The new head of Pixar shares his advice for crafting meaningful stories.
Creating some of Pixar’s best films is no easy feat, but Pete Docter has accomplished that and much more. One of the leading men at Pixar since the beginning, he co-wrote Toy Story and Toy Story 2 and later helmed the animated features Up and Inside Out, both of which earned him Academy Awards. He also directed Monster’s Inc., which didn’t win the Oscar but has become an animated classic and beloved childhood favorite for millions since its release.
Docter is very much multitalented, able to write, direct, produce, and animate — he’s even done voice work in his own movies. It’s clear his longevity at the Disney-owned studio lies in his ability to create meaningful stories with memorable characters. He’s an artist who’s not only helped to shape Pixar but has also worked to redefine the ways in which the world views animation, which is something any filmmaker or animator can aspire toward.
Being someone who’s worked his dream job in the industry for more than two decades now, Docter has been giving back to those who hope to follow in his footsteps. Below we’ve gathered some of his best advice to aspiring writers, directors, and animators over the years.
Your First Time Won’t Be Perfect
For newer filmmakers especially, keeping up the patience to redo something and try over and over again to get it right can be frustrating. But at a 2011 fundraiser reported on by the Piedmont Patch Docter noted that reworking a film multiple times is inevitable:
“Dispose of the idea that you’ll get it right the first time, [because animation is a] messy and organic process.”
Pete Docter during the making of ‘Up’ (Pixar)
Practice, Practice, Practice
Like every other art form, filmmaking requires years to master. In an interview with KTCS9 in 2015, Docter suggested a way to hone your craft, which is just to practice doing what you love and you’ll find your way:
“The first thing I’d say is do it right. There are really no excuses. With your iPhone, you can make movies. You know, you can cut stuff on your Mac, and with a relatively small investment of money. You can start making your own stuff. And I always think of it like, you’d never get someone who had never played guitar before and say alright you’re playing a concert. That doesn’t make any sense. Filmmaking is the same way. You just need a lot of practice. The more you do it, the better you get, the more you learn, the more you see.”
Watch the video below for more advice from Docter and the filmmakers of Inside Out.
Be Specific
When making a film, you typically want it to resonate with everyone in some way. To do so, as Docter noted in a Conversation at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2015 when discussing how his desire to balance work and fatherhood inspired the story of Monster’s Inc., is not to make a general story, but rather, the opposite:
“The more specific and particular you are in the storytelling, the more generally it applies. If you try to generalize, then nobody really gets anything. But if you’re very specific and personal about it, it seems to resonate more.”
Watch the entire conversation below.
What We Learned
Because of their consistent success each year, we may easily forget that Pixar films take years and years to make. But as Docter often noted, those years are spent researching, redoing the story in different ways, and spending lots of time with characters.
The key is not to be afraid to really dig into the world of your film, whether it be a live action drama or an animated story starring fictional monsters. You’re a part of the story you create just as it’s a part of you, especially considering how much time you’ll spend with it. No matter where you start or how successful you become, you can always be better, and your best work can come from having the passion and self-awareness to make a story that is as powerful for you as it is for others.
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