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Taken by my measly 2.5pm camera phone. Because my digicam went dead at the presscon.
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AUGUST 7, 2015, MANILA, PHILIPPINES-- With the widespread acclaim and praise for the latest, and by far the most unique and emotionally profound, Disney-Pixar animated feature Inside Out, it was indeed a privilege to have six-time Academy Award nominee, director, and writer Pete Docter, with his co-director and co-writer Ronnie del Carmen, visit Manila to talk about the film with the press at the Shangri-la Hotel Makati and grace the gala premiere later in the day at SM Aura.
Film bloggers! Am I the only female online movie reviewer present? Photo by Nazmel Tabares.
I was invited to the press conference at the Shangri-la Hotel, and it was grand to see in person the creative duo and hear them talk about their movie.
Promptly at 1 p.m, Pete, 46, and US-based Filipino Ronnie, 55, strutted across the stage with a small dance, glowing and excited to talk to the press. Ronnie, stocky and squared, shaped a little like the character Anger in the movie, was the more ebullient and talkative of the two, and provided a more detailed answer to the questions, punctuating all his answers with humor. Pete, the tall and lanky one, was the precise and composed one, straightforward yet warm and friendly. The two evidently share a high regard for one another, and one can see the bond and closeness of two creative geniuses who clearly work so well together.
The question-and-answer from the press was quick, smooth, dynamic, and funny, with the questions already pre-determined and approved by Disney days before the press conference.
The duo talked about the inspiration, creative process, and a few hilarious stories during the 5-year making of the film. Four questions stood out for me:
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Official photo from Disney PH.
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PERSONAL QUESTION
When Pete and Ronnie were asked which emotion dominates them, Pete said it was joy. Fear may be thriving more often than he would have preferred, but joy is still his dominant emotion. Meanwhile, the Caviteño Ronnie said sadness prevails in him most of the time. Well, it is not surprising, as sadness is usually a source of humor and creative inspiration.
TOO DARK AND TOO DEEP FOR KIDS?
When asked if the duo knew when to set boundaries in the story to prevent it from becoming too dark and too deep for youngsters to grasp, both confidently explained that Inside Out's theme on psychology was not really an issue when it comes to the younger audience, and that the perceived kids' limited capacity to understand psychology did not really limit their creative process. They knew perfectly well that Inside Out can be appreciated by all ages. And that kids nowadays are smarter than what we give them credit for.
PIXAR UNIVERSE
Someone from the press proposed a theory that Pixar characters live in one universe and asked if there will come a time when all the characters will be featured together in one movie. To this, Pete and Ronnie gave a clear No.
"This is gonna be a controversial answer. I don't know. For me, that kind of breaks my brain, to think that they – I think of them as very different universes and that they don't cross over. You know, I don't think of The Incredibles being able to walk down the street and bump into Carl Fredricksen,"
"We don't believe that they are, especially when we make them, we don't think that they do, except we have these easter eggs that translate over all these movies so it's contradictory when we say that, too," said Ronnie.
"But if you wanna imagine that they're connected, I don't wanna stop you," concluded Pete.
HOW TO MAKE YOUR DREAM COME TRUE
Filipinos understandably admire Ronnie's success and his cool, prestigious job in Pixar. When asked for tips for young dreamers, aspiring Pixar animators and creative people, Ronnie provided a cogent advice for whatever your dream is: Do what you love, what you are passionate about, whether you are paid for it or not. And then show it to people. And always ask for feedback. Do not be afraid of making mistakes. Striving to be perfect might immobilize you into inaction. If you fear that your work won't be as good as you think it should and so you don't do anything, years will go by and you will realize that you haven't produced anything. Never stop doing what you love.
"Do something, finish it, show it to people, get feedback; you will get to all of your dreams eventually," Ronnie concluded, and the audience burst into an appreciative applause.
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So cool! If only I also had a photo taken with them! Again, I took this with my camera phone.
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Disney-Pixar's Inside Out, which I had the privilege to watch last August 1 in an exclusive private press screening, is a deeply emotional film that will strike a chord in you, whatever your age is. It will tap into your psyche, trigger into surface your own personal experiences, and will absolutely make you cry. I shed tears, quite a few times.
Inside Out, after its initial release on June 19, 2015, grossed over $90.4 million in its first weekend —the highest opening for an original title, kicking Avatar as the previous record holder, will open in Philippine cinemas on August 19, 2015.
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