In 2004 , he was asked by John Lasseter to direct the English translation of '' Howl 's Moving Castle '' . Docter made his directorial debut with '' Monsters , Inc. '' — the first Pixar movie not directed by Lasseter — , which occurred right after the birth of his first child , Nick . Docter has said that the abrupt move from a complete , single-minded devotion to his career to parenting drove him " upside down " and formed the inspiration for the storyline . Docter then directed the 2009 film '' Up '' , released on May 29 , 2009 . He based the protagonist of '' Up '' partially on himself , based on his frequent feelings of social awkwardness and his desire to get away from crowds to contemplate . Following the success of '' Up '' , Docter and fellow Pixar veterans John Lasseter , Andrew Stanton and Lee Unkrich as well as long-time collaborator and director Brad Bird were honored with the Golden Lion Honorary Award for Lifetime Achievement at the 66th Venice International Film Festival . Docter directed the 2015 film '' Inside Out '' to critical acclaim
66th Venice International Film Festival
66th Venice International Film Festival
Pete Docter