents showed me their movies when I was very young. And as I got older, I became a Charlie Chaplin fan, and I love Buster Keaton.
Hollywood was a silver-nitrate finishing school for a whole generation with a faculty that included Lillian Gish, Douglas Fairbanks, Mary Pickford, John Gilbert, Pola Negri, Gloria Swanson, Clara Bow, Lon Chaney, Charlie Chaplin and Rudolf Valentino.
When you speak of silent movies, everyone thinks of Charlie Chaplin first.
He redefined comedy by defining the moment of our ascendancy as a generation. As did Charlie Chaplin , as did the Marx Brothers, as did Laurel and Hardy define their own times, Steve Martin defined ours.
I read every book about Buster Keaton and Chaplin to see how they worked - it's all about dedication, tunnel vision, pursuit of perfection, getting the gag right.
I'm not Charlie Chaplin and will never, ever claim to be. But when I become the 'Tramp,' I can feel the hair stand up on the back of my neck.