This is an interesting interview with Brad Bird, where he talks about his success, The Incredibles, and getting fired from Disney:

I got fired for quote rocking the boat unquote. They were basically saying that if I'd stop complaining about quality, I could hold onto my job. I said, "I'm complaining about stuff your master animators taught me to complain about. So either I'm getting fired or I'm selling out everything you guys supposedly stand for."

He also has advice for young animators trying to break into the industry.