Variety has a new Q&A article with Pixar's Peter Docter - here are a few of the questions and his answers.
Can you talk about the strategy behind putting releases on Disney+?
We made “Soul” for the big screen. We looked at every frame. There’s so much detail and gorgeous imagery and work that was done that you can’t quite appreciate on a smaller screen. However, there was a pandemic going on. On one hand, we were so thankful that there was Disney+ so that we could release the film and people could see it. Otherwise, it would just sit on a shelf for a year and a half.
In the long run, there’s been a bit of a mixed blessing because we’ve trained audiences that these films will be available for you on Disney+. And it’s more expensive for a family of four to go to a theater when they know they can wait and it’ll come out on the platform.
We’re trying to make sure people realize there’s a great deal you’re missing by not seeing it on the big screen. In the case of “Elemental,” it’s a beautiful spectacle, there’s detail everywhere. I think you feel it more and it’s a better experience. There’s the shared experience as well, that you get to see it in a room with strangers, and there’s something about the energy that comes from other people that makes the whole experience more vibrant and interesting.
What’s your take on the idea that audiences prefer established IP and aren’t as keen on new and original characters like Luca and The Good Dinosaur?
My dad was a musician. He always talks about music as a combination of the comfort of familiarity and surprise. If it tips in either direction, it doesn’t work. If you can tell where every next note is going to fall, you’re like, “hmmm.” But if every note is a surprise, and you don’t know where it’s going, and it’s so foreign, it doesn’t work either. So, most people generally gravitate towards music which is a sweet spot, somewhere in the middle.
Right now, the world seems to want the comfort of what they know, which is sequels, and movies based on things like comic books or video games. But all of these things were original at one point. I think it’s essential for us to develop new original stories, which are harder to publicize, harder to get people excited to go see them. But I think audiences deserve it. They want to find that surprise, along with the comfort of the expectation. We have our share of sequels in the works. We’re doing a sequel to “Inside Out,” so you get to go back inside the mind of Joy and Sadness. We have another “Toy Story,” so Woody and Buzz are back. And we have a few other projects, but it’s always a balance.
You mentioned “Toy Story” and “Inside Out,” would you like to revisit “Cars,” “Nemo” or even the “Incredibles” as potential sequels?
It’s all fair game. Our philosophy from the beginning has been the same, and it’s unchanged. The people have changed, but the approach is the same. We tap people that we believe in and that feel like they have talent and something to say. We ask them to talk about things that are important to them. If this is impactful and powerful to a person, they’re going to get on the screen, and it will resonate with audiences. We’re looking to tap these amazingly talented people I get to work with to talk about universal stories that are about life issues that we all face. Our movies on the surface are about fish, cars and monsters, but just below that, they’re really about all of us, and the challenge of dealing with loss, becoming a parent, to finding our place in the world. So, it’s the same philosophy that we’ve had from the beginning, just with different people in those directors’ seats.
How are you looking at getting audiences back to movie theaters?
It does seem like certain audience members are more likely to go back from what the research has shown. First of all, when you’re young, you feel like you’re immortal and danger is not for you. It does seem that audiences are going back. I think audiences with kids and families with kids are more reluctant. It’s not just health, it’s the cost. It’s not a cheap outing to go to the theater and buy popcorn. It’s a great time, but they really are very selective about what they’re going to go see. That’s where it is tougher to have original films because if you’re going to bet on something, you’re probably going to say, “I’ve seen that before. I know I like it and let’s go with the sequel.”
We do have a balance of those. But right now, with “Elemental,” it’s an original. What we’re trying to do is to lean on the spectacle, the scope, the scale and all those things that just make for a different and more impactful experience. Yes, you can see it on your small screen, and it’ll be cool there too. But there is something about being in the dark and seeing it on the big screen with the sound and music. The music by Thomas Newman is great. He knocked it out of the park. When you go to the theater, it’s this rich immersive experience, and you feel like you’re in the middle of the score. So, those would be the reasons I would think people would want to go see it in a theater.
Find the full Q&A below.
Pete Docter, Pixar’s creative chief officer, is hoping the animation studio’s 27th release, “Elemental,” will draw families to movie theaters this weekend. Peter Sohn’…
variety.com