Gallery Spotlight: Animating Worlds and Characters with Peter Sohn

In the world of animation, nothing is there by happenstance. Animators must bring even real-world elements, such as trees and clouds, into existence. This is also true for the characters who inhabit these environments. They move, behave, and emote, thanks to animators.

Join the Academy Museum in conversation with Academy Award–nominated director Peter Sohn (Elemental, 2023) as he discusses the process of creating a world never seen before and gives us a look inside to his memorable animated films.

• The conversation will take place in the museums Grand Lobby.

• Visitors are encouraged to visit the Inventing Worlds and Characters: Animation gallery on Level 3 before or after the conversation.

Peter Sohn joined Pixar Animation Studios in September 2000 and has worked on Academy Award® -winning feature films, including Finding Nemo (2003), The Incredibles (2004), and WALL-E (2008). Sohn made his directorial debut on... the Pixar short Partly Cloudy, before directing his first feature, The Good Dinosaur (2015). He was also an Executive Producer on Luca, which debuted on Disney+ in June 2021.

In his role as a Creative VP, Sohn is involved in key creative decision-making at the studio and consults on films in both development and production. Sohn has completed productions as a director on Pixar’s feature film Elemental, released on June 16, 2023.

In addition to his contributions as a filmmaker, Sohn has lent his voice talents to Pixar’s feature films. In Ratatouille (2007), he voiced the character of Emile, and in Monsters University (2013), he is the voice of Scott “Squishy” Squibbles. Audiences will also hear Sohn in Pixar’s feature film Lightyear (2022), where he voices Buzz’s loveable robotic feline sidekick, Sox.

Prior to Pixar, Sohn worked at Warner Bros. with Ratatouille director Brad Bird on The Iron Giant (1999), as well as at Disney TV. He grew up in New York and attended the California Institute of the Arts (Cal Arts). He currently lives in the Bay Area.

About Gallery Spotlights

During Gallery Spotlights, the Education and Public Engagement team invites visitors to explore Stories of Cinema, the Academy Museum’s ongoing core exhibition that presents the diverse, international, and complex stories of moviemakers and the works they create.

If you have any questions or need assistance planning your visit, please email museumeducation@oscars.org.