Susan Wloszczyna Interviews Pete Docter about “Inside Out”

My friend Susan Wloszczyna interviewed “Inside Out’s” co-writer/director Pete Docter for IndieWire. The film takes place primarily inside the mind and emotions of an 11-year-old girl who has just moved to a new home and a new city with her parents. Docter acknowledged that Pixar has been slow to give girls and women lead roles in their films, in part because they reflected the perspective and experience of the men who worked there. But this film was inspired by Docter’s own daughter (who previously provided the voice for young Ellie in “Up”). He added,

We contemplated why a girl? The reason is that research has found that no one is more socially attuned and keyed in on expressions and little interactions than a girl aged 11 to 17. I see this in my daughter. She will come home from school and say, “Oh, my best friend doesn’t like me anymore.” How did she know that? Maybe from a certain look. On the other hand, no one is less socially attuned than an 11-to- 17-year-old boy. Walk around girls that age, and they are dressing like women, while boys are 3 feet of awkwardness.