John Alan Lasseter (born January 12, 1957) is an
Academy Award-winning
American animator,
director and the
chief creative officer at
Pixar and
Walt Disney Animation Studios. He is also currently the Principal Creative Advisor for
Walt Disney Imagineering.
[Business Week article from March 2006 entitled "The Happiest Place on Earth -- Again"]
Biography
Early years
Lasseter's father was a parts manager at a
Chevrolet dealership, while his mother was an art teacher at
Medomak Valley High School. John grew up in
Whittier, California. His mother being an art teacher contributed to his growing preoccuption with animation. He often drew cartoons during church services at the Church of Christ his family attended. As a child, Lasseter would race home from school to watch
Chuck Jones cartoons on television. His education began at Pepperdine University. It was the alma mater of both his parents and his siblings. However, he heard of a new program at California Institute of the Arts and decided to leave Pepperdine to follow his dream of becoming an
animator. His mother further encouraged him to take up a career in animation, and in 1975 he enrolled as the second student in a new animation course at the
California Institute of the Arts. Lasseter was taught by three members of
Disney's Nine Old Men –
Eric Larson,
Frank Thomas and
Ollie Johnston – his classmates included
Brad Bird,
John Musker,
Henry Selick and
Tim Burton.
[ On May 2, 2009, Lasseter received an Honorary Doctorate degree from Pepperdine University. He gave a commencement address where he encouraged the graduating class of more than 500 students never to let anyone kill their dreams.]
