There's that bubble of childhood that makes you innocently do anything. Then, when you get older, that pops, and you're aware of limitations and judgment and social pressures and things like that.
Pete DocterRead
It's really, always, the story and the characters that come first, and the other things are kind of dealt with in time or, in fact, driven by the story.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The essence of storytelling lies in the narrative and its characters rather than technical details.
Pete Docter emphasizes that in the realm of storytelling, the core components are the story and the characters. These elements take precedence, while other aspects can be addressed as the narrative unfolds, highlighting the importance of a strong narrative foundation in any creative endeavor.
Themes
StorytellingCharactersNarrativeCreativeArt
In practice
Example use cases
A filmmaker might use this quote to emphasize the importance of character development in a script workshop.
More from Pete Docter
All quotes βI wanted to make sure that 'Up' wasn't a 3D movie about a man who sails his house to South America. It's a movie about an old man who sails his house to South America that also happens to be in 3D. So the first thing is always the story.
Pete DocterRead
With sadness specifically, in America you read about people medicating to avoid sadness. They don't want to experience sadness, and yet it's such a vital part of being human.
Pete DocterRead
It's like you run into this dark tunnel, trusting that somewhere there's another end to it where you're going to come out. And there's a point in the middle where it's just dark. There's no light from where you came in and there's no light at the other end; all you can do is keep running. And then you start to see a little light, and a little more light, and then, bam! You're out in the sun.
Pete DocterRead
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