Fresh off the career-threatening flop, Bird was hired by Jobs and Pixar co-founder Ed Catmull to write and direct a movie called "The Incredibles."
"They were feeling like, 'We're in danger of falling into certain habits because we have the same group that are doing things ... but we want to shake things up.'"
Jobs and Catmull told Bird they hired him because "The Iron Giant" showed a determination to find new ways to tell stories, Bird recalled.
"I want people who are disgruntled because they have a better way of doing things and they're having trouble finding an avenue," Bird said.
If you're doing it right, you are kind of an underdog," Bird said.