A patient cowers under the attentions of a monstrous dentist in Tim Burtons.
A violent punch-up is skilfully deconstructed in Kathryn Bigelows.
A man in a bathtub is strangled to death by an animated plug chain in David Cronenbergs.
The short films made by now-successful directors as students often seem to contain blueprints of their later work.
Its as if the very first ideas a director puts on film form a template for their career.
People really responded, remembers Docter, I think its because its based on some truth.
Mining his personal life for truths to use in film-making led to later success for Docter.
As soon as I got to Pixar, I would just stay there all day.
I just couldnt get enough.
And then we had a kid.
So Monsters [Inc.] started at about the same time the kid did.
Because I want to be in both places but I cant.
And that really became the story, the emotional backbone of Monsters.
Its that impossible struggle with no answer that I think makes for good stories.
Docters most recent film,Inside Out, was another autobiographical inspiration.
The idea that inside every grumpy adult is a fun-loving child recurs throughout Docters films.
And adults can be grumpy in his pictures.
BeforeUps Carl Frederickson, there wasPalm Springs Freud the caveman.
Youre not supposed to do that.
Adults stymie fun, is the Neverlandish message.
Okay, thats what I want to do.
The emotional response is provoked by a single intake of breath.
I had drawn him like growing up.
Theres something funny about it.
What can I say, Im a hack, I used the same thing over and over.
Its about using every possible opportunity to subtly plug the story being told.
Its also a matter of contrast.
Look at the tiny child inWinterand the much larger, abstracted mother.
Or the dinosaur in Palm Springs towering over the stumpy, squared-off caveman.
The scale difference seemed really interesting.
Thats what makes things read.
