MONSTERS, INC. will mark something of a departure for Pixar in that it will be the studio's first film not to be directed by John Lasseter, who is instead taking the less-demanding role of executive producer. Taking up the directing reigns will be Pete Docter, the talented co author and supervising animator on the first TOY STORY.
"With MONSTERS, INC., I've been there from the very beginning," explained Lasseter, "and I'm involved in all the different aspects of the film. But it's very important to me that Pete Docter is seen as the director, along with David Silverman and Lee Unkrich as his co-directors."
It was shortly after TOY STORY opened in 1995 that Pete Docter began envisioning ideas for the movie, which he always hoped he'd be able to direct. "I was thinking along the lines of how everyone could identify with TOY STORY," said Docter, "and how easy it was for people to imagine their toys coming to life. So I thought, What else is there like that, where you have a shared childhood experience? Well, when I was a kid, I thought of how I was always so sure there were monsters in my closet, or under my bed at night, and I just ran with that idea."
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