In and Out

Pete Docter and Jennifer Lee Are Taking Over for Disney’s Ousted John Lasseter

When Lasseter finally exits Disney and Pixar for good, following accusations of sexual misconduct, it will be up to Docter and Lee to steer the studios he leaves behind.
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Left, by Kelly Sullivan/Getty Images; Right, by Steven Ferdman/Patrick McMullan/Getty Images.

Pixar Animation Studios director Pete Docter and Walt Disney Animation Studios director Jennifer Lee are set to take on key new leadership roles as chief creative officers at their respective studios, the Walt Disney Company announced Tuesday.

The duo will replace John Lasseter, who is leaving the company amid allegations of unwanted touching. Docter, the director of Inside Out and Up, and Lee, the director of Frozen and screenwriter of A Wrinkle in Time, represent a new generation running the two most creatively and commercially vital animations studios in the world.

Docter, 49, started at Pixar in 1990, the day after he graduated from the California Institute of the Arts. In a company full of sharp elbows and big egos, the animator distinguished himself as an introvert adept at bringing a level of emotional depth to his films. The managerial responsibilities that came with directing crews of 200 to 300 people were something that Docter took on with some reluctance, and once described as “something I’ve never even wanted.”

Lee, 46, who had been one of the writers on Disney’s 2012 video-game movie Wreck-It Ralph, joined director Chris Buck on Frozen in 2012, and was the person who introduced the sister story line that became a crucial part of that film’s success. In a company with a difficult legacy in its treatment of female storytellers, Lee became an advocate for humanizing female characters—she is the person to thank, for instance, for the fact that Anna in Frozen has gas.

Disney’s announcement follows a seven-month period of disruption at the studios, ever since Lasseter left on a sabbatical last November, sending a memo to employees apologizing for “missteps.” Lasseter has not announced his plans, but said only that he will be pursuing “new creative challenges.”