John Lasseter Research Paper

American Icon - John Lasseter

Have you ever wanted a friendship like Buzz and Woody? Have you ever wanted to drive as fast as Lightning McQueen? Then there is one man to thank. American computer animation is a fairly new art form, but there is a man who heavily contributed to it, his name is John Lasseter. He was always an artist, but it was not until he became a founding member of Pixar that he gained the ability to change lives and cultivate young minds. John Lasseter is an icon of American animation and filmmaking, his contributions to his craft will be remembered for centuries to come.

John Lasseter was born on January 12, 1957 in Hollywood, California to Paul and Jewell Lasseter

He is very dedicated and innovative. He worked for five years at the Walt Disney Animation Studio on films such as Mickey’s Christmas Carol and The Fox and the Hound (Lasseter 2). He later joined Lucasfilm’s Computer Division and stayed there after Steve Jobs absorbed it (Lasseter 3). Once Apple owned this division, it became Pixar, and Lasseter continues to hold an important position as a founding member of Pixar Animation Studios (P. Lasseter 1). He has won a large amount of awards for his innovative work with computer animation, including Academy Awards, Annie Awards, and many more (). He helped to make the first 3-D animated feature-length film, Toy Story (). Lasseter has been nicknamed ‘the Walt Disney of Today’ by . His child-like imagination and open-mindedness help him achieve instant classic status with his movies. "We at Pixar have always viewed ourselves as storytellers first and computer animators second," Said Lasseter showing his priority to his work and his audience (P. Lasseter

He is the man behind the first computer animated film, Toy Story.“Consider the new Disney animated feature, John Lasseter’s Toy Story, which is, incidentally, the first full-length film created wholly by computer… The film won an Academy Award for Special Achievement, as well as nominations for Best Original Screenplay, Score and Song” (Zorthian 10). In addition, he helped create one of the world’s most influential animation companies, Pixar. He expanded animation to a broader range of expression and storytelling. He has forever changed filmmaking by thinking bigger and bolder than anyone else. He helped create one of the most memorable moments in cinematic history: Elsa singing Let It Go in Frozen, this scene is one of the most impactful scenes in the film.This one specific scene sticks out to the audience as a character defining moment. Lasseter knows when to get involved with a movie and when to step back. He gives independence with his direction, he leads from a distance. He has also changed the way Disney and Pixar run their companies and treat their staff. Lasseter rid the companies of their long board room tables in favor of a open seating concept to make sure everyone felt important and heard. He even changed the name of Disney’s animation studio. “When I originally came in here, they called this place Disney Feature Animation, and I went, ‘No, no, no, no. This is The