Ever since Toy Story debuted in 1995, Pixar has had one incredible run of successful movies in Hollywood. Releasing 10 films in 14 years, the studio has grown in scope and ambition with each project, garnering critical praise, awards and absurd amounts of money. Pete Docter has been with the company from the beginning, most notably co-writing the Toy Story movies and directing Monsters Inc. Docter also co-wrote and originally planned to direct Wall-E before giving the project to Andrew Stanton to focus his attention on Up — the tale of a curmudgeonly old man, an excitable a young boy and a flying house that just opened the Cannes Film Festival and hits theatres this Friday. The director recently spoke with EYE WEEKLY by phone to discuss Up and Pixar’s unique creative environment.
Where did the idea for Up come from?
It all came from the idea of escaping the world. Directing Monsters Inc was definitely a very social experience for me and I’m sort of an introvert by nature. So by the end of the day, the idea of hiding under my desk or floating away in a house seemed kind of appealing. That, coupled with the idea of doing something with an old man, seemed really appealing. I was drawn to the Walter Matthau kind of grouchy, grumpy guy because it gave us a great opportunity for humor. Then, as I got into it, the character also offered great opportunities for emotion and a perspective that you’re not used to seeing.
Up works simultaneously as an adventure story, a comedy, and a heartfelt character piece. Was it difficult balancing all those elements and genres?
In a way, we were trying to make a film that had one foot planted back in the ’40s and the films that I grew up on, like Dumbo or The Wizard of Oz. All those movies have a great balance of fun, action, comedy and also heart (which I think is ultimately what makes them stick with you). Including all of those elements was our goal on this one. It was a little tricky getting them to all dovetail together without giving the audience whiplash from changing gears too many times, but I’m pretty happy with how it turned out.
Was it intimidating to take this film to the Cannes Film Festival?
It was a little intimidating. We were worried in the beginning that it would be a disaster, just because I’d heard that the Cannes audiences have a tendency to be very vocal about their displeasure. Like when The Da Vinci Code got booed when it opened a few years ago. So we were nervous going in and unsure if animation would be a crowd pleaser. But we showed the film and got a standing ovation, so that worked out all right.
Many people have noted that Pixar has shifted focus from a children’s audience to a more general audience, particularly with the last few films. Are you conscious of this shift at the studio?
The Pixar films have changed a bit and they probably will continue to change just because we are all changing as artists. It’s something that [Pixar founder] John Lasseter is always looking for. He always says, “I want to see more Pete Docter on the screen or more Bad Bird.” He wants to see the people who are creating the movies on the screen. Which is great because then you get more personal statements and it’s not just some sort of corporate sausage factory cranking out new products. Every one of these movies is a unique expression of the people who work on them. And as we grow and change as people, I think that the films will reflect that.
Since you’ve been with Pixar from the beginning, how would you say that the company evolved over the years?
Well, working up to Toy Story was tough. It was all unknown. We had no idea what we were doing and it was a small group initially. When I started I was only the 10th person in the animation department. By the time we finished Toy Story we had about 150 people and everybody in the entire studio working on that one film. Now there are 1,100 people and we’ve got five films at various stages of production. It’s become much larger, but the heart of it is still very similar. Everyone cares passionately about what they’re doing and wants to produce the best possible films that we can. I kind of miss the small intimate atmosphere and knowing everyone in the studio. But the artistry and the quality of what people are doing is incredible and really only possible because of where we are now.