Cody Englander
Staff Writer
Pete Docter, Kelsey Mann and Anger — oops, Lewis Black — will discuss the intersection of humor and heartfelt at 10:45 a.m. today in the Amphitheater. The trio will begin Week Two’s Chautauqua Lecture Series “Comedy Now: A Week Curated with Lewis Black.” The lecture, like the rest of the week, is curated in partnership with the National Comedy Center.
Black is a comedian who has been a regular guest at Chautauqua Institution since 2017, first performing stand-up comedy in the Amp in 2021. He voices Anger in both “Inside Out” and “Inside Out 2,” calling the Pixar role “career defining.” Black will also be featured on Tuesday’s 10:45 a.m. morning lecture “Behind the Scenes at ‘The Daily Show.’ ” He will then perform a standup routine at 8:15 p.m. Wednesday titled, “Lewis Black’s The Rant Is Due: Chautauqua,” and he will present a playreading of Lewis Black’s The Deal at 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Thursday in Bratton Theater.
Docter, Pixar’s chief cretive officer, has been working for the company since 1995’s “Toy Story” as an original writer. Docter won Best Animated Feature as a director on “Up,” “Inside Out” and “Soul.”
Mann has worked for Pixar since 2009. His feature film directorial debut “Inside Out 2” was released last year. It currently stands as the highest-grossing animated movie of all time and was nominated for Best Animated Feature at the 97th Academy Awards.
While he had not directed the first “Inside Out,” Mann found little struggle following up the 2015 animated blockbuster.
“I looked at it like I was directing ‘Empire Strikes Back,’ and Pete Docter was the George Lucas of the ‘Inside Out’ world,” Mann said, so he felt freedom in creating the second movie.
“Pete didn’t tell me ‘This is what I want “Inside Out 2” to be,’ ” Mann said. “He let me bring myself to the project and let me say what I wanted to say.”
Mann began his career in advertising, but his love for storytelling came early.
“I was always drawing in the margins of my notebooks when I was taking notes in school. I think what drew me to animation was a combination of my love of drawing and my love of film and storytelling,” said Mann. “Jim Henson, Steven Speilberg and George Lucas, I loved all the stories they would tell.”
He notes the Muppets as a large influence on his balance of zaniness and heart, something he wanted to bring to “Inside Out 2.” According to a behind-the-scenes clip, Mann said the characters of Anxiety and Shame were originally a pair, but they eventually decided to only feature Anxiety.
“It was too dark of a film. It really wasn’t enjoyable to watch. Sometimes the balance can tip too fast into the heaviness of it,” Mann said. “It’s really our editorial process in the story process that helps to find that balance.”
Docter also notes the Muppets as an inspiration.
“I loved Jim Henson and Frank Oz,” said Docter. “I think the thing that all those had in common, all the stuff I really responded to, was character based.”
According to Docter, one of the most important parts of directing is finding areas of deficiency and bringing in people to balance that.
“It’s a real temptation as a filmmaker to go for jokes. But in the long run, it’s more important to create characters that they believe in,” said Docter. “The difference being sympathy is like ‘Oh this person scraped their knee, I feel bad for them’ versus empathy, which is ‘I have experienced that firsthand.’ As opposed to feeling bad for them, we’re feeling with them.”
When he creates characters, finding this balance is crucial. According to Docter, most characters are designed, fitted with a personality, then eventually cast. When casting, the creative team listens to voices that would best fit the characters.
“With some people, when they yell and get mad, it’s scary. With Lewis Black, for whichever weird magic reason, he yells, and it’s funny,” Docter said. “When I was pitching the concept of emotions as characters, I would literally say, ‘Imagine Lewis Black as Anger,’ and they would get it.”
As Black, Docter, and Mann arrive on the grounds, this will be Mann’s first return to Chautauqua since he was a kid.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve been out there,” he said. “I’m really excited to be surrounded with a lot of other like-minded people who are very creative and very curious.”
