TSPDT

Key Production Country: USA
Key Genres: Animation, Children's/Family, Comedy, Fantasy, Family-Oriented Adventure, Fantasy Comedy, Action, Adventure, Drama
Key Collaborators: Kevin Nolting (Editor), John Ratzenberger (Voice), Jonas Rivera (Producer), Michael Giacchino (Composer), Bob Peterson (Voice/Co-Director)

"Boyishly charming animated filmmaker responsible for several of Disney/Pixar Studios' most enduring and successful modern classics including Toy Story (1995) and its sequels, as well as Monsters, Inc. (2001), WALL-E (2008) and Up (2009), for which he received the Oscar for animated feature." - The Film Encyclopedia, 2012

"He wears many hats at Pixar Animation, from director to screenwriter, producer, voice actor and Chief Creative Officer… Growing up in Minnesota as a shy kid whose favorite hobby was creating flip animation in his school notebooks, Docter joined Pixar in 1990 at age 21, starting work for John Lasseter the day after he graduated college. Just the third animator for Pixar, Docter had a hand in many of the studio’s seminal hits including Toy Story, Toy Story 2, A Bug’s Life and Monsters, Inc." - Mike Fleming Jr. (Deadline, 2021)

"It’s probably time for the world to fully embrace the directing genius of Pete Docter. Monsters, Inc. was the first non-John Lasseter directed effort at Pixar, and a step into a brave new world for the studio. It turned into a smash-hit, and remains one of the Pixar’s finest efforts. Up is a real deal heartbreaking work of staggering genius, which I’ve seen reduce hardened souls to tears on numerous occasions. Inside Out is considered a huge return to form from Pixar by all, and their best film since, well, Up. So is Pete Docter the real genius behind Pixar? Possibly, but for certain he’s a genuine directing star whose next move must now be awaited with bated breath by every film fan." - Nick Horton (Den of Geek, 2019)

"Creating some of Pixar’s best films is no easy feat, but Pete Docter has accomplished that and much more… 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." - Natalie Mokry (Film School Rejects, 2018)

"One of the most prominent creative forces in the Pixar-led animation renaissance that swept through Hollywood in the 1990s and early- to mid-2000s, Pete Docter first gravitated to animation at the age of eight by creating his own animated flip-books. That experience gave the blossoming artist a deep-seated love of illustration, and he received a formal education in that arena by attending the character animation college program at Valencia-based CalArts. Docter excelled in that venue and attracted attention for his widely praised student shorts, including Next Door (for which he won the student equivalent of an Academy Award), then after graduation went to work for Pixar, becoming the company's third animator." - Allmovie

"It’s easy to do something different just for different’s sake. It’s really hard to do something different that still connects with people — so they want to see it, but they haven’t seen it before. That’s the hard part." - Pete Docter (The Hollywood Reporter, 2023)

"I kind of feel like... I have a slower instinct than most live-action directors, but I have more patience." - Pete Docter