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Disney Ditches Lassater by Karl Cohen
John Lasseter, founder and head of Pixar, was condemned and put on leave for his sexualized hugging. photo: courtesy Pixar
DISNEY ANNOUNCED JOHN LASSATER
is leaving Pixar by year's end, on June 8th. They also said that Directors Pete Docter and Jennifer Lee are expected to take on added roles at Pixar and Disney Animation. Lasseter will have a consulting role until he leaves. Earlier that week his absence at that world premiere in Hollywood of "The Incredibles 2", a film he supported, was noted by the press.
Bob Iger, Disney chairman and CEO said, "John had a remarkable tenure at Pixar and Disney Animation, reinventing the animation business, taking breathtaking risks, and telling original, high quality stories that will last forever. We are profoundly grateful for his contribution, which included a masterful and remarkable turnaround of The Walt Disney Animation Studios. One of John's greatest achievements is assembling a team of great storytellers and innovators with the vision and talent to set the standard in animation for generations to come."
Lasseter issued a statement that said, "The last six months have provided an opportunity to reflect on my life, career and personal priorities. While I remain dedicated to the art of animation and inspired by the creative talent at Pixar and Disney, I have decided the end of this year is the right time to begin focusing on new creative challenges. I am extremely proud of what two of the most important and prolific animation studios have achieved under my leadership and I'm grateful for all the opportunities to follow my creative passion at Disney."
Due to complaints about his fondness for hugging people and other behavior that some people felt was unwelcomed, he took a six month leave of absence from Pixar and Disney last November. When he didn’t return to work in May the Wall Street Journal asked if his behavior was not “Harvey-like” enough to warrant permanent termination?
Thanks to widespread media coverage, many people now think he overstepped the present conventions of society. I assume Disney viewed the idea of his returning to work as toxic for the reputation of both Pixar and Disney. They lost no time getting rid of Roseanne Barr for her obnoxious racist behavior and now it was John’s turn to go.
His removal was a more complex problem as he is a founder of Pixar and was the leader of the corporation for many decades. He also owns a great deal of Disney/Pixar stock.
I imagine Igar and his staff thought long and hard about a diplomatic way to depose him. As expected they acknowledged and honored what Lasseter had done for the two companies and they named him as a consultant until he leaves for good. I suspect he will rarely be seen by employees of either company before the end of the year. I’m sure Disney consulted with him about their exit plans for him and hopefully they reached an attractive compensation deal. Perhaps there will even be a nice farewell party for him towards the end of this year.
John was already a multi-millionaire, but he probably had no intention of retiring before his behavior was exposed and it became worldwide news. Frankly, being able to retire at a young age (61) with millions of dollars at your disposal isn’t an awful way to leave Pixar.
If he had returned to Pixar there would have been people who would have welcomed him back and those who have little or no respect for him. I suspect some people now consider him as evil as Woody Allen and would have boycotted any film coming from Pixar or Disney with his name on it. (Woody Allen has one son who supports him in the press and another and an ex-wife who condemns him.) A public with mixed feelings about Disney continuing to work with him would have been accepted by some, but would have been bad news to others.
Karl Cohen is an animator, educator and director of thce local chapter of the International Animation Society and can be reached .Posted on Jun 09, 2018 - 04:11 AM