Lasseter may return to Disney

[Mattimation]

I just am not sure how much credit he should get anymore. Pixar still makes some great movies, but the highs of the 2000s are behind them. I think maybe Lasseter's most revolutionary idea was the use of the "brain trust" instead of leaving the decisions on each movie to one or two directors, using a group of directors to look at problems and come up with solutions. There's no reason to think that this can't still work without him.

Oh I fully agree, I've always thought his contributions were blown out of proportion to varying degree. Pixar absolutely had a long run of hits, and the Disney Animation movies did improve after he and Catmull took over, but to attribute that all to one man feels foolish. There very well may be a change in quality after he leaves, and it might be a drop - Disney's been around long enough for us to see the cyclical nature of a film studio - but it may improve too. Personally, I've gotten very tired of his odd-couple road trip structure. I'll be excited to see Disney and Pixar branch out and try new things again.

 

[The Pho]

The shame of it is that there's a good chance Disney corporate knew about this for a long time. (Though I suppose it's POSSIBLE that the CEO and upper management didn't know...but certainly all the management at Pixar did.)

I've seen reports stating that Iger was aware of Lasseter's behavior since at least 2010, when previous allegations were quietly tucked away.

 

[mom2rtk]

I've seen reports stating that Iger was aware of Lasseter's behavior since at least 2010, when previous allegations were quietly tucked away.

It's all good now though. They're adding Little Green Army Women so the score is settled.

 

[MissGina5]

I posted this in news but he is still prominent in the pixar short thing at EPCOT so that felt a little uncomfortable to me

 

[hotblooded]

You mean the couple that composed “Book of Mormon” and “Avenue Q” - two of the most obscene musicals of all time?

Your Hot Takes need a little research.

Just gonna put it out there, those are my two favorite musicals.

 

[Mousewerks]

I posted this in news but he is still prominent in the pixar short thing at EPCOT so that felt a little uncomfortable to me

Just to add to people's 'uncomfortableness'.. he is also prominently in the short (I think it may be the same short as shown at EPCOT but I don't know) shown at the Museum of Science and Industry's Pixar exhibit.

 

[Truxi]

Huh, that's vexing.

I'm actually really looking forward to seeing what Pixar does without him.

There's a former-Disney/Pixar animator who's work I follow, and while she's never really gone out of her way to name names or really bad-mouth the company, when folks ask her, she's tactful but not shy about saying how miserable her time at the company made her. Among other things, she really wasn't fond of the "brain trust" thing (in her patreon she has a sort-of-but-not-quite-a-joke of what notes the brain trust would likely send back on a Hamlet proposal, and it's funny but also tough to read, because while the finished product wouldn't be a *bad* movie, and would definitely be a typical Pixar movie, well...eh.)

But in the wake of the accusations she said two things: she had one uncomfortable encounter with him but said nothing because she thought she was just being unreasonable for not liking to be touched. And that what she noticed was that folks pitching ideas had gotten to the point that they were self-censoring and automatically considering what Lasseter personally would like. It didn't make things bad, but it did tend to sort of kill a lot of creativity and make things feel a bit cookie-cutter after a while.

I loved Coco (finally saw it this month). I haven't seen Incredibles2. I like enough of the Pixar movies, sure, but I'd really love to see more fresh eyes and voices, and I think we'll be getting that in a few years, with any luck.

 

[Disney Von Drake]

The concern now is that Pete Docter has been selected to take over JL's duties at Pixar. I don't think Pete is up to the task.

 

[The Pho]

The concern now is that Pete Docter has been selected to take over JL's duties at Pixar. I don't think Pete is up to the task.

My concern with Pete was his hesitance to actually take the job. Speaking with him in Disney World last week though really showed his enthusiasm for some of the upcoming projects and put my worries to rest. I think he was really one of the only possible options for replacement.

 

[OnSpaceshipEarth]

The concern now is that Pete Docter has been selected to take over JL's duties at Pixar. I don't think Pete is up to the task.

There seems to a lot of people on this board that just blithely dismiss. Lasseter's leadership and that somehow WDAS and Pixar were treading water and desperate for fresh blood nd new leadership. Really? While I do see validity in some of the criticism of Pixar, they still were able to come out with a stunner like Coco amidst the sequels. WDAS, on the other hand, is presently at the top of their game(I think the best in the business)and has gotten much more attention from Lasseter than Pixar in recent years.

This indicates to me that the man will be very hard to replace and I wouldn't be surprised in this era of all studios pumping out animated smashes outside of Disney that Disney slides into a valley(once again) where we could see Disney shred through many creative heads in the coming years until they find someone comparable with Lasseter's skill set and instincts.

 

[BrianL]

My concern with Pete was his hesitance to actually take the job. Speaking with him in Disney World last week though really showed his enthusiasm for some of the upcoming projects and put my worries to rest. I think he was really one of the only possible options for replacement.

I can see your point about Pete Docter. He's great, but he doesn't necessarily think so. I was reading an interview with him where he thought he would be fired because Inside Out wasn't coming together that well. Fired? After the hits he had already made? It's a bit of extreme slef-deprication fro someone who has achieved so much. I think he's a great director, and his Pixar films are among my favorites. Can he lead the studio? Possibly, but we'll see.

There seems to a lot of people on this board that just blithely dismiss. Lasseter's leadership and that somehow WDAS and Pixar were treading water and desperate for fresh blood nd new leadership. Really? While I do see validity in some of the criticism of Pixar, they still were able to come out with a stunner like Coco amidst the sequels. WDAS, on the other hand, is presently at the top of their game(I think the best in the business)and has gotten much more attention from Lasseter than Pixar in recent years.

This indicates to me that the man will be very hard to replace and I wouldn't be surprised in this era of all studios pumping out animated smashes outside of Disney that Disney slides into a valley(once again) where we could see Disney shred through many creative heads in the coming years until they find someone comparable with Lasseter's skill set and instincts.

I agree with you. Lasseter came into WDAS and totally turned it around. They upped the game in so many measurable ways and are pumping out hit after hit. Maybe Pixar suffered a little bit, but they were already doing well. I'm not averse to sequels anyway, though they may be relying too much on them lately. Still, WDAS is creatively the best animation studio out there, and that can be directly traced wot when Lasseter was put in charge.

This is not a call to keep Lasseter mind you, just a recognition of how hard he will actually be to replace. The man is still a genius, despite his problematic behavior.

 

[Micca]

The man is still a genius, despite his problematic behavior.

I think a lot of people who are deemed geniuses have problematic behavior, it goes with the territory. This is going to be a problem in the entertainment industry. I wonder how many of the people who have lost their jobs will work again? Not condoning the behavior of course, but wonder how their story ends.

 

[BrianL]

I think a lot of people who are deemed geniuses have problematic behavior, it goes with the territory. This is going to be a problem in the entertainment industry. I wonder how many of the people who have lost their jobs will work again? Not condoning the behavior of course, but wonder how their story ends.

You are not wrong. Genius often sets people apart from the norm, and not just in an intellectual way. They are often troubled because they are set apart. Lisa Simpson once made a graph: As intelligence goes up, happiness goes down! Those types will often seek to assuage that feeling with substance abuse or other self-defeating behavior, or indeed, inappropriate behavior toward others. I think that's just the nature of it, and while that certainly doesn't excuse poor behavior, it explains at least some of it.

 

[PrincessWithABlaster]

I I wonder how many of the people who have lost their jobs will work again? Not condoning the behavior of course, but wonder how their story ends.

In my non-entertainment industry people who have been fired for that sort of thing just get a job at another company and start over since companies don't share firing info. But with the entertainment industry if you get caught the public knows about it so it's a different situation.

 

[Truxi]

I think a lot of people who are deemed geniuses have problematic behavior, it goes with the territory. This is going to be a problem in the entertainment industry. I wonder how many of the people who have lost their jobs will work again? Not condoning the behavior of course, but wonder how their story ends.

Honestly, to me the bigger question is how many people in the industry have their careers and voices stymied by these actions? I don't feel that bad for folks who did bad things to other people, especially people they had power over, who then lose their jobs. I do feel bad for the voices and stories we never got to hear because people got forced out or quieted down by those behaving badly.

Genius and problematic behavior do not go hand in hand. A lot of people, geniuses or not, have "problematic behavior." It does not go with the territory of being a genius. At most I could say it's like John Mullaney said--when folks get incredibly successful, they're more likely to feel like consequences don't apply to them.

As far as how the story ends, like I said--I'm much more interested in hearing stories from new voices that felt undermined and unappreciated.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Honestly, to me the bigger question is how many people in the industry have their careers and voices stymied by these actions? I don't feel that bad for folks who did bad things to other people, especially people they had power over, who then lose their jobs. I do feel bad for the voices and stories we never got to hear because people got forced out or quieted down by those behaving badly.

Genius and problematic behavior do not go hand in hand. A lot of people, geniuses or not, have "problematic behavior." It does not go with the territory of being a genius. At most I could say it's like John Mullaney said--when folks get incredibly successful, they're more likely to feel like consequences don't apply to them.

As far as how the story ends, like I said--I'm much more interested in hearing stories from new voices that felt undermined and unappreciated.

I definitely agree with your point about being more worried about those that were negatively affected than those that were causing that negativity

I do also get that sometimes people are successful because they have a different way of looking at things and bring a different vision and that can also result in them behaving a bit differently ... and then add in success and people now being afraid to call them out on things and they might push boundaries even further and I can see it building on itself ...

... and then other people are just jerks and jerks with power become mega jerks and mistreat people because they can

 

[Truxi]

I do also get that sometimes people are successful because they have a different way of looking at things and bring a different vision and that can also result in them behaving a bit differently

Imma be honest, to me that's a very upsetting thing to apply to this situation, because having a "different way of looking at things" creatively has nothing to do with feeling that it's your right to feel up the thigh of the person next to you.

I think this is a really troubling attitude I see towards geniuses, where folks try and find excuses, or at least reasons, why the geniuses act like they do and tie it into their genius. It isn't related. The only reason it seems like this happens more with successful geniuses than it does with other people is because we all hear about it when Bob FamousWriter does it, but no one outside of HR hears about it when Bill From Accounting does.

I've worked in places where the owners felt like they could put their hands on me. They weren't geniuses. They didn't have a different way of looking at things. They were just good ol' boys who thought they could do it. They were shocked (and a little upset) when I did not comply.

And really, there's nothing different or unique about a guy in power thinking it's okay to put his hands on women just because they're near him. From the sound of "The Lasseter" it's not like the women were subtle in conveying their discomfort with him doing so.

Predators know what they're doing. They rely on folks trying to excuse their behavior as eccentricity.

 

[mom2rtk]

I definitely agree with your point about being more worried about those that were negatively affected than those that were causing that negativity

I do also get that sometimes people are successful because they have a different way of looking at things and bring a different vision and that can also result in them behaving a bit differently ... and then add in success and people now being afraid to call them out on things and they might push boundaries even further and I can see it building on itself ...

... and then other people are just jerks and jerks with power become mega jerks and mistreat people because they can

Additionally many geniuses are handsomely paid, so they have the resources to cover up their problematic behavior.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Imma be honest, to me that's a very upsetting thing to apply to this situation, because having a "different way of looking at things" creatively has nothing to do with feeling that it's your right to feel up the thigh of the person next to you.

I think this is a really troubling attitude I see towards geniuses, where folks try and find excuses, or at least reasons, why the geniuses act like they do and tie it into their genius. It isn't related. The only reason it seems like this happens more with successful geniuses than it does with other people is because we all hear about it when Bob FamousWriter does it, but no one outside of HR hears about it when Bill From Accounting does.

I've worked in places where the owners felt like they could put their hands on me. They weren't geniuses. They didn't have a different way of looking at things. They were just good ol' boys who thought they could do it. They were shocked (and a little upset) when I did not comply.

And really, there's nothing different or unique about a guy in power thinking it's okay to put his hands on women just because they're near him. From the sound of "The Lasseter" it's not like the women were subtle in conveying their discomfort with him doing so.

Predators know what they're doing. They rely on folks trying to excuse their behavior as eccentricity.

maybe - and maybe it is that type of thinking that needs to change

But I do know some people who are very creative but have trouble handling social situations and dealing with people - not saying that is Lasseter or anything (like I said, sometimes people are just a jerk) and while we don't know the complete truth about what he did, what is out there certainly makes it seem like he would take advantage of his position and didn't just have social issues or something

Guess i just can see it being easier for people who maybe already have trouble fitting in and knowing how to act - or able to feel comfortable fitting in - to now be in position of power to have even more issues or challenges not acting appropriately with that power. 100% not ok in any situation just I can sort of see why it might happen even more to people in creative power vs regular power

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Additionally many geniuses are handsomely paid, so they have the resources to cover up their problematic behavior.

Also can see some/many of them having enablers because of their genius and because of what they produce

Even here I could see Lasster do something small, but wrong, and Disney wanting to cover it up because of all his success ... but after a while it builds and builds and and then because it was unchecked for so long it explodes and then you have a major issue to deal with

... and after letting a few things pass it is harder to come forward as they you can some of the blame for letting those first things pass and don't want that on yourself either