The Pixar chief pressed the button: Wanted to see for themselves

With "Inside Out 2" Pixar continues the story of Jenny and her emotional life. The starting shot was a button marked with the word "puberty". We ourselves wanted to see what happened if you pressed that button, says Pixar chief Pete Docter.

» Updated: July 16 2024

» Published: July 14 2024

The Pixar chief pressed the button: Wanted to see for themselves
Photo: Pixar/AP/TT

With "Inside Out 2", Pixar continues the story of Jenny and her emotional life. The starting point was a button marked with the word "puberty".

We ourselves wanted to see what would happen if you pressed that button, says Pixar chief Pete Docter.

When "Toy Story" was released in 1995, it became a mega success that changed the view of what can be done with animated film. It made the producing company Pixar a success story adorned with a multitude of Oscar wins.

Nearly 30 years later, the industry has changed and Pixar has got many successful competitors.

Our big challenge is to constantly broaden ourselves and to surprise the audience through both our stories and how the films look, says the company's artistic chief Pete Docter.

This summer, it seems like they have succeeded. "Inside Out 2", a sequel to "Inside Out" from 2015, has in the USA both been critically acclaimed and a public success. Once again, we get to follow Jenny and how her emotional life is controlled by a gang of figures in her consciousness. But now she becomes a teenager and a collection of new feelings emerges, not least anxiety.

"Didn't dare to touch"

Docter, who directed the first film and has handed over the direction of the second to Kelsey Mann, says:

The first film showed at the end a button that said "puberty", a button you didn't dare to touch. We started wondering, we ourselves wanted to see what would happen if you pressed that button. And we thought about questions like "who are we, how did we become who we are". The new film opened up new paths.

When the first film was released, it took a while before we realized the impact it had made. It was then we realized that there was more to tell.

"Stands on its own"

Not all Pixar films get a sequel. What determines it?

Each film stands on its own from the beginning. It was the same with, for example, the first "Toy Story". Then maybe we start thinking about it, when it comes to "Inside Out 2", there was a lot that played in. But we don't start thinking about a continuation until we're done with the first.

Since Pixar broke through in the mid-1990s, the competition has increased and in recent years, Pixar has not had the same big successes as before. Several films went straight to streaming services during the pandemic and never had a cinema premiere.

When we came, we were alone, now the landscape has changed and we have many competitors. There are many who think that animated film is only comedy and only for children. Our big challenge is to develop our art form and constantly surprise.

Age: 55 years.

Family: Wife Amanda, two children.

Lives in: San Francisco.

Occupation: Animator, director, artistic chief at Pixar Studios.

Previous films: As director "Monsters Inc", "Up", "Inside Out", "Soul". Screenwriter for "Toy Story", "Toy Story 2", "Monsters Inc", "Wall:E", "Up", "Inside Out" and "Soul".

Currently with: "Inside Out 2" which gets its Swedish cinema premiere on July 17.

Tags

TTT
By TTThis article has been altered and translated by Sweden Herald

More news

The Traitors Wins Program of
1 MIN READ

The Traitors Wins Program of the Year at Sweden's Riagalan Awards

Swedish Authors Call on Culture
1 MIN READ

Swedish Authors Call on Culture Minister to Address Meta's AI Use

Uppsala Pavilion Wins Prestigious Kasper
1 MIN READ

Uppsala Pavilion Wins Prestigious Kasper Salin Architecture Prize

Muse Delays Istanbul Concert to
1 MIN READ

Muse Delays Istanbul Concert to 2026 Over Organizer Concerns

Sabrina Carpenter Shines in Sold-Out
2 MIN READ

Sabrina Carpenter Shines in Sold-Out Stockholm Shows

Michel Houellebecq Debuts Concert at
1 MIN READ

Michel Houellebecq Debuts Concert at Danish Literature Festival

Bruce Springsteen Unveils Seven Lost
1 MIN READ

Bruce Springsteen Unveils Seven Lost Albums in New Box Set

Royal Library to Create National
1 MIN READ

Royal Library to Create National Digital Book Lending Standard

Drake Gains Access to Key
1 MIN READ

Drake Gains Access to Key Documents in Kendrick Lamar Legal Battle

Italian Director Nanni Moretti Stable
1 MIN READ

Italian Director Nanni Moretti Stable After Heart Attack in Rome

Genre image
1 MIN READ

Lena From Appointed Permanent Secretary at Academy of Fine Arts

Ralph Fiennes Steps into Opera
1 MIN READ

Ralph Fiennes Steps into Opera Directing with Eugene Onegin in Paris

Christina Nilsson Shines as Aida
1 MIN READ

Christina Nilsson Shines as Aida at Birgit Nilsson Days in Båstad

Hilma af Klint Foundation Board
1 MIN READ

Hilma af Klint Foundation Board Stays Intact Pending Court Decision

Love is Blind Reunion: Swedish
2 MIN READ

Love is Blind Reunion: Swedish Couples Share Joyful Updates

Incurably Ill Woman's Journey to
3 MIN READ

Incurably Ill Woman's Journey to Fulfill Her Desires Becomes TV Series

Swedish Radio Journalist Åke Pettersson
1 MIN READ

Swedish Radio Journalist Åke Pettersson Passes Away at 77

Swedish House Mafia Joins Denniz
1 MIN READ

Swedish House Mafia Joins Denniz Pop Awards Jury

Medea's Children Returns to Stockholm
1 MIN READ

Medea's Children Returns to Stockholm Stage 50 Years Later

Swedish Violinist Johan Dalene Awarded
1 MIN READ

Swedish Violinist Johan Dalene Awarded Alfvén Society Scholarship

Genre image
1 MIN READ

60s Hitmaker Johnny Tillotson Dies at 84

Culture Minister Unfamiliar with Noted
1 MIN READ

Culture Minister Unfamiliar with Noted Directors Nolan and Widerberg

Swedish Artist Lap-See Lam Wins
1 MIN READ

Swedish Artist Lap-See Lam Wins Prestigious Norwegian Art Prize

Dick Bengtsson's Art Challenges Perceptions
3 MIN READ

Dick Bengtsson's Art Challenges Perceptions at Stockholm Exhibit

Hollywood Remembers Val Kilmer: Tributes
2 MIN READ

Hollywood Remembers Val Kilmer: Tributes Pour in for the Iconic Actor

Tarantino's Hollywood Sequel May Land
1 MIN READ

Tarantino's Hollywood Sequel May Land on Netflix with Fincher Directing

New Films and Series: Minecraft
3 MIN READ

New Films and Series: Minecraft Movie Debuts and More This Week

Susanne Yakes Could Be Chosen
2 MIN READ

Susanne Yakes Could Be Chosen as Listeners' Summer Host on P1

Munich 1972: How Live TV
3 MIN READ

Munich 1972: How Live TV Coverage Changed Journalism Forever

Val Kilmer, Iconic Actor from
2 MIN READ

Val Kilmer, Iconic Actor from Top Gun and Batman, Dies at 65

The Hives Announce New Album
1 MIN READ

The Hives Announce New Album and European Tour Starting October

Meg Westergren Honored with 2023
1 MIN READ

Meg Westergren Honored with 2023 Fatima Prize by Karl Gerhard Society

Authors Demand UK Action on
1 MIN READ

Authors Demand UK Action on Meta Over Alleged Book Copyright Breach

Ane Brun Cancels Istanbul Concert
1 MIN READ

Ane Brun Cancels Istanbul Concert Following Protest Backlash

Marion Brunet Wins Alma Prize
4 MIN READ

Marion Brunet Wins Alma Prize for Young Adult Literature

Oliver Stone to Testify in
1 MIN READ

Oliver Stone to Testify in Congress on New JFK Documents

Maria Montazami and Samir Badran
1 MIN READ

Maria Montazami and Samir Badran Join The Traitors on TV4

Masked Singer Tops TV Ratings
1 MIN READ

Masked Singer Tops TV Ratings with 1.5 Million Viewers

New Beatles Biopics Cast Revealed:
1 MIN READ

New Beatles Biopics Cast Revealed: Mescal, Quinn, Keoghan, Dickinson

World's Largest Children's Book Prize
3 MIN READ

World's Largest Children's Book Prize Set for 1 PM Announcement