Is Pete Docter Taking Over Pixar?

More bombshell allegations against Pixar and Disney Animation Studios chief creative officer were revealed this afternoon in Vanity Fair, the third piece with original reporting on Lasseter following the articles in The Hollywood Reporter and Variety.

But the most fascinating paragraph in the piece was the one in which a current Pixar employee described the studio in chaos, with “employees…reeling from the news, trading gossip, and coming to the realization that the culture has been toxic for several years.”

That employee also told Vanity Fair that the big rumor circulating around the studio is that Pete Docter may replace John Lasseter as chief creative officer.

There’s no way to know how serious the discussions have been about replacing Lasseter with Docter, and if they’re talking about a permanent replacement or just during Lasseter’s “six-month sabbatical.” Either way, Docter is as strong a candidate as any person at the studio. He’s a 28-year-veteran of the company who has worked on Pixar’s features from day one, and he’s also the director of three of the studio’s most beloved films: Monsters Inc., Up, and Inside Out.

If there is such a thing as the “Pixar touch,” that ability to combine sweet emotion with comedic deftness, Docter’s films have it. While that doesn’t necessarily mean he can handle Lasseter’s role, he’s a contender well worth considering.

People who have more details, drop us a line. Anonymity guaranteed.