Disney’s campaign of transforming its classic animated features into live-action films, which has been in earnest for almost a decade, is something the media giant has been steadfastly executing. This push to reimagine vibrant animation into greyish CGI iterations has sprawled across a vast portion of Disney’s cartoon legacy, which has lasted nearly 100 years. Pixar, however, has remained untouched by this trend, and Pixar’s Chief Creative Officer, Pete Docter, has recently suggested a reason: these live-action revamps are commonly perceived as somewhat uninspired, or worse, suggestively hollow from a creative standpoint.
This insight comes from a recent interview with Pete Docter, who is promoting Pixar’s newest film, Inside Out 2, a follow-up to his 2015 success. When posed with a light-hearted query regarding Champions actor Josh O’Connor, who has expressed his enthusiasm for Pixar’s Ratatouille and his interest in a live-action depiction, Time inquired whether Pixar has contemplated pursuing the live-action remake path. Docter dismisses the idea without hesitation, stating, “No, and this might bite me in the butt for saying it, but it sortasset bothers me. I enjoy creating films that are innovative and stand on their own. To reproduce them is not particularly captivating to me personally.”
Docter is not staking a position on absolute originality—he is, after all, discussing a sequel, which has become a staple for Pixar. He concedes that balancing the studio’s film slate with sequels is part of their strategic approach. Docter acknowledges, “It’s hard. People ask, ‘Why not more original content?’ When we provide that, it often goes unseen because it’s unfamiliar. Sequels carry recognition—people say, ‘I remember that, and I liked it.’ This makes sequels especially valuable.” Yet, even as someone who has accepted the sequel strategy, Docter apparently draws the line at the thought of transforming Toy Story, Monsters Inc., or heaven forbid, Cars, into live-action movies.
Additionally, Docter voiced his criticism of Lightyear. Considering the film’s lukewarm reception—he contends, “We overvalued the audience’s level of interest in the backstory—believing they would be fascinated by a film that inspired a toy in the Toy Story films. That is probably too many layers of abstraction.” Docter also suggests that the movie suffered because it was dull and failed to deliver effective humor.
### FAQ Section:
**Q: Has Pixar considered making live-action remakes of their animated films?**
A: According to Pete Docter, Pixar’s Chief Creative Officer, Pixar has not taken this route and he personally finds the idea uninteresting and unoriginal.
**Q: What was the main criticism Pete Docter had about live-action remakes?**
A: Docter suggested that live-action remakes lack originality and are not creatively compelling to him.
**Q: Why does Pixar focus on making sequels?**
A: Sequels are a strategic choice for Pixar as they are more recognizable to audiences and tend to draw more viewers due to their familiarity.
**Q: What is Pete Docter promoting currently?**
A: Pete Docter is promoting “Inside Out 2”, a sequel to the 2015 Pixar hit.
**Q: Did Pete Docter comment on the film “Lightyear”?**
A: Yes, Docter admitted that they might have overestimated the audience’s interest in the backstory of Buzz Lightyear and recognized that the film was not as engaging as they had hoped.