You could argue that Pete Docter has the best track record of any Pixar director: His two previous films for the celebrated animation studio were “Monsters Inc.” and “Up,” both of which drew near-unanimous critical raves, grossed on the high side of $500 million worldwide and sit in the Top 10 on the list of the top-grossing animated films ever.
His third Pixar film, “Inside Out,” premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and has won enough raves to become the immediate frontrunner to take the Oscar for Best Animated Feature, which “Up” also won. (“Monsters” lost to “Shrek” in the category’s first year of existence.)