Meet Director Pete Docter & Producer Jonas Rivera: The Minds Behind INSIDE OUT ~ #InsideOutBloggers

I received the following information as a blogger via Walt Disney Publications. While I attended an expense paid trip by Disney to the press events for The Good Dinosaur, Inside Out, and Miles From Tomorrowland, all opinions are 100% my own.Earlier this month I posted about the upcoming home entertainment release of Disney•Pixar’s INSIDE OUT! Today I have a special treat for you by continuing my coverage of my time out in San Francisco. I’m so excited that INSIDE OUT is available for home entertainment on on Digital HD and Disney Movies Anywhere right now and will be available on Blu-ray Combo Pack on November 3rd!

While in San Francsico, we had the opportunity to meet with and interview Director Pete Docter, and Producer Jonas Rivera. Both played such important roles in the creation of INSIDE OUT, that it was really cool to chat with the minds behind the film.

So the first question on our minds… will there be sequel???? Jonas mentioned that him and Pete had spent the last five years of their lives working on INSIDE OUT, a film they are very proud of, especially in reference to the characters and world they created. However at this point, they are leaning towards working together to come up with a film that is totally new. Now they aren’t saying there will never be a sequel. Just at this time, they are looking to bring something totally different to the big screen.

So what are their next projects? Well of course you know Pixar is releasing THE GOOD DINOSAUR this November on Thanksgiving! Jonas says that they are right now finishing up the mixing. Pete noted to us that after THE GOOD DINOSAUR, comes FINDING DORY! Yes all you FINDING NEMO fans… Dory is getting on her film!

Now one popular question that popped on Twitter from the fans is to find out which characters the talent and crew from the film most resonate with. Pete said that it really depends on the day! However he likes to think that most of the time he is like Joy (and one in awhile Anger.) Jonas also feels connected with Joy since he think he has one of the greatest job in the world. He loves working at Pixar with such positive people. “Joy is someone that is always positive but she’s always looking backwards a little bit. She’s very much into her memories and I guess she’s a nostalgist. I’m a little bit that way, too.“So what do they think of the success of the film? Jones commented that “We always believed in it (the film) and I always loved it and thought it would be really fun. But I never dreamed it would be received so warmly everywhere. We’ve been around the world and we just got back from China and people like it there and its just been awesome!” Pete noted that everyone has emotions, “even remote tribes that have no outside contact in Papa New Guinea, have the same emotions”, so he really wanted to latch onto a universal idea. This type of film could apply to everyone!

Much of the film takes place inside of the brain. I loved hearing Jonas and Pete discuss how they came up with that concept!

PETE: Well, the first concept that I had just in the very first pitch was like a control room. I thought of it a little bit like a spaceship which we ultimately tried to move away from, because you didn’t want to do something that people have seen before…

JONAS: It was fun thinking about the geography of the mind. We’re big fans of Disneyland.  Above the monitor there’s a 1959 framed map of Disneyland that I have in our war room. I couldn’t help but think it’s kind of like that, where there’s different regions in and there’s a train…During the interview, the question came up if they ever imagined that this movie would enable parents and children alike to be able to talk more freely about their emotions?

PETE: We work with a lot of different experts but two in particular that were very close, Paul Eckman and Dekard Keltner.  I think it was him that he brought that idea forward. We’ve had a couple of experiences, people talking about it, especially autism, kids with autism have really been able to use this film.When asked about Bing Bong, Pete noted that they created him with the essence and representation of childhood joy.

PETE: He’s just fun to write for because you never know what he’s going to do. He’s kind of off-the-wall. And of course Richard (Kind) plays that so brilliantly. I think he really embodies this sort of spirit of the film. So his actions, I’ll speak mysteriously in case anybody in here hasn’t seen it, … what he gets to do in the film really represent the theme of the film and that was very, very exciting.

JONAS: He was a real fun character. Obviously I mean, working with Richard… obviously you guys probably felt the same as we did when we first sat with him, like this is the perfect casting. There is no one to do it. I just thought of a character like our version of Tigger or something. Like it was really fun but then really poignant and rich.

PETE: Even that first read… So he came in, and he didn’t talk to about this, he didn’t read that part. We just cast him. So he says that he was a little nervous about that because he likes to make sure that the filmmakers and the actor are on the same page. So he came in and read through the whole scene. Even as the first couple of lines were coming out, Jonas and I are looking at each other like–This is perfect! Were there any characters that you really want it didn’t make the cut? Pete and Jonas actually had planned to create several friends for Bing Bong, including “Miss Scribbles. She would have been based on a drawing Riley did when she was three years old. They also planned to have a Sun character. An emotion they also considered adding to the group was Pride.

Both noted that creating the story of the film was the most challenging part of INSIDE OUT. They had a tough time with Joy since they didn’t want her to come off as too annoying. They praised Amy Poehler for her delivery of Joy in helping them keep her as a likable character. Amy provided Joy with enough self-doubting that helped her stay away from becoming an annoying 100% happy all the time character.

Now some of you INSIDE OUT fans may be wondering… do Pete and Jonas see the film fitting into a theme park? “Absolutely!” says Pete. Jonas could see the characters fitting well into Epcot at Disney World. They would feel absolutely honored to see INSIDE OUT in any Disney theme park.

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After the group interview, Pete and Jonas took a group photo with us bloggers. They were both super personable and it was a great interview.Don’t forget to connect with the film on Facebook and Twitter.

INSIDE OUT is available for home entertainment NOW on on Digital HD and Disney Movies Anywhere and will hit Blu-ray Combo Pack on November 3rd!

Want to see more of my adventures in San Francisco? Take a look at my Twitter (@AshBG) and Instagram (@ashb4211). Make sure you follow the hashtags #GoodDinoEvent, #InsideOutBloggers, #MilesEvent, and #Waltagram.

Do you plan to purchase INSIDE OUT for home entertainment? Who is your favorite character from the film?