John Lasseter

John Lasseter is an American director, animator, and producer, born on January 12, 1957. He is best known for his work in the animation industry, particularly for being one of the founding figures behind Pixar Animation Studios. Lasseter's creative vision and leadership were instrumental in the development of many groundbreaking animated films.

He is most famous for directing Toy Story (1995), the first feature-length film entirely created using computer-generated imagery (CGI), which revolutionized the animation industry. Following Toy Story, Lasseter directed other successful Pixar films, including A Bug's Life (1998), Toy Story 2 (1999), Monsters, Inc. (2001), Finding Nemo (2003), and Cars (2006).

Lasseter also played a key role in the partnership between Pixar and Disney, which eventually led to the acquisition of Pixar by Disney in 2006. After the acquisition, Lasseter continued to lead both Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios as Chief Creative Officer, helping to oversee the production of films like Frozen (2013) and Zootopia (2016).

His influence on the animation industry is vast, and his work has earned numerous accolades, including Academy Awards and Golden Globe Awards. However, Lasseter's career faced a setback in 2017 when he left Disney following allegations of workplace misconduct. Despite this, his legacy as a pioneer of modern animation remains a significant part of his career.

Articles by the author

You can achieve all the things you want to do, but it's much better to do it with loved ones around you; family and friends, people that you care about that can help you on the way and can celebrate you, and you can enjoy the journey.

John Lasseter

The art challenges the technology, and the technology inspires the art.

John Lasseter

There is such amazing talent at Disney. My job is 100% creative, and I am very excited to creatively lead them.

John Lasseter

You cannot base a whole movie on just the imagery alone. It has to be the story and the characters.

John Lasseter

Computers don't create computer animation any more than a pencil creates pencil animation. What creates computer animation is the artist.

John Lasseter

Pixar is not about computers, it's about people.

John Lasseter

I love French auto design of the early '50s, '60s, early '70s of Citorens, Renaults, and Peugeots. They're so unique.

John Lasseter

A good part of my leadership skills is crafted from learning from experiences early in my career that were not positive experiences.

John Lasseter

The hardest thing to get is true emotion. I always believe you need to earn that with the audience. You can't just tell them, 'Ok, be sad now.'

John Lasseter

If you're sitting in your minivan, playing your computer animated films for your children in the back seat, is it the animation that's entertaining you as you drive and listen? No, it's the storytelling. That's why we put so much importance on story. No amount of great animation will save a bad story.

John Lasseter

My mother was a high school arts teacher, so I was always surrounded by the arts.

John Lasseter

Every single Pixar film, at one time or another, has been the worst movie ever put on film. But we know. We trust our process. We don't get scared and say, 'Oh, no, this film isn't working.'

John Lasseter

My brother liked sewing and sculpting and making things, and my sister sewed and painted and cooked and baked. She's a professional baker now and makes the most gorgeous sculpture-like cakes. She's the queen of wedding cakes in the Lake Tahoe area.

John Lasseter

I love 3-D. I have been a big fan of 3-D for a long, long time. I took my 1988 wedding pictures in 3-D!

John Lasseter