No compensation was received for this post. No compensation was received for this post. I was invited on a press trip to cover the film’s release and travel was provided.
You’ll likely recognize him as the adorable, huggable Squishy in Pixar’s latest animated film, Monsters University. But Peter Sohn, who voices Scott “Squishy” Squibbles, is so much more than the naive but sincere MU Sophomore who lives with his mother and aspires to get into the Scare School. During my visit to Pixar Animation Studios in Emeryville, we had an opportunity to speak with Sohn, who’s impressive resume includes animator, voice actor, storyboard artist, and director. Sohn’s career at Pixar began in the art and story departments where he worked on Finding Nemo. From there, he went on to work on The Incredibles, Ratatouille (as the voice of Emile), and WALL-E (to name a few).
Sohn’s love and passion for film began as a child when he would translate American movies for his mother, who only spoke Korean. “What affected me most was [that] the movies I didn’t have to translate very much were the ones that were told visually very well” (Sohn). Many of those films were produced by Disney and what struck him was the fact that great directors can tell stories visually without the audience needing to understand what the characters were saying. It was around the age of 15 or 16 that Sohn realized that he wanted to pursue animation.
Sohn has been with Pixar for 11 years, and his passion for the studio was evident as he talked about what it is like to work with insanely creative people. “I love this…in animation, it’s about trying to make something real and alive. Working here at Pixar is a kind of give and take and when in such family, you want to do whatever you can for each other” (Sohn). Sohn is currently directing The Good Dinosaur, slated for release in 2014.
If you’ve seen the film, then you know that Squishy’s character is somewhat nerdy and awkward, yet he has a sincerity about him that is compelling. When asked what specifically Sohn liked about his character, he recalls a scene where Squishy grabs a couple of couch cushions to build a fort after Mike and Sully announce that they want to throw a party. “I totally connect with that type of guy because that is how I grew up with my cousins” (Sohn).
Voice actors typically spend quite a bit of time and energy getting “into” their character, and frequently we’ll see traits from the actor in the character or vice versa. So when asked whether Sohn inspired the character, he stated that it was more of a back and forth and Squishy evolved into the character he is. The filmmakers also saw a quality in Sohn where he could meld into different types of personalities and in Sohn, they wanted “that kind of nerdy, sincere quality” we see in Squishy.
Squishy is so much more than “the chubby guy with the hat and a bunch of eyes.” See if he makes the grade in MU’s Scare School this week.
Images: Pixar Animation Studios
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What a wonderful inside peek into Monsters University ~ a movie my daughter is dying to see. Can’t wait to go “meet” Squishy and the gang. Thanks for the article, Caryn!
Thank you Katy! I can’t wait to hear what you all think of the film : )