Pete Docter
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| Pete Docter | |
 Docter at Comic-Con 2008 |
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| Born | August 10, 1968 Bloomington, Minnesota, U.S. |
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| Occupation | Film director |
| Years active | 1988 – present |
| Spouse(s) | Amanda Docter (2 Children) |
Peter Docter (born October 9, 1968) is an American film director, animator, and screenwriter from Bloomington, Minnesota.[1] He is best known for directing the films Monsters, Inc. and Up, and he is a key figure and collaborator in Pixar Animation Studios for the past twenty years. The A. V. Club has called him "almost universally successful".[2] He has been nominated for four Oscars, three Annie Awards (winning two), a BAFTA Children's Film Award (which he won), and a Hochi Film Award (which he won).[3] He has described himself as a "geeky kid from Minnesota who likes to draw cartoons."[1]
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[edit] Early life
Docter grew up introverted and socially isolated, preferring to work alone and having to remind himself to connect with others. He often played in the creek beside his house, pretending to be Indiana Jones and acting out scenes.[4] A Junior High classmate later described him as "this kid who was really tall, but who was kind of awkward, maybe getting picked on by the school bullies because his voice change at puberty was very rough."[1]
Both of his parents worked in education, his mother, Rita, teaching music and his father, Dave, working as a choral director at Normandale Community College. He attended Nine Mile Elementary School, Oak Grove Junior High, and John F. Kennedy High School in Bloomington. Unlike his two sisters, he was not particularly interested in music; his sister, Kirsten Doctor, is the violist of the famous Cavani String Quartet. He taught himself cartooning, making flip books and homemade animated shorts with a family movie camera.[1] He later described his interest in animation as a way to 'Play God', making up nearly living characters. Chuck Jones and Walt Disney were major inspirations.[5]
He spent about a year at the University of Minnesota,[1] in which he studied both philosophy and making art.[5] Docter then transferred to the California Institute of the Arts. He won a Student Academy Award for his production "Next Door" and he graduated in 1990. Although planning to work for the Disney Corporation, the best offers came from Pixar and from the producers of The Simpsons.[1] He did not think much of Pixar at that time,[5] and he later considered his choice to work there a strange and unusual one.[2] In May 2009, Docter commented retrospectively to Christianity Today that he had lived "a blessed life" so far.[4]
[edit] Later life and career
Before joining Pixar, Docter had created three non-computer animations, "Next Door", "Palm Springs", and "Winter".[6] He started at Pixar at age 21;[4] he began work literally the day after his college graduation.[2] He was the tenth person hired by the company,[5] only their third animator.[7] He first met owner Steve Jobs when Jobs came to lay off some older workers. Nevertheless, Docter instantly fit in with the tight-knit atmosphere of the company. He has said, "Growing up...the film is a lot of us felt we were the only person in the world who had this weird obsession with animation. Coming to Pixar you feel like, 'Oh! There are others!'"[1] He was one of the three key writers behind the concept of Toy Story, and he based the character of Buzz Lightyear partially his own personality.[5]
Docter has been an integral part of some of the most seminal works of Pixar Studios, notably Toy Story, Toy Story 2, A Bugs Life and Monsters, Inc. He contributed to these animated films as a co-author to the scripts, and worked alongside CGI stalwarts such as John Lasseter, Ronnie Del Carmen, Bob Peterson, Andrew Stanton, Brad Bird, and Joe Ranft. All of these films received massive acclaim and top honors. Docter has referred to his colleagues at Pixar as a bunch of 'wild stallions'.[2]
In 2004, he was asked by John Lasseter to direct the English translation of Howl's Moving Castle.[8] Docter most recently directed Up, released May 29, 2009. He based the protagonist of Up partially on himself, based on his frequent feelings of social awkwardness and his desire to get away from crowds to contemplate.[4] After the box office success of Up, Docter is allegedly beginning work on Monsters, Inc. 2.[9]
[edit] Personal life
He is married to Amanda Docter and has two children, Nick and Elie (Nicholas and Elizabeth), ages 12 and 10 as of 2009, respectively.[4] He can play several music instruments. Elie has a speaking part in Up as Young Ellie.
He is also rather tall, at about 1.94 meters (~6ft 5in).[10]
Docter is a fan of anime and of the work of Hayao Miyazaki in particular, once saying that Miyazaki's animation has "beautifully observed little moments of truth that you just recognize and respond to".[8] He is a fan of the work done by his competitors at DreamWorks as well. He has said, "I think it’s a much healthier environment when there is more diversity".[2] Docter is also a devout Christian. Although incorporating his personal morality into his work, he has said that he does not intend to ever make a movie with an explicitly religious message.[5]
He has said about the relationship between his faith and his film-making that:
I don't think people in any way, shape or form like to be lectured to. When people go to a movie, they want to see some sort of experience of themselves on the screen. They don't come to be taught. So in that sense, and in terms of any sort of beliefs, I don't want to feel as though I'm ever lecturing or putting an agenda forth.[4]
[edit] Pixar filmography
- Up (2009) - Director
- WALL-E (2008) - Story
- Mike's New Car (2002) - Director / Story
- Monsters, Inc. (2001) - Director / Story
- Toy Story 2 (1999) - Story
- Toy Story (1995) - Story
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e f g The Wizard of Up. By Colin Covert. Star Tribune. Published May 27, 2009.
- ^ a b c d e Pete Docter. by Tasha Robinson. A.V. Club. Published May 28, 2009.
- ^ Awards for Peter Docter. Imdb.com Accessed June 8, 2009.
- ^ a b c d e f What's Up, Doc(ter)? By Mark Moring. Christianity Today. Published 5/26/2009.
- ^ a b c d e f Sharon Gallagher (1999). "Interview with Pete Docter". Radix 26:1. http://www.radixmagazine.com/page1PeterDocter.html. Retrieved on 2009-04-02.
- ^ Other works for Pete Docter. Imdb.com Accessed June 7, 2009.
- ^ Going 'Up' with Minnesotan Pete Docter. By Euan Kerr. Minnesota Public Radio. Published May 29, 2009.
- ^ a b Interview with Up Director Peter Docter. By Beth Accomando. KPBS. Published May 29, 2009.
- ^ Pixar Doesn’t Quite Confirm Pete Doctor To Direct ‘Monsters Inc. 2′. MTV Movies Blog. Published by Christopher Campbell on June 8, 2009.
- ^ Biography for Peter Docter. Imdb.com Accessed June 8, 2009.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Pete Docter at the Internet Movie Database
- Pixar Animation Studios website
- "Pete Docter" at the Pixar Wiki
