John Lasseter

John Alan Lasseter is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, animator, and voice actor whose influence reshaped modern animation. Born on January 12, 1957, in Hollywood, California, he grew up in Whittier where his mother’s art teaching and his father’s work at a Chevrolet dealership nurtured his creative instincts. After graduating from Whittier High School, he entered the groundbreaking CalArts Character Animation program, studying under Disney legends Eric Larson, Frank Thomas, and Ollie Johnston, and producing award‑winning student shorts such as Lady and the Lamp and Nitemare. His early Disney tenure saw him working on projects like “The Emperor and the Nightingale” and exploring the potential of computer‑generated imagery after witnessing the early CGI work behind Tron.

Lasseter’s departure from Disney led to a pivotal role at Lucasfilm’s Computer Graphics Group, where he co‑created the seminal short The Adventures of André & Wally B. and contributed to the first fully CGI character in Young Sherlock Holmes. When the graphics group became Pixar in 1986, Lasseter oversaw every major production, directing classics like Toy Story, A Bug’s Life, Toy Story 2, Cars, and Cars 2, and serving as executive producer on all Pixar releases through 2018. His work helped Pixar’s films generate more than US$19 billion in box‑office revenue and win two Academy Awards among numerous honors. After Pixar’s merger with Disney, he served as chief creative officer for both Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios, championing the revival of Disney’s animation slate and fostering new talent through short‑film programs. In 2019 he assumed leadership of Skydance Animation, continuing to shape the future of animated storytelling while acknowledging past missteps and committing to a more respectful workplace culture.