COOL STUFF

Pixar Producers Speak Lovingly About Pete Docter's Up

by Alex Billington
January 13, 2009
Source: Collider

I don't think it's necessary to remind you that Pixar's next film, Up, is going to be as amazing as any of their 9 previous films, but being a die-hard Pixar fanatic, I always love hearing Pixar's filmmakers, and even producers, talk about their work there at Pixar. Collider recently caught up with Jim Morris and Lindsey Collins, the two producers behind Wall-E. They talked a lot about Wall-E and forthcoming Blu-Rays and so on, but the most fascinating things they said came when they were asked about Up and their own reactions to Pete Docter's latest production. Let me just say, if you're not excited for Up yet, you should be!

Lindsey was first to give her opinion: "I saw Up for the first time, and I literally was begging the director to let me take a copy home to show my kid because I loved it. I guess I feel like because I feel that way, you just kind of hope that the audience is able to see the potential of it when they see those little clips and just know that it'll be great." And as for Jim, he adds this enticing tidbit: "Up felt like a much more easy film in terms of audience viability and so forth. There was no question -- it was just so great and so emotional and so funny and so charming. And Wall-E was a little riskier because it was different territory."

So what is the secret to all of Pixar's continued success (and great films)? Jim states: "In American cinema, [Pixar is] the closest thing to a studio that supports an auteur approach to things because these really are the films of an individual filmmaker, by and large. They're not committee sanitized... they're really artists who then get a whole bunch of other artists to support that vision." And what does Lindsey think makes the difference? "Great directors and great stories. And frankly, to a certain extent, getting out of their way and supporting the process. These guys are all so different in terms of their settings and their storytelling..."

Thanks again to Collider for providing us with these wonderful quotes today. I can't wait to see more of Up, because I still think there is a lot more to it that we haven't seen yet in any teasers. Disney is bringing us Up in 3-D on May 29th, so stay tuned for plenty more Pixar coverage over the next few months.

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