John Lasseter's Accusations and Statement

[Parkscope Joe]

The Hollywood Reporter has published a story regarding John Lasseter's long history of unwanted and inappropriate touching of women in the company and a statement from him.

John Lasseter Taking Leave of Absence From Pixar Amid "Missteps" | Hollywood Reporter

This is a spin off from the Pixar Pier thread.

Some baseline rules:

1. Respect the victims
2. Don't spin this into broad statements of any one group
3. Keep theme park land discussion to a minimum

 

[Ryan]

Ever since the rumors of Lasseter being a drunken jackass, and especially that very public display of that drunken jackassery at D23, I've suspected this but it's so disappointing to see that's the case.

It's obvious that the 6 month hiatus will become permanent, and if there's anything to gain from it, aside from one ex-employee (who may be referring to the late 90s times), most of the accusers are not badmouthing Pixar overall. So hopefully aside from the actions of one moronic, handsy man, Pixar can continue to be a safe place to work for those individuals.

Oh, and please don't take it out on "Coco". The film was directed by Lee Unkrich and recieved probably at best, a handful of Lasseter notes and that's it. Their team put so much time and effort into it and apparently it's wonderful and deserves the attention it gets. Don't let the actions of one man ruin it for so many talented others.

 

[Mad Dog]

As Epcyclopedia has stated, this could certainly have ramifications for Pixar projects in the future. Lasseter had the influence & driving force to push Pixar projects to the fore. Without him, Pixar may play a less prominent role in the parks. Of course, only time will tell for sure.

 

[Brian G.]

I'm chiming in to say how disappointed I am at some of you on how you handled the Pixar Pier thread. The Staff is not perfect, but we do our best to make sure discussions are open and respectful. The Pier thread is not, and was not, the place for this discussion. It should have been it's own thread to begin with. I stand with how Joe and Ryan handled this situation. These attitudes and off-topic tangents that have been going on need to stop.

 

[Miketheboss]

These are just allegations as of now so let’s try to remember innocent until proven guilty.

 

[Mad Dog]

These are just allegations as of now so let’s try to remember innocent until proven guilty.

It's not so much whether he's innocent or guilty of the accusations. Myself, I could care less one way or the other. What I think is important though is what effect this will have on future Pixar projects at Disney without Lasseter's pull to push them forward. No doubt he's not coming back.

 

[AlexanderMBush]

I've had a chat with some of my family members that are into Disney as much as I am; but more importantly, seeing the allegations show up in the entertainment industry right now. And that the vibe I get from people around me, is that while it's really upsetting that stuff like this may of lasted this long before the allegations occurred, we are in a time of which, that this is not only needed; but it could lead to better results in the future.

To bring something up that @Ryan I don't think has, keep in mind, this was alluded back with no other information around the time of November 9th. Cartoon Brew intentionally held this back and posted this on the day of Coco's release, which to me; is rather pathetic that someone would hold it back to dump on the day of a big tent-pole film's release, that could actually tarnish some of the domestic BO for some demographics. And by no mean's would I be wanting to exclude Lasseter from this, it is unacceptable; and is disgraceful that people would do that.

That said, If the allegations are true, and that I am not going to be surprised that they are, I find it highly disappointing that Bob Iger or anyone higher up finding this tolerating till the point of the Weinstein explosion as I call. And that while I apologize if I may of ruffled some feathers by this, but that I am honestly more upset of the fact that Lasseter's potential behavior lasted this long, and that I expect him to be on a break indefinitely.

 

[jtsalien]

Most people can look at some of the more inappropriate and aggressive transgressions that have come to light recently and see that it's wrong. But I think reaction to this story will be telling about what kind of progress is really being made. A lot of people may know someone who acts like Lasseter has been described. Blurring lines while "hugging", going a bit too far at parties, etc. But being in a position of power for so long changes circumstances and expectations.

Lasseter for a while was becoming Walt Jr. But there's danger in puttng people in hero status like that. Flaws can get overlooked. Criticisms get muted. Not only do I hope victims now feel like they have a voice, but I hope the man gets help. Because he clearly has been hurting people around him for a long time. At the end of the day we're all people. And it's not just about placing blame and naming names, but growing and getting better together.

 

[quinnmac000]

I've had a chat with some of my family members that are into Disney as much as I am; but more importantly, seeing the allegations show up in the entertainment industry right now. And that the vibe I get from people around me, is that while it's really upsetting that stuff like this may of lasted this long before the allegations occurred, we are in a time of which, that this is not only needed; but it could lead to better results in the future.

To bring something up that @Ryan I don't think has, keep in mind, this was alluded back with no other information around the time of November 9th. Cartoon Brew intentionally held this back and posted this on the day of Coco's release, which to me; is rather pathetic that someone would hold it back to dump on the day of a big tent-pole film's release, that could actually tarnish some of the domestic BO for some demographics. And by no mean's would I be wanting to exclude Lasseter from this, it is unacceptable; and is disgraceful that people would do that.

That said, If the allegations are true, and that I am not going to be surprised that they are, I find it highly disappointing that Bob Iger or anyone higher up finding this tolerating till the point of the Weinstein explosion as I call. And that while I apologize if I may of ruffled some feathers by this, but that I am honestly more upset of the fact that Lasseter's potential behavior lasted this long, and that I expect him to be on a break indefinitely.

If you look at all the Hollywood allegations, most of them have come out at key points that were made to have economic consequences on certain companies/individuals. More so I don't think Cartoon Brew was deliberately trying to screw over the cast and crew of Coco but to show Disney which this is the third allegation Disney has been involved with in this scandal (Harvey Weinstein, Gary Goddard, now Lasseter) that they will be held accountable...in addition, there are now rumblings regarding Iger also having some sexual harassment/assault skeletons about to come out as well.

 

[jtsalien]

If you look at all the Hollywood allegations, most of them have come out at key points that were made to have economic consequences on certain companies/individuals. More so I don't think Cartoon Brew was deliberately trying to screw over the cast and crew of Coco but to show Disney which this is the third allegation Disney has been involved with in this scandal (Harvey Weinstein, Gary Goddard, now Lasseter) that they will be held accountable...in addition, there are now rumblings regarding Iger also having some sexual harassment/assault skeletons about to come out as well.

I think it's pretty disingenuous to pin the Weinstein stuff on Disney. The company is no longer owned by Disney, and even when it was MiraMax was always pretty autonomous. As for Goddard, I've seen nothing to suggest Disney did anything to hide any behavior there. They can't be held directly responsible for actions of a deranged employee or business partner. And clearly Goddard has ties to more than Disney in the industry.

Lasseter is a whole other story. There's a clear pattern of behavior and ignorance there. I don't think it's fair to the victims or anyone involved to try and make it anything more than that.

 

[quinnmac000]

Rashida Jones responds to allegations

Jones and McCormack signed on to pen on the fourth installment of the popular Pixar franchise, but have since exited. In a statement to the New York Times, the writing duo set the record straight on why they departed the project. “The breakneck speed at which journalists have been naming the next perpetrator renders some reporting irresponsible,” they said in regards to the Hollywood Reporter article. “We did not leave Pixar because of unwanted advances. That is untrue. We parted ways because of creative and, more importantly, philosophical differences.”

The statement goes on to address the aforementioned differences: “There is so much talent at Pixar, and we remain enormous fans of their films. However, it is also a culture where women and people of color do not have an equal creative voice. We encourage Pixar to be leaders in bolstering, hiring and promoting more diverse and female storytellers and leaders. We hope we can encourage all those who have felt like their voices could not be heard in the past to feel empowered.”

Rashida Jones Denies ‘Toy Story’ Exit Over “Unwanted Advance” | Deadline

Seems they quit due to lack of diversity in the staff rather than sexual harassment which may also not be a great PR response for Disney.

 

[Nick]

Rashida Jones responds to allegations


Rashida Jones Denies ‘Toy Story’ Exit Over “Unwanted Advance” | Deadline

Seems they quit due to lack of diversity in the staff rather than sexual harassment which may also not be a great PR response for Disney.

This situation isn't about good or bad PR for Disney. I couldn't care less about Disney's PR situation right now.

This is about what Lasseter did and the victims of his misconduct. The victims all too often seem to be forgotten when stories like this come out.

 

[Paulio]

John Lasseter should be fired for what he did. It's absolutely despicable especially to the women regarding unwanted hugs and groping them. Sounds like a behavior of a sexual predator you would expect to see in prison. This is a big deal to The Walt Disney Company since that man is the reason for the revolutionary change in animation especially in computers in 2D and 3D scaling and cause Disney's competitors to utilize the same thing. Now his misconducts are revealing it hurts a lot of movie fans and animators, drawer, and painters worldwide and this would cause a lot of bad PR for the House of Mouse with the general public

 

[Ryan]

I mean, no offense to the victims at all, but this is nowhere near the scale of the Harvey Weinstein case. Let's try to not undermine or overstate the circumstances.

It's not so much whether he's innocent or guilty of the accusations. Myself, I could care less one way or the other. What I think is important though is what effect this will have on future Pixar projects at Disney without Lasseter's pull to push them forward. No doubt he's not coming back.

BTW I find this highly insensitive to the victims.

 

[Mad Dog]

I mean, no offense to the victims at all, but this is nowhere near the scale of the Harvey Weinstein case. Let's try to not undermine or overstate the circumstances.



BTW I find this highly insensitive to the victims.

You misinterpreted my statement. I was referring to Lasseter ("He's ") only in relation to the post I replied to. As in I could care less about him (Lasseter) and the effect on him..... The victims are another issue which I did not address.

 

[Ryan]

Choose your wording a bit more carefully next time.

 

[Mad Dog]

Choose your wording a bit more carefully next time.

Not my wording. It was your interpretation. You need to read it in context of the reply I quoted.

 

[Ryan]

I was not the only person to interpret it that way.

 

[Mad Dog]

I was not the only person to interpret it that way.

Replies need to be read in context of what it replied to, not as a statement in a vacuum. If someone didn't read the quote it referred to, that's on them.

 

[Ryan]

It was poor wording. If you refuse to see how that can be, that's your interpretation. Enough. Let's move on.