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John Lasseter mini-bio:
John Alan Lasseter (born January 12, 1957) is an Academy Award-winning American animator, director and the chief creative officer at Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios. He is also currently the Principal Creative Advisor for Walt Disney Imagineering.
John grew up in Whittier, California. His mother being an art teacher contributed to his growing preoccuption with animation. He often drew cartoons during church services at the Church of Christ his family attended
His education began at Pepperdine University. It was the alma mater of both his parents and his siblings. However, he heard of a new program at California Institute of the Arts and decided to leave Pepperdine to follow his dream of becoming an animator. His mother further encouraged him to take up a career in animation, and in 1975 he enrolled as the second student in a new animation course at the California Institute of the Arts. Lasseter was taught by three members of Disney's Nine Old Men – Eric Larson, Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston.
On graduation, Lasseter joined The Walt Disney Company, as a Jungle Cruise skipper at Disneyland in Anaheim.
Lasseter later obtained a job as an animator at Walt Disney Feature Animation, but felt something was missing; after 101 Dalmatians, which in his opinion was the film where Disney had reached its highest plateau, the studio had sort of died and was just repeating itself without adding any new ideas or innovations.
In 1980 or 1981 he coincidently came across some video tapes from one of the then new computer-graphics conferences, who showed some of the very beginnings of computer animation, like floating spheres and such, which he experienced as a revelation
Lasseter realized that computers could be used to make movies with three dimensional backgrounds where traditionally animated characters could interact to add a new, visually stunning depth that had not been conceived before.
Later he and Glen Keane talked about how great it would be to make an animated feature where the background was computer animated, and then showed Keane the book The Brave Little Toaster by Thomas Disch, which he thought would be a good candidate for the film. Keane agreed, but first they decided to do a short test film to see how it worked out
They unknowingly stepped on some of their direct superiors' toes by circumventing them in their enthusiasm to get the project into motion. One of them, the animation administrator Ed Hansen disliked it so much that when Lasseter and Wilhite tried to sell the idea to him and Ron Miller, which they at that time were already aware of, they turned it down.
A few minutes after the meeting, Lasseter was summoned by Hansen to his office, where John was told that his employment in the Walt Disney Studios had been terminated. The Brave Little Toaster would later become a 2D animated feature film directed by one of John's friends, Jerry Rees, and some of the staff of Pixar would be involved in the film alongside Lasseter.
Lucasfilm Computer Graphics was acquired by Steve Jobs in 1986, and became Pixar. Lasseter oversaw all of Pixar's films and associated projects as executive producer. He also personally directed Toy Story, A Bug's Life, Toy Story 2, and Cars.
Disney purchased Pixar in April 2006, and Lasseter was named chief creative officer of both Pixar and Disney animation studios.
Lasseter lives in Glen Ellen, California with his wife Nancy, a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University whom he met at a computer graphics conference
| VITAL STATS | John Lasseter Information:
| | Eye color:blue | | Height: | | Nickname(s): | | Notable feature(s):glasses | Education: Pepperdine University
California Institute of the Arts | Family:parents Paul &
sister Joanne
wife Nancy
five children (sons)
| | Resides in: Glen Ellen, California | | Religious affiliations: Church of Christ | | Political affiliation: | | Personal interests/hobbies:film making,animation, drawing cartoons | | Charities/Causes: | | Other:He won his first award at the age of five when he won $15.00 from the Model Grocery Market in Whittier, California, for a crayon drawing of the Headless Horseman. | | |
