Preview: “Inside Pixar” Documentary Series on Disney+

This Friday, November 13th,  a new documentary series entitled Inside Pixar starts streaming on Disney+.   The series shares an inside look into the people, artistry and culture of Pixar Animation Studios through a collection of personal and cinematic stories.  The first collection is titled Inspired and features five people.  Here are the initial group:

• Inspired: Kemp Powers, Writing Something Real (10:09)
  Authenticity is essential to creating a film that is believable and relatable. Co-Director Kemp Powers discusses the real-life experiences that led him to propose a simple, yet pivotal scene in Soul.Kemp Powers
• Inspired: Deanna Marsigliese, The Art of the Pivot (10:47)
  Inspiration isn’t instant. Coming up with unique and creative characters takes time and effort. Character Designer Deanna Marsigliese takes us through the process of character creation and the artistic detours that often come with it.

  

• Inspired: Steven Hunter, For That Kid (9:00)
  Growing up in a small town in Canada, Steven Hunter never felt like he saw himself represented in cartoons and comic books. After getting the opportunity to direct a Pixar SparkShort, Steven was inspired by his own life to create ‘Out,’ a unique and vulnerable story he wished he saw in his youth.
• Inspired: Jessica Heidt, Who Gets All the Lines? (11:00)
  Script Supervisor Jessica Heidt manages endless lines of dialogue. Through her script access, she detected a disparity in male to female roles, motivating her to create a program to improve gender balance throughout Pixar’s films and the greater film industry.
• Inspired: Dan Scanlon, Where Ideas Come From (9:00)
  Inspiration can be hard to come by. Sometimes it takes years to find, while other times it’s been right under your nose. Director Dan Scanlon takes us on a personal journey of inspiration that led to his film, Onward.

  

I was given the opportunity to preview two of the pieces, Kemp Powers and Deanna Marsgliese.   The format reminded me of the One Day at Disney shorts. They seemed a little more in depth than that series but the same type of piece with the focus on the person and them explaining some of their job and how their personal experiences and background are harnessed for their jobs.  I found the pieces interesting and the length felt about right given the format.   I am looking forward to seeing the rest of the series, but so far I would have preferred the format of the series to be more like the Frozen 2 or Imagineering documentary.

Related Link:

• Inside Pixar – Official Trailer