Pixar’s chief creative officer, John Lasseter took a leave of absence from the animation company following what he called “difficult conversations” about “missteps” he made. Lasseter is the latest Hollywood titan to have allegations of sexual harassment made against him. Keep reading to find out more about John Lasseter’s net worth and the allegations he now faces.
A head animator is taking a six-month sabbatical from Pixar, and sexual misconduct is reportedly the reason behind it, reports say. John Lasseter’s sexual harassment allegations come close on the heels of Toy Story scriptwriter and actress, Rashida Jones’ departure from Pixar.
Did something happen between John Lasseter and Rashida Jones at Pixar? What are the allegations against Lasseter? We have everything you need to know about the Pixar animator in our John Lasseter wiki.
Early Interest in Animation
Born on January 12, 1957, in Hollywood, and growing up in Whittier, California, John Lasseter’s age is 60. His mother was an art teacher, which sparked his interest in animation.
He often drew cartoons and was a big Disney fan. Encouraged by his parents, Lasseter went on to study animation at the California Institute of the Arts.
While studying at the institute, he spent his summers working at Disneyland in Anaheim, California, getting a chance to work as an animator for the company when he graduated in 1979.
Lasseter’s Disney stint came to an abrupt end in 1984 after he neglected to consult his superiors over a project. He then went on to work with Lucasfilm Computer Graphics Group, later called Pixar Graphics Group.
Head of Disney and Pixar Studios
He was one of the animators who created 1995’s Toy Story, the first film to use computer animation, for which he won an Oscar. John Lasseter’s movies also include A Bug’s Life (1998), Toy Story 2 (1999), Cars (2006), and Cars 2 (2011). He was also behind beloved movies like Finding Nemo (2003), Inside Out (2015), and is credited with helping with Disney blockbusters like Frozen (2013) and Moana (2016).
Lasseter won many awards for his efforts and contribution to the animation industry. He also has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles.
He returned to Disney as the chief creative officer when the company purchased Pixar in 2006. Lasseter is also the executive producer of Coco, the studio’s latest film about aspiring guitarist Miguel’s journey to the Land of the Dead.
With such a long and successful career, John Lasseter’s net worth in 2017 is reportedly a whopping $100.0 million!
The Lasseter Family
He got married to Nancy Lasseter in 1988. The couple live on their estate in Glen Ellen, California, and have five sons. John Lasseter’s wife is a computer graphics engineer, who briefly worked as an engineer at Apple Computer.
John Lasseter’s house is at the Lasseter Estate Winery in Glen Ellen. The vast grounds of the property include a railroad, train station, and water tower. The impressive residence also has a pool with a lazy river that meanders through a cave!
Allegations of Sexual Misconduct
Reports of sexual misconduct surfaced after a memo to his staff was made public by The Hollywood Reporter.
In his statement, Lasseter said that he recently had “a number of difficult conversations that have been very painful for me.”
He went on to add, “It’s never easy to face your missteps, but it’s the only way to learn from them. As a result, I’ve been giving a lot of thought to the leader I am today compared to the mentor, advocate, and champion I want to be. It’s been brought to my attention that I have made some of you feel disrespected or uncomfortable. That was never my intent.”
Lasseter also mentioned he wanted to apologize to “anyone who has ever been on the receiving end of an unwanted hug or any other gesture they felt crossed the line in any way, shape, or form. No matter how benign my intent, everyone has the right to set their own boundaries and have them respected.”
The Hollywood Reporter also mentioned allegations of sexual harassment that surfaced at Pixar. An unnamed employee said Lasseter was known for “grabbing, kissing, making comments about physical attributes.” Other employees backed these allegations, but no names were given.
Reports of John Lasseter’s allegations are also controversial as they come just after Rashida Jones’ departure from the studio.
However, Jones made it clear that she left because of “philosophical differences,” not because of Lasseter. She described Pixar as “a culture where women and people of color do not have an equal creative voice.”
