Pixar Chief Creative Officer Pete Docter admitted that Cranium Command inspired Inside Out during an interview in the Disney Worldbuilders documentary on Disney+.
Pete Docter just admitted what many of us suspected-- Inside Out was inspired by Cranium Command from EPCOT’s Wonders of Life pavilion.
Docter explained that he had an internship at Disney Animation in 1989, doing some “exploratory first scenes of Buzzy,” which was the cartoon short before the attraction Cranium Command.
“Of course, the whole thing takes place in the brain of this kid. Years later, when I came up with the idea for Inside Out, I realized there probably was some inspiration there.”
Fans of Cranium Command have wondered for a while if it was part of the inspiration behind Inside Out, and now we know it was.
What was Cranium Command?
Cranium Command was an attraction at the now-closed Wonders of Life pavilion in EPCOT at Walt Disney World.
The attraction opened in late 1989 and shut down in 2007.
The preshow was in a room that housed a short animated film with General Knowledge (Corey Burton) briefing the new Cranium Commando troops to pilot human brains and keep them out of trouble.
In this pre-show, we meet Buzzy (Scott Curtis), who is set to pilot a twelve-year-old boy.
Buzzy wasn’t as confident or seemingly adept as other Commandos.
This would have been what Docter worked on.
That sets guests off into the main attraction.
The stage was set with screens for “eyes” and two for the different body functions or imagination. An animatronic Buzzy figure was on an arm that would interact with the show.
It’s easy to see how this show inspired Inside Out, and for years people have said they should reopen the pavilion and turn the old Cranium Command and Inside Out attraction.
It was a popular show that has become something of a Disney Legend, especially Buzzy, who was stolen and is now missing.
What happened to Buzzy?
In 2018, the animatronic was stolen from the closed attraction.
Buzzy was left in the closed attraction for 11 years until someone stole him.
The prime suspect in the theft is Patrick Spikes, who sold Buzzy’s outfit on the black market.
So far, Buzzy has never been found, but a documentary called Stolen Kingdom looked further into the debacle.
We may never know where Buzzy went, but now we do know what most of us always suspected: Inside Out was inspired by Cranium Command.
But we do have a whole pavilion sitting at EPCOT that could be converted into attractions based on Inside Out and other Pixar properties.
Maybe Disney should consider it.
Article compiled with the help of the Pirates & Princesses newsroom.
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