Pete Docter

Directing

Pete Docter

Born 1968-10-09 · Bloomington, Minnesota, USA

Peter Hans Docter (born October 9, 1968) is an American filmmaker and animator who has served as Pixar's chief creative officer (CCO)  since 2018. He has directed the company's animated films Monsters, Inc. (2001), Up (2009), Inside Out (2015), and Soul (2020). From his nine Academy Award nominations, he is a record-three-time recipient of Best Animated Feature for Up, Inside Out and Soul. Docter has also won six Annie Awards from nine nominations, a BAFTA Children's Film Award and a Hochi Film Award. He describes himself as a "geeky kid from Minnesota who likes to draw cartoons". Description above from the Wikipedia article Pete Docter, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Acting credits

WALL·E poster
8.1

After hundreds of years doing what he was built for, WALL•E— a robot designed to clean up the earth—discovers a new purpose in life when he meets a sleek search robot named EVE. EVE comes to realize that WALL•E has inadvertently stumbled upon the key to the planet's future, and races back to space to report to the humans. Meanwhile, WALL•E chases EVE across the galaxy and sets into motion one of the most imaginative adventures ever brought to the big screen.

WALL·E

2008

Monsters, Inc. poster
7.9

Lovable Sulley and his wisecracking sidekick Mike Wazowski are the top scare team at Monsters, Inc., the scream-processing factory in Monstropolis. When a little girl named Boo wanders into their world, it's the monsters who are scared silly, and it's up to Sulley and Mike to keep her out of sight and get her back home.

Monsters, Inc.

2001

Inside Out 2 poster
7.5

Teenager Riley's mind headquarters is undergoing a sudden demolition to make room for something entirely unexpected: new Emotions! Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear and Disgust, who’ve long been running a successful operation by all accounts, aren’t sure how to feel when Anxiety shows up. And it looks like she’s not alone.

Inside Out 2

2024

Up poster
8.0

Carl Fredricksen spent his entire life dreaming of exploring the globe and experiencing life to its fullest. But at age 78, life seems to have passed him by, until a twist of fate (and a persistent 8-year old Wilderness Explorer named Russell) gives him a new lease on life.

Up

2009

Inside Out poster
7.9

When 11-year-old Riley moves to a new city, her Emotions team up to help her through the transition. Joy, Fear, Anger, Disgust and Sadness work together, but when Joy and Sadness get lost, they must journey through unfamiliar places to get back home.

Inside Out

2015

The Incredibles poster
7.7

Bob Parr has given up his superhero days to log in time as an insurance adjuster and raise his three children with his formerly heroic wife in suburbia. But when he receives a mysterious assignment, it's time to get back into costume.

The Incredibles

2004

Riley's First Date? poster
7.2

Riley, now 12, who is hanging out with her parents at home when potential trouble comes knocking. Mom's and Dad's Emotions find themselves forced to deal with Riley going on her first "date."

Riley's First Date?

2015

Disney Worldbuilders poster
NR

We sit down with some of the key figures shaping Disney’s most enduring stories for a series of intimate conversations about their early years, first sparks, and formative Disney memories — and how the worlds they once dreamed up are now taking shape at Disney destinations around the globe.

Disney Worldbuilders

2026

The Pixar Story poster
7.5

A look at the first years of Pixar Animation Studios - from the success of "Toy Story" and Pixar's promotion of talented people, to the building of its East Bay campus, the company's relationship with Disney, and its remarkable initial string of eight hits. The contributions of John Lasseter, Ed Catmull and Steve Jobs are profiled. The decline of two-dimensional animation is chronicled as three-dimensional animation rises. Hard work and creativity seem to share the screen in equal proportions.

The Pixar Story

2007

Meet the Pickles: The Making of "Win or Lose" poster
6.4

Discover how Pixar brought its first long-form original series to life. This behind-the-scenes documentary introduces the scrappy filmmaking team that drew from personal experiences to create this ambitious and stylistically unique series that follows a middle-school softball team, the Pickles, in the week leading up to the big championship game.

Meet the Pickles: The Making of "Win or Lose"

2025

Beyond Infinity: Buzz and the Journey to Lightyear poster
7.0

Explore the evolution of Buzz Lightyear from toy to human in the making of Pixar’s Lightyear. Dive into the origin and cultural impact of everyone’s favorite Space Ranger, the art of designing a new “human Buzz,” and the challenges faced by the Lightyear crew along the way.

Beyond Infinity: Buzz and the Journey to Lightyear

2022

Waking Sleeping Beauty poster
7.2

By the mid-1980s, the fabled animation studios of Walt Disney had fallen on hard times. The artists were polarized between newcomers hungry to innovate and old timers not yet ready to relinquish control. These conditions produced a series of box-office flops and pessimistic forecasts: maybe the best days of animation were over. Maybe the public didn't care. Only a miracle or a magic spell could produce a happy ending. Waking Sleeping Beauty is no fairy tale. It's the true story of how Disney regained its magic with a staggering output of hits - "Little Mermaid," "Beauty and the Beast ," "Aladdin," "The Lion King," and more - over a 10-year period.

Waking Sleeping Beauty

2009

The Making of Toy Story poster
6.3

Documentary of the making of the groundbreaking Disney/Pixar animated hit movie.

The Making of Toy Story

1995

Toy Story: 30 Years and Beyond - A Special Edition of 20/20 poster
NR

Exploring the 40-year legacy of Pixar through the lens of its innovative and wildly successful franchise "Toy Story"; Pixar Animation Studios in Emeryville, Calif.; interviews with original cast members.

Toy Story: 30 Years and Beyond - A Special Edition of 20/20

2026

Animation Outlaws poster
6.3

Walt Disney said “We have created characters and animated them in the dimension of depth, revealing through them to our perturbed world that the things we have in common far outnumber and outweigh those that divide us.” Outside of Walt himself there are few people who have brought together and united more animators in the history of the genre than Craig "Spike" Decker and Mike Gribble, known to all as Spike & Mike. They created an animation festival that helped launch the careers of John Lasseter, Peter Lord, Will Vinton, Bill Plympton and Mike Judge to name just a few. Their Spike & Mike festival had an enormous impact on animation that was felt the world over. The festival was known as much for the breakthrough animation it presented as the outrageous antics of the founders.

Animation Outlaws

2019

Director by Night poster
6.4

Acclaimed composer Michael Giacchino made his directorial debut with Marvel Studios' Special Presentation "Werewolf by Night." This behind-the-scenes special explores Giacchino's vision, style and approach to bringing the chilling story to life, as well as offering an insider's look at the between-the-scenes making of "Werewolf by Night."

Director by Night

2022

The Story Behind 'Toy Story' poster
7.5

The documentary short of Toy Story of why and how the feature length blockbuster sleeper movie became a success and helps to boost Pixar's popularity of making one of the few animation movie production companies in the world today, especially in North America.

The Story Behind 'Toy Story'

1996

The Happiest Story on Earth: 70 Years of Disneyland poster
NR

Commemorate seven decades of the magic, joy and innovation of one of the most beloved theme parks in the world.

The Happiest Story on Earth: 70 Years of Disneyland

2025

Toy Story at 20: To Infinity and Beyond poster
7.1

Retrospective looking at the revolutionary computer-animated feature film Toy Story.

Toy Story at 20: To Infinity and Beyond

2015

Pixar 2021 Disney+ Day Special poster
5.1

Join Pete Docter for a tour around Pixar and get a sneak peek at several upcoming Disney+ releases.

Pixar 2021 Disney+ Day Special

2021

Fog City Mavericks poster
8.5

Fog City Mavericks: The Filmmakers of San Francisco is a compelling exploration of the legendary filmmakers who call the San Francisco Bay Area home including George Lucas, Francis Ford Coppola, Clint Eastwood, Chris Columbus and producer Saul Zaentz. The special weaves interviews, commentaries and unforgettable moments from some of the most visionary movies ever created such as American Graffiti, the Star Wars film series, the Indiana Jones film series, The Godfather trilogy, Apocalypse Now, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Amadeus, Toy Story, The Incredibles, Lost in Translation, Flags of Our Fathers and many others. It also features interviews with those who have worked with Bay Area mavericks: Steven Spielberg, Michael Douglas, Anthony Minghella, Milos Forman and Frank Darabont.

Fog City Mavericks

2007

Mr. Incredible and Pals poster
5.9

An animated short film produced by Pixar included as a bonus on the DVD edition of the 2004 feature film "The Incredibles."

Mr. Incredible and Pals

2005

The Most Magical Story on Earth: 50 Years of Walt Disney World poster
7.7

A historical journey spanning half a century and beyond at Walt Disney World, featuring spectacular visuals, musical performances, and interviews.

The Most Magical Story on Earth: 50 Years of Walt Disney World

2021

Adventure Thru the Walt Disney Archives poster
7.3

Explore the rich history of the Walt Disney Archives as legendary producer and host Don Hahn tours rarely seen areas of the department’s vast collections along with beloved Disney locations — including theme parks and the studio lot — through an engaging, historical lens.

Adventure Thru the Walt Disney Archives

2020

Behind the camera

Monsters, Inc. poster
7.9

Lovable Sulley and his wisecracking sidekick Mike Wazowski are the top scare team at Monsters, Inc., the scream-processing factory in Monstropolis. When a little girl named Boo wanders into their world, it's the monsters who are scared silly, and it's up to Sulley and Mike to keep her out of sight and get her back home.

Monsters, Inc.

2001

Up poster
8.0

Carl Fredricksen spent his entire life dreaming of exploring the globe and experiencing life to its fullest. But at age 78, life seems to have passed him by, until a twist of fate (and a persistent 8-year old Wilderness Explorer named Russell) gives him a new lease on life.

Up

2009

Up poster
8.0

Carl Fredricksen spent his entire life dreaming of exploring the globe and experiencing life to its fullest. But at age 78, life seems to have passed him by, until a twist of fate (and a persistent 8-year old Wilderness Explorer named Russell) gives him a new lease on life.

Up

2009

Inside Out poster
7.9

When 11-year-old Riley moves to a new city, her Emotions team up to help her through the transition. Joy, Fear, Anger, Disgust and Sadness work together, but when Joy and Sadness get lost, they must journey through unfamiliar places to get back home.

Inside Out

2015

Inside Out poster
7.9

When 11-year-old Riley moves to a new city, her Emotions team up to help her through the transition. Joy, Fear, Anger, Disgust and Sadness work together, but when Joy and Sadness get lost, they must journey through unfamiliar places to get back home.

Inside Out

2015

Soul poster
8.1

Joe Gardner is a middle school teacher with a love for jazz music. After a successful audition at the Half Note Club, he suddenly gets into an accident that separates his soul from his body and is transported to the You Seminar, a center in which souls develop and gain passions before being transported to a newborn child. Joe must enlist help from the other souls-in-training, like 22, a soul who has spent eons in the You Seminar, in order to get back to Earth.

Soul

2020

Soul poster
8.1

Joe Gardner is a middle school teacher with a love for jazz music. After a successful audition at the Half Note Club, he suddenly gets into an accident that separates his soul from his body and is transported to the You Seminar, a center in which souls develop and gain passions before being transported to a newborn child. Joe must enlist help from the other souls-in-training, like 22, a soul who has spent eons in the You Seminar, in order to get back to Earth.

Soul

2020

Mike's New Car poster
6.9

Mike discovers that being the top-ranking laugh collector at Monsters, Inc. has its benefits – in particular, earning enough money to buy a six-wheel-drive car that's loaded with gadgets. That new-car smell doesn't last long enough, however, as Sulley jump-starts an ill-fated road test that teaches Mike the true meaning of buyer's remorse.

Mike's New Car

2002

Mike's New Car poster
6.9

Mike discovers that being the top-ranking laugh collector at Monsters, Inc. has its benefits – in particular, earning enough money to buy a six-wheel-drive car that's loaded with gadgets. That new-car smell doesn't last long enough, however, as Sulley jump-starts an ill-fated road test that teaches Mike the true meaning of buyer's remorse.

Mike's New Car

2002

Pixar 2021 Disney+ Day Special poster
5.1

Join Pete Docter for a tour around Pixar and get a sneak peek at several upcoming Disney+ releases.

Pixar 2021 Disney+ Day Special

2021

Palm Springs poster
6.0

This short is about a purple dinosaur named Sigmund, who likes to bounce on top of trees. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2011.

Palm Springs

1989

Next Door poster
6.5

An old square-headed man tries to watch TV while a little girl makes a playful ruckus outside. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2006.

Next Door

1990

Winter poster
6.3

This delightful story is simply about a boy wanting to go outside and play in the snow. After getting all bundled up by his mother, the boy has found that he is unable to move! Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2011.

Winter

1988

Winter poster
6.3

This delightful story is simply about a boy wanting to go outside and play in the snow. After getting all bundled up by his mother, the boy has found that he is unable to move! Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2011.

Winter

1988

Winter poster
6.3

This delightful story is simply about a boy wanting to go outside and play in the snow. After getting all bundled up by his mother, the boy has found that he is unable to move! Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2011.

Winter

1988