On May 21, director Pete Docter and producer Jonas Rivera, of the recently released Disney/Pixar film “Up!”, invited students and media to a question and answer session on UC’s Clifton campus. The event packed the room, even to the point of students having to sit on the stairs.After the men were introduced, the room echoed with silence as both the students and the filmmakers were unsure how to approach the session. Then Pete Docter stood up and gave his goodbyes to the audience, resulting in laughter and breaking the tension in the room.
Throughout the entire hour, hands were raised and questions were being asked at a rapid rate. The filmmakers showed a great sense of humor, talking about starting off as interns and office assistants in the early nineties and telling stories showcasing their love for the Disney legacy itself.
They continued to go on about their fun at the studio, their lifetime passes to Disneyland, and the nine previous Pixar films they’ve worked on. They even jumped into next year’s schedule, as they discussed the rerelease of the first two “Toy Story” films in 3D, which will be followed with the second sequel hitting theaters next summer.
Their dedication and love for these films was apparent in the stories they told about the hard work and creative processes they put into the films. Jonas Rivera even commented on the fact that director Pete Docter was still taking notes on the back of his ticket for things that needed to be worked on, even though the film had already been finished and ready for release. Stories such as these showed that these two were the real deal and were in the industry for the love of it.
One student asked exactly how to get in the field of animation, and Docter replied, “Do it! [You’ll have] 20,000 bad drawings before you get into the good stuff,” a teacher once told him. “Keep open to anything that comes along.”
The afternoon ended with great applause, as the filmmakers left the stage and gave the students more of an honest approach on what the life of film making is all about.
While the event was very informative, it was also great publicity for the film, as the two were very down to earth and made the film sound as though it wasn’t just another flick released for the almighty dollar. “Up!” was released on Friday May 29 and is in theaters now.