Riley entered the harsh adolescence. Her emotions have changed a lot since we met her as a child in Intensely (2015). Now you are dealing with other feelings, such as anxiety. Now, Inside Out 2 It shows us how we change through what happens in this young girl’s head.
But who was the inspiration for this story? The answer is simple: a little girl. Director Peter Docter told in an interview with Washington Post in 2015 that the growth process of his daughter Elie was what prompted him to write Intensely.
“My daughter was changing. She used to have a happy and silly spirit. But she started to be quieter and more reclusive,” Docter recalled at the time about the then 11-year-old girl. The changes were coming and Peter was also part of them.
Elie and his dad had a great relationship. She was even the one who voiced the character of little Ellie in Up: A high-altitude adventure (2009), which was also directed by Docter.
“Seeing my daughter made me a little sad. As a father, I played and was part of that ‘playing pretend’. And that was going away at 11 years old. “That was a big part of the movie,” the director told The Washington Post.
The little girl’s mood swings, worries about exams and life’s challenges were changing her. Meanwhile, Peter and his family tried to support her.
The director said that from the beginning he focused on making the film develop in the mind, not in the brain, and built a more abstract scenario to give fantasy to the production. He explained that taking advantage of the difficulties that children face when growing up was, at that time, something sad, beautiful and necessary.
When it premiered IntenselyElie was already 16 years old. She was a teenager taking on new changes in her life: slowly entering adulthood. When she saw the film, she only told her father that it was a good movie, Docter told the American newspaper.
Peter Docter, the mind of Pixar and Intensely
Peter Docter’s career in animation began while he was studying in California, but it was at the age of 21 that he was hired at Pixar. Before starting to work at the famous studio, he had published three short films: Next Door, Palm Springsand Winter.
When Peter Docter began writing ‘Inside Out’, his daughter Elie was just 11 years old. She was the inspiration for the character of Riley. (Archive)
He was a screenwriter for Toy Story and toy story 2His first job as a director was in Monsters Inc.then they arrived Up and Soulwhere he was also in charge of directing both productions.
Other major titles from his career with Disney and Pixar include Dug Days, Luke, Turning Red, Lightyear and Elementary.
For his work he has won two Oscars for best animated film. The first was in 2016 by Intensely and the second in 2021 by Soul.
The director is married to Amanda Docter and is the father of Elie and Nicholas.
Elie and his father, Pixar director Peter Docter, have a very strong relationship. (Instagram)
READ MORE: ‘Inside Out 2’: What does psychology say about the representation of anxiety?
