Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Source: John Lasseter Already Out of Pixar for Good, Disney Waiting to Announce After “Coco” Oscar Run

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Pixar’s John Lasseter is supposedly on a six month leave of absence from the animation house.

But I’m told that Lasseter has already negotiated his exit with parent company, Disney. They’re just waiting until “Coco,” Pixar’s release this weekend, has its Oscar run without interference. The six months would end just after the Academy Awards on March 4th.

Lasseter said he was taking his leave as a “a six-month sabbatical” after unspecified “missteps” that made some staffers feel “disrespected or uncomfortable.” But as with all the other sexual harassment situations in Hollywood, more stories came in that make Lasseter’s return seem impossible.

Disney bought Pixar in 2006 for $7.4 billion. Since then Pixar — like Marvel and LucasFilm– has supplied the company with some of its biggest hits. “Coco” is the latest, and tipped early on to win the Oscar for animation.

Lasseter also oversees animation for Disney and is considering the most important creative voice at the company. But that seems not to be enough to keep him on.

“Grabbing, kissing, making comments about physical attributes” — which is what Lasseter is accused of– doesn’t sound very professional, just maybe over animated (to use a pun). Lasseter’s “sabbatical” is just a way of easing him, sources contend.

Calls to Disney PR and an email were not returned.

PS You may not know this, but it was Lasseter who designed the Weinstein Company logo back in 2005.

Roger Friedman
Roger Friedmanhttps://www.showbiz411.com
Roger Friedman began his Showbiz411 column in April 2009 after 10 years with Fox News, where he created the Fox411 column. His movie reviews are carried by Rotten Tomatoes, and he is a member of both the movie and TV branches of the Critics Choice Awards. His articles have appeared in dozens of publications over the years including New York Magazine, where he wrote the Intelligencer column in the mid 90s and covered the OJ Simpson trial, and Fox News (when it wasn't so crazy) where he covered Michael Jackson. He is also the writer and co-producer of "Only the Strong Survive," a selection of the Cannes, Sundance, and Telluride Film festivals, directed by DA Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus.
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