John Lasseter Accused of Sexual Assault
Re: Lasseter Sexually Assaulted Women
he's a hugger. i wonder if lotso from ts3 was based on lasseter? unwanted hugs, comes across as friendly only to turn nasty. i will never see lotso the same again!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q54byl_xGlY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q54byl_xGlY
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Re: Lasseter Sexually Assaulted Women
And to think I once respected the man for his accomplishments. I no longer feel that way. It's one of the reasons I haven't been watching many Pixar movies these days. I personally always have and always will prefer handdrawn. Still, finding out about all this is shocking.
Re: Lasseter Sexually Assaulted Women
Just as well...JTurner wrote:And to think I once respected the man for his accomplishments. I no longer feel that way. It's one of the reasons I haven't been watching many Pixar movies these days. I personally always have and always will prefer handdrawn. Still, finding out about all this is shocking.


"OH COME ON, REALLY?!?!"
Re: Lasseter Sexually Assaulted Women
It's The Hollywood Reporter protocol for their reporters to inform the person being accused to get some sort of statement. This article talks about their approach to reporting on sexual harassment stories they receive, using the Michael Douglas allegation as an example:Rumpelstiltskin wrote:Someone must given the management a tip about how the bubble was about to burst. But was it The Hollywood Reporter that approached Pixar employees, or was it a group of employees that contacted The Hollywood Reporter? In the wake of Weinstein, Cosby and all the other scandals, I assume it was some employees that finally saw a chance to come out with their story and expose Pixar. But that's just guessing of course.
So, employees contacted THR and then THR contacted Disney and Lasseter to let them know of the article they were planning on publishing.Another part of the process of reporting a story about alleged harassment is reaching out to the subject of the story for comment. Douglas, via his lawyer, first asked to speak off the record with the editor. So THR's deputy editorial director Alison Brower and I arranged a call with Douglas and his team.
"There are two wolves and they are always fighting. One is darkness and despair. The other is light and hope. Which wolf wins? Whichever one you feed." - Casey Newton, Tomorrowland
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Re: Lasseter Sexually Assaulted Women
Sounds like fair play, as it gives the persons a chance to defend themselves in case it is just rumors. But based on everything that has happeend since the article was published, it is obviously more than just rumors (which have accumulated over the years). And unwanted hugs is just the tip of the iceberg if just half of it is true.
It's not like he wasn't given any chances (already mentioned, but quote it again anyway):
https://www.cartoonbrew.com/artist-righ ... 56321.html
https://news.avclub.com/insiders-say-jo ... 1825549418
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2011 ... un-factory
http://lwlies.com/articles/inside-pixar/
It's not like he wasn't given any chances (already mentioned, but quote it again anyway):
https://www.cartoonbrew.com/artist-righ ... 56321.html
http://variety.com/2017/film/news/john- ... 202620960/“More than two years ago, Pixar conducted a ‘Day of Reflection’ at their Emeryville campus to understand what the issues were contributing to low morale. Much of the feedback pointed to Lasseter as the main problem. When he received the feedback, he sulked for a week before getting back to being King John.”
And is it possible these days to just fire people without further notice?Another ex-employee said she was told that Lasseter had been spoken to about his behavior, and was assured that it had improved. Nevertheless, Lasseter’s comportment around women has continued to be an issue in recent years.
https://news.avclub.com/insiders-say-jo ... 1825549418
A new guy once did a rookie mistake and complained about the size of the bowls:Insiders say that Steve Jobs, once a majority shareholder and CEO at Pixar, was one of the few people who could keep Lasseter in check, and after he died Lasseter began to push employees around more and would force them out of the company if they refused to bend to his will.
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2011 ... un-factory
If he doesn't come back, some new blood up in the hierarchy could be beneficial for the animated features, as explained by Pete Docter in a 2015 interview:When I asked where the spiritual core of Pixar lay, everyone directed me, without hesitation, to the cereal bar, on the right side of the atrium—a row of your favorite cereals, on tap, anytime you want. There was once a new arrival at the company, who thought the bowls provided at the bar were too small, and registered his displeasure in an e-mail. He didn’t last. In Lasseter’s words, “If you’re that upset about how big the bowl for your free cereal is, leave.”
http://lwlies.com/articles/inside-pixar/
“In terms of the actual stories we’ve told, sometimes I feel like we’re stuck a little bit in our own format. We make the films that we ourselves would want to see, but that’s according to the same group of people who’ve been here now for 20 odd years. So I’m not sure that we’ve really pushed animation as far as we could or maybe should have, but I hope that we’ll continue to challenge people’s perceptions of what a Pixar film is.”
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Re: Lasseter Sexually Assaulted Women
THANK YOU so much for posting this. I have felt this for years: Pixar has not excited me as it used to. I started to feel pretty bad for saying that because I seemed so cynical and negative. It is really nice to see Docter and Rivera both admit Pixar could and might not be challenging animation as much as they used to.Rumpelstiltskin wrote:If he doesn't come back, some new blood up in the hierarchy could be beneficial for the animated features, as explained by Pete Docter in a 2015 interview:
http://lwlies.com/articles/inside-pixar/
“In terms of the actual stories we’ve told, sometimes I feel like we’re stuck a little bit in our own format. We make the films that we ourselves would want to see, but that’s according to the same group of people who’ve been here now for 20 odd years. So I’m not sure that we’ve really pushed animation as far as we could or maybe should have, but I hope that we’ll continue to challenge people’s perceptions of what a Pixar film is.”

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Re: Lasseter Sexually Assaulted Women
You welcome. And according to a new article, one could expect some changes at Pixar (and Disney) in the nearest future, and with new people new ideas will come:
http://www.latimes.com/business/hollywo ... story.html
http://www.latimes.com/business/hollywo ... story.html
Disney executives are said to be considering an orderly transition of power.
"I know that Pixar and Disney are at a point now where they're starting to think of the second generation," said Tom Sito, a Disney animation veteran who is now a professor at USC's School of Cinematic Arts, where he teaches animation.
"The first generation of filmmakers who had developed computer animation and created 'Toy Story' and 'The Incredibles' are now in their 60s. They have to start thinking about what they're going to do next."
Lasseter turned 61 this year, while his colleague Ed Catmull, the president of Pixar and Disney Animation, is 73.
"It seems like the perfect time to part ways. At some point, they need to be looking forward anyway," said Jason Moser, senior analyst at Motley Fool.
Disney is likely to look within to find a group of successors who could split the responsibilities once held by Lasseter.
Rich Moore, who directed "Wreck-It-Ralph," is believed to have taken over some of Lasseter's duties at Disney Animation during his absence and could also be in contention for a promotion.
Few observers are worried about Disney's or Pixar's future, even without Lasseter.
Well, that only proves that being too dependent on a single person could be a problem.One factor that could complicate Disney's search to replace Lasseter is the fact that he has been actively involved in other areas of the Burbank company, most notably Walt Disney Imagineering, where he oversaw some of Disney's theme park attractions such as Cars Land at Disney California Adventure Park.
No wonder things could go on as long as they did under circumstances like that."Because animators at Pixar aren't unionized, some former employees felt they didn't have an advocate for their concerns. Their sense of isolation was compounded by Pixar being the only major animation company in Silicon Valley, so there was no other local employer where they could find work.
As a result, several women said they found themselves trapped in an intolerable atmosphere that at times resembled a fraternity house. Alcohol is frequently consumed during work hours and lecherous behavior was pervasive, especially at company parties and premieres, according to former employees.
Women frequently had their butts grabbed by male colleagues, she added. "It happened so often you don't even think about it."
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Re: Lasseter Sexually Assaulted Women
This is AWFUL. As an animator, I was out at SF last weekend and I thought, "Wow, there are no other animation studios out here." I can't imagine to be in a tough situation where males at work treats you awfully...at your dream job. It would take A LOT to pack everything up and move. Fudge.Rumpelstiltskin wrote:Well, that only proves that being too dependent on a single person could be a problem.
"Because animators at Pixar aren't unionized, some former employees felt they didn't have an advocate for their concerns. Their sense of isolation was compounded by Pixar being the only major animation company in Silicon Valley, so there was no other local employer where they could find work.
As a result, several women said they found themselves trapped in an intolerable atmosphere that at times resembled a fraternity house. Alcohol is frequently consumed during work hours and lecherous behavior was pervasive, especially at company parties and premieres, according to former employees.
Women frequently had their butts grabbed by male colleagues, she added. "It happened so often you don't even think about it."

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Re: Lasseter Sexually Assaulted Women
thats just, my God, those poor women. The sad thing is its common in a lot of work environments, not just the film industry. Saw a PBS documentary a couple months ago about what women (many poor minority/immigrant )go through in the service industry. It was harrowing.



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Re: Lasseter Sexually Assaulted Women
Fraternity? More like a brothel or strip club. My heart is broken for these ladies. I can not imagine getting my dream job and then pay for it by getting sexually assaulted every day. I used to want to work for Pixar, but this ain't happening now.Rumpelstiltskin wrote:As a result, several women said they found themselves trapped in an intolerable atmosphere that at times resembled a fraternity house. Alcohol is frequently consumed during work hours and lecherous behavior was pervasive, especially at company parties and premieres, according to former employees.
Women frequently had their butts grabbed by male colleagues, she added. "It happened so often you don't even think about it."

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Re: Lasseter Sexually Assaulted Women
Obviously the problem is not restricted to just Lasseter and those near him, but the whole company. It also makes me curious why Pixar is not unionized. When Disney bought Pixar from Jobs, apparently the contract had a list of certain things Disney was not allowed to do. Like interfering too much and letting Pixar continue to do things their own way. Maybe not being unionized was one of the things on the list. Either way, something needs to be done, and saying it is not enough. Disney needs to show it somehow. Even if they don't want to do it for empathetic reasons and don't care about the employees (which they should), it also makes sense to do it for selfish reasons as such working conditions are driving talented people away. Not a good idea for a company that wish to be a talent magnet.
(And a little off-topic, but a company that refuse to give one of its co-founders any credit at all on their homepage, in this case Alvy Ray Smith, which is mentioned not even once, doesn't seem completely honest to me)
Perhaps we are witnessing a situation that resembles what happened in 1987 when 19-year-old amateur pilot Mathias Rust landed his small plane in the middle of Moscow. Gorbatsjov used the opportunity to replace literally thousands of people in significant positions.
While it can't exactly be compared with the sitution at Disney, it is not impossible that they are actually intending to do some reshuffling due to the position they now find themselves in. Obviously they can't just fire people on the spot and then hastily rearrange the whole thing over the weekend. That would cause too much chaos. It requires time, and in the meantime it is best to keep it as status quo as possible. On the outside it looks like Lasseter is just taking some off, but behind the curtains it is probably full activity. If that's correct, then Lasseter is most likely already aware of it. And when Disney is ready to announce the changes, everything will be up and running.
When Lasseter's six months are over, something will happen. Exactly what is just speculation, but there is no doubt there will be an announcement of some kind in less than two weeks.
(And a little off-topic, but a company that refuse to give one of its co-founders any credit at all on their homepage, in this case Alvy Ray Smith, which is mentioned not even once, doesn't seem completely honest to me)
Perhaps we are witnessing a situation that resembles what happened in 1987 when 19-year-old amateur pilot Mathias Rust landed his small plane in the middle of Moscow. Gorbatsjov used the opportunity to replace literally thousands of people in significant positions.
While it can't exactly be compared with the sitution at Disney, it is not impossible that they are actually intending to do some reshuffling due to the position they now find themselves in. Obviously they can't just fire people on the spot and then hastily rearrange the whole thing over the weekend. That would cause too much chaos. It requires time, and in the meantime it is best to keep it as status quo as possible. On the outside it looks like Lasseter is just taking some off, but behind the curtains it is probably full activity. If that's correct, then Lasseter is most likely already aware of it. And when Disney is ready to announce the changes, everything will be up and running.
When Lasseter's six months are over, something will happen. Exactly what is just speculation, but there is no doubt there will be an announcement of some kind in less than two weeks.
Re: Lasseter Sexually Assaulted Women
if lasseter returns to the company in the same position as he had before, all hell will likely break loose. if he goes back at all, he needs a severe demotion.
has the fox buy out been 100% finalised? i wonder if this has made fox reconsider, or any of the previous take overs [lucasfilms, marvel, muppets etc] regret what they allowed to happen?
has the fox buy out been 100% finalised? i wonder if this has made fox reconsider, or any of the previous take overs [lucasfilms, marvel, muppets etc] regret what they allowed to happen?
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Re: Lasseter Sexually Assaulted Women
I'm still placing my bets on them trying to bring him back into the fold and I hope they get railed for it.

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Re: Lasseter Sexually Assaulted Women
thats what I worry about. They will announce all these "changes" but in reality it will be business as usual. To cover up they'll pop out more girl power themed films(live and animated) and movies with proactive female leads to make it look like "see? we care about empowering women!"
The fact that others in Lasseter's circle partake of the frat boy mentality is not encouraging.
The fact that others in Lasseter's circle partake of the frat boy mentality is not encouraging.
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Re: Lasseter Sexually Assaulted Women
Why is Brad Bird still praising Lasseter?

Source: http://variety.com/2018/film/features/b ... 202803072/Good thing, too, since the path to “Incredibles 2” was strewn with unpredictable challenges. For example, who could have predicted that Pixar boss John Lasseter would take a six-month leave amid accusations of sexual misconduct? According to Bird: “John had a lot of very important input when we were wrestling with story problems early on. He has a very fast and good story mind and encourages going in lots of different directions.” But in the period since November, it’s been all about execution, he says.
Source: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/ ... er-1117468Director Brad Bird spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about Lasseter and whether he should return to the company, saying, "We only know what you know. John was very involved with this film, and The Incredibles never would have been made at Disney if John hadn't defended us when we were in our early days."
Source: https://www.sfchronicle.com/movies/arti ... 867703.phpQ: When John Lasseter started his sabbatical, “Coco” was done but this film still was being made. What effect did his exit have on “Incredibles 2”?
Brad Bird: It kind of happened late in the process, so John’s mark is very much on this film. He was very active in helping us, being a great sounding board for the story. He was a really strong supporter of the first film when our tenure here was shakier. There was a desire for Disney to extend their deals (before Disney bought Pixar, the studios were production partners) over films they had confidence in. And the fact that one was being done by the guy who had just done this big (1999 Warner Bros.) flop “Iron Giant” didn’t really encourage them. John was very active in throwing his body between us and, at that point, a disbelieving Disney. He did this long enough to produce the story reels that convinced them we knew what we were doing.
Q: Do you talk to him?
Brad Bird: We haven’t. He has kind of gone off to do what he is doing. I have sent an email and haven’t heard back from him. But I didn’t hear back from him when I used to send him emails (before the leave). He doesn’t respond to emails.
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Re: Lasseter Sexually Assaulted Women
Latest update:
https://www.wsj.com/articles/disney-con ... 1526464166
https://www.wsj.com/articles/disney-con ... 1526464166
But unless we hear it straight from the horse's mouth, I'll just wait and see what happens when they are ready to make an announcement.Executives at Walt Disney Co. have discussed bringing animation guru John Lasseter back to the company in a new role that would reduce his managerial power but allow him to retain creative influence, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Those discussions come as the end of Mr. Lasseter’s six-month leave, taken following accusations of unwelcome hugging and other touching, approaches on May 21. So far, Disney has given no indication whether or not Mr. Lasseter will return. It is also possible that Monday will pass with no decision.
In considering a redefined role for Mr. Lasseter, Disney leadership appears to be attempting to maintain the benefit of his creative input without the liabilities that could come from his being in charge of thousands of employees, as he previously was.
Day-to-day management duties, including hiring or firing capabilities, would be removed or contained in the scenario being considered, the person familiar with the matter said. Reining in Mr. Lasseter’s managerial oversight could be complicated, however, as his power came less from his official title than his unofficial position as Disney’s most-valued creative employee, people who worked with him said.
It is still possible he could leave altogether or come back with his old job unchanged, the person added.
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Re: Lasseter Sexually Assaulted Women
I can't say I'm surprised Disney's considering bringing him back. Disappointed but not surprised. They don't care about women or any other of their employees. They don't care about equality or justice. They only care about money and they think they have a higher chance of getting it with Lasseter at the helm.
On a related note, it's quite troublesome that publications still downplay Lasseter's harassment and refer to it as "unwanted hugging".
On a related note, it's quite troublesome that publications still downplay Lasseter's harassment and refer to it as "unwanted hugging".
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Re: Lasseter Sexually Assaulted Women
I'm weighing in here; if they let Lasseter back, fine. I can give him a second chance if he indeed is a changed man. I know (like John K. sadly) has hurt a lot of people and I feel their pain a lot. I'm aware who the victim(s) in these stories are and I standby them but at the same time, the good that Lasseter did, want me to give him a second chance. I don't condone the actions he did, but if he's changed and wants to make amends, he deserves another chance then.
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Re: Lasseter Sexually Assaulted Women
If he returns, he will no doubt be far more humble. At least in the start. But will he have changed? Not sure, but if he has changed or not is not that important as long as he doesn't end up in a position that allows him to return to old habits. And even if he has changed, I assume it would still be uncomfortable to be around him for those who have got to know his hands before his sabbatical.
We'll just wait and see what happens. Letting him work with toys and the parks instead of the animation studios would probably be the best choice since it would allow the movies to diversify more (and make the female employees at the studios feel better about the workplace). The fact that Disney feel they are too dependent on his presence during the production of movies says that they really need to come up with a production system that makes them less dependent on just one or two key individuals.
Agree that the media focus too much on unwanted hugs, and seems to mostly forget about the unspecified "other missteps" and "any other gesture" that was mentioned almost six months ago.
We'll just wait and see what happens. Letting him work with toys and the parks instead of the animation studios would probably be the best choice since it would allow the movies to diversify more (and make the female employees at the studios feel better about the workplace). The fact that Disney feel they are too dependent on his presence during the production of movies says that they really need to come up with a production system that makes them less dependent on just one or two key individuals.
Agree that the media focus too much on unwanted hugs, and seems to mostly forget about the unspecified "other missteps" and "any other gesture" that was mentioned almost six months ago.
Re: Lasseter Sexually Assaulted Women
That may be what Disney needs to do in the long run. The studio has a history, dating back to Walt Disney himself, where many talented artists were driven away by the whim of a singular overlord. They need more relaxed "unit" system, like the classic Warner Bros. cartoons, where different creative teams are trusted to turn out their own projects with minimal interference.Rumpelstiltskin wrote:The fact that Disney feel they are too dependent on his presence during the production of movies says that they really need to come up with a production system that makes them less dependent on just one or two key individuals.

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