Christian filmmaker chosen to head Disney’s Pixar

Christian filmmaker and animator Pete Docter is now the new Creative Officer of Pixar Animation.

Pete Docter will fill the role left by John Lasseter, who left the company over misconduct allegations.

Docter has been with Pixar for years, and began as one of the writers and animators on Toy Story. He has also written and directed films like “Monsters, Inc.”, “Inside Out”, and “Up”.

“I am excited and humbled to be asked to take on this role,” Docter said in a statement. “It is not something I take lightly; making films at Pixar has been my chronic obsession since I started here 28 years ago. I am fortunate to work alongside some of the most talented people on the planet, and together we will keep pushing animation in new directions, using the latest technology to tell stories we hope will surprise and delight audiences around the world.”

Docter has spoken openly about his faith and how it impacts his work as a creator.

“Years ago, when I first spoke at church, I was kind of nervous about talking about Christianity and my work,” he said in an interview with Radix Magazine. “It didn’t really connect. But more and more it seems to be connecting for me. I ask for God’s help, and it’s definitely affected what I’m doing. It’s helped me to calm down and focus. There were times when I got too stressed out with what I was doing, and now I just step back and say, ‘God, help me through this.’ It really helps you keep a perspective on things, not only in work, but in relationships.”

While Docter deeply values his faith, he says he would not make an explicitly Christian movie.

“To me art is about expressing something that can’t be said in literal terms,” He said. “You can say it in words, but it’s always just beyond the reach of actual words, and you’re doing whatever you can to communicate a sense of something that is beyond you”.