John Lasseter Hired At Skydance Animation

[Fone Bone]

Screw John Lasseter and his stupid Hawaiian shirts. You're a freaking grown man. Act like it.

 

[SweetShop209]

This follow up article came out.

John Lasseter Expresses Deep Sorrow & Shame About Past Actions At Emotional Skydance Animation Town Hall

EXCLUSIVE: Another Skydance Animation town hall was held this morning, this time with the division’s new boss John Lasseter. We hear it ran an hour and half and was very emotional, with a red-faced Lasseter expressing to the 65-person team how he’s ready to turn a corner in treating women...

deadline.com

 

[Fone Bone]

Screw him. Do you know how I know he hasn't changed? He accepted the job knowing how upset and unsafe it would make the female employees at Skydance feel. A person who was truly looking out for woman animators' best interests would have realized the burden he was placing on every single female who now has to answer to him and simply faded away quietly. The fact that he thinks he gets to dictate when woman should be forced to forgive him says he shouldn't be.

 

[AdrenalineRush1996]

I knew Skydance made the wrong choice.

 

[ToonJay723]

Mireille Soria has said Paramount will not work with Skydance under Lasseter and has stopped giving creative notes to their films.

You are being redirected...

www.animationmagazine.net

 

[Dudley]

The whole point of Lasseter being there is to give creative notes. They don't really need Soria for that.

 

[Rhaynebow]

Talk about a bittersweet deal. Still, at the very end of the day, Lasseter was never officially charged for his actions. He was a creep and sadly creeps gotta eat too. When all of the bigger studios turned him away, you betcha an unknown place like Skydance would scoop him up, and probably for a good price.

The good news is though, Disney and Pixar didn’t get big because of Johnny’s name. The general public don’t know who John Lasseter is, so it’s not like Skydance can expect to make bank by slapping his name on their movie posters. The guy went from top of the animation mountain to a studio that hasn’t made a single animated film yet, if his story couldn’t end with him in handcuffs then I’d say fading into obscurity would be the best ending.

 

[Fone Bone]

He was a creep and sadly creeps gotta eat too.

Creeps are not automatically entitled to high paying executive jobs. He can become a working stiff like everyone else as far as I'm concerned. He shouldn't be falling upwards.

 

[Erased Paper]

The whole point of Lasseter being there is to give creative notes. They don't really need Soria for that.

You're right, but that's not how this works...

 

[19MagiswordLane]

Brad Bird speaks out:

“I don’t at all put John in a category with Weinstein,” he continues. “You’re navigating a world where men have acted a certain way for thousands of years. Way too late, but all of a sudden, they’re expected to change that on a dime and it’s necessary and it’s right. But it’s a little bit a gray area. It’s not as hard of a cut as people want to make it. I’m an old friend of John’s and I don’t see him in black and white. I see him as a person like anyone else. He was a person who was very protective of us at a time when we needed it. So my feelings are a little bit more complicated.”

Brad Bird on ‘Incredibles 2’ and John Lasseter’s Redemption

Diving back into the origins of The Incredibles, what it takes to pull off a successful sequel, the Lasseter saga, and the bleak, but necessary, future of original blockbusters.

www.thedailybeast.com

 

[AdrenalineRush1996]

Creeps are not automatically entitled to high paying executive jobs. He can become a working stiff like everyone else as far as I'm concerned. He shouldn't be falling upwards.

Agreed.

 

[Space Cadet]

Brad Bird speaks out:

Brad Bird on ‘Incredibles 2’ and John Lasseter’s Redemption

Diving back into the origins of The Incredibles, what it takes to pull off a successful sequel, the Lasseter saga, and the bleak, but necessary, future of original blockbusters.

www.thedailybeast.com

Yeah, people have been talking about this today. Ouch.

 

[doomrider7]

Brad Bird speaks out:

Brad Bird on ‘Incredibles 2’ and John Lasseter’s Redemption

Diving back into the origins of The Incredibles, what it takes to pull off a successful sequel, the Lasseter saga, and the bleak, but necessary, future of original blockbusters.

www.thedailybeast.com

Brad, can I ask you for a favor? Can you stop trying to make me hate you and your work please? Thank You.

Edit: Sigh...Ok there's a bit of reasoning to why he's saying all of this(John went to bat for him when no one else would), but dammit Brad. It's MULTIPLE YEARS of sexual harassment. There is no grey area nor should there be some kind of big change thing since not being a perv should be the standard.

 

[AdrenalineRush1996]

Brad Bird speaks out:

Brad Bird on ‘Incredibles 2’ and John Lasseter’s Redemption

Diving back into the origins of The Incredibles, what it takes to pull off a successful sequel, the Lasseter saga, and the bleak, but necessary, future of original blockbusters.

www.thedailybeast.com

Brad, just don't, okay? You can do better than making these comments.

 

[Rhaynebow]

It pains me to see people go after Brad just because he’s not asking for Lasseter’s head on a plate like them.

The truth is, this stuff WAS common in the past. Brad doesn’t sound like he’s okay with what John did, he sounds like he’s been desensitized and understandably hesitant on dragging his name through the mud. He was coming off the heels of a box office bomb and would have STAYED there if John didn’t give him a chance. None of us knew John, so it’s easy for us to deduce that he is a deplorable person, but to the folks that personally knew him like Brad, who owes his career to the guy, it’s not that easy to write those years off.

 

[Fone Bone]

It pains me to see people go after Brad just because he’s not asking for Lasseter’s head on a plate like them.

The truth is, this stuff WAS common in the past. Brad doesn’t sound like he’s okay with what John did, he sounds like he’s been desensitized and understandably hesitant on dragging his name through the mud. He was coming off the heels of a box office bomb and would have STAYED there if John didn’t give him a chance. None of us knew John, so it’s easy for us to deduce that he is a deplorable person, but to the folks that personally knew him like Brad, who owes his career to the guy, it’s not that easy to write those years off.

You have been nothing but an apologist for this stuff.

 

[Rhaynebow]

You have been nothing but an apologist for this stuff.

Then please forgive me for having a differing opinion. But I could have swore disagreements were a part of discussions.

I’m glad Brad spoke about this with the words he used. He gave his raw opinion (as raw as these kinds of industry interviews can get) and people are ripping him to shreds because he wasn’t 100% against his colleague, because he didn’t do enough to stop said colleague and calling him selfish and only caring about his career.

The animation industry isn’t experiencing massive walk-outs in response to the people in charge being outed as harassers and predators. The people working there keep going and more than likely put up with the breaking news because they love the job THAT much, worked hard to get there and won’t let gross old standards ruin that love. Plenty of people call that selfishness. I call it dedication.

But please, continue to pick on me because I don’t hate these kinds of sickos as much as I’m “supposed” to.

 

[Spideyzilla]

My gut tells me that this Lasseter-Skydance relationship won't last long. I predict the company will see all this negative press and cut him loose. Or at least they should.

Apologizing to the Skydance employees? They aren't the people you should be apologizing to, Lasseter. They aren't the people who you harassed for decades. Shame on Skydance for bringing on (And it's still surreal to say this about a man I once revered) a noted harasser and abuser of women on board, and in doing so forcing your female employees to work with him, knowing what he is. Maybe he is truly sorry. I hope he is, and I hope he can try and redeem himself (Which I doubt). But why is he doing this? He's in his sixties and has millions of dollars to his name. Just retire, go away, and spend your life making up for what you've done. This? I don't get this.

Putting aside his personal failings and why Disney let him go, I'll admit that I never imagined I'd live to see the day where John Lasseter would be working for a company other than Disney. Hopefully he isn't there long.

 

[Fone Bone]

But please, continue to pick on me because I don’t hate these kinds of sickos as much as I’m “supposed” to.

I wanted to sit with your post for a bit before I decided how to respond to it. I do not believe I was picking on you, but since you believe differently, that made me pause. I don't want to be a bully. And yeah, you're right, disagreement is definitely what the internet is for. But that means I'm allowed to disagree with you too.

But it's clear I made you uncomfortable. I apologize for that. But that was one sentence on a message board. Imagine being forced to go to work every day, for hours on end, being harassed by your coworkers, and made to feel subhuman over and over again for your entire career. If that sentence I typed upset you so much, imagine a bunch of people saying and doing even worse things in an attempt to subjugate you and sexually humiliate you daily and nonstop. Put yourself in those women's shoes. Maybe you are right that Lasseter did not intend to hurt the women he did. But I didn't mean you hurt you either. It still feels crappy, right? And that's one sentence, one day, written on a screen. This is systemic oppression that is never shut off, with looks and words and even assaults. That's much worse than anything I could dish out to you.

You mentioned about how dedicated the animation industry is because they love their jobs enough not to stage a walkout for all of this. That IS dedication, and it IS admirable. In my opinion that makes it even worse! These are decent, hardworking people, having to put up with or witness abuse, and not being able to say anything for fear of losing a job they are dedicated to, and worked their entire lives to get where they are. I don't know about you, but that is unacceptable to me. They are great people delivering great art, and they deserve to be able to do their jobs in a safe working environment, without a knot in their stomach about what abusive things their coworkers or employers will say and do. So if I seem harsh on Lasseter and John Kricfalusi, it's because in my mind they are ruining what should be a good experience for good people. They ARE bad guys, talented or not, and they have no place in the industry. People who get fired for that in everyday jobs don't get to get a second chance in the same job six months later. Lasseter's offense was so terrible, that this is not a person who people feel safe around. Whether he vows to change or not, that is the truth. And it's not because the people are afraid to give him a second chance and are being unfair. It's because of his behavior. The one person responsible for John Lasseter's fall from grace is John Lasseter. No-one else. Not the women who complained, not the Disney execs who fired him, but Lasseter. And if the guy takes a huge high-profile studio job while being clueless of how unsafe his presence will make the women at that studio feel, He Just Doesn't Get It. Or He Just Doesn't Care. Either thing means he hasn't changed.

And maybe you are right that I'm picking on you for defending these men. But why are these men worthy of defense to begin with? Why aren't you defending the women they hurt? The fact that this went on for years says the women are ones who needed people to speak up sooner. A lot of people in the animation business have been defending both men for years. If I seem angry and curt with you because you are still doing that, it's because I believe you sticking up for the wrong people. You are on the wrong side of history. And I don't want to bum you out. I don't want you to think I think I am better than you are. But at some point, people need to stop defending the indefensible and stick up for the people who actually need it. Who actually deserve it. And neither of those people are John Lasseter or John Kricfalusi.

 

[Rhaynebow]

You mentioned about how dedicated the animation industry is because they love their jobs enough not to stage a walkout for all of this. That IS dedication, and it IS admirable. In my opinion that makes it even worse! These are decent, hardworking people, having to put up with or witness abuse, and not being able to say anything for fear of losing a job they are dedicated to, and worked their entire lives to get where they are. I don't know about you, but that is unacceptable to me. They are great people delivering great art, and they deserve to be able to do their jobs in a safe working environment, without a knot in their stomach about what abusive things their coworkers or employers will say and do. So if I seem harsh on Lasseter and John Kricfalusi, it's because in my mind they are ruining what should be a good experience for good people. They ARE bad guys, talented or not, and they have no place in the industry. People who get fired for that in everyday jobs don't get to get a second chance in the same job six months later. Lasseter's offense was so terrible, that this is not a person who people feel safe around. Whether he vows to change or not, that is the truth. And it's not because the people are afraid to give him a second chance and are being unfair. It's because of his behavior. The one person responsible for John Lasseter's fall from grace is John Lasseter. No-one else. Not the women who complained, not the Disney execs who fired him, but Lasseter. And if the guy takes a huge high-profile studio job while being clueless of how unsafe his presence will make the women at that studio feel, He Just Doesn't Get It. Or He Just Doesn't Care. Either thing means he hasn't changed.

And maybe you are right that I'm picking on you for defending these men. But why are these men worthy of defense to begin with? Why aren't you defending the women they hurt? The fact that this went on for years says the women are ones who needed people to speak up sooner. A lot of people in the animation business have been defending both men for years. If I seem angry and curt with you because you are still doing that, it's because I believe you sticking up for the wrong people. You are on the wrong side of history. And I don't want to bum you out. I don't want you to think I think I am better than you are. But at some point, people need to stop defending the indefensible and stick up for the people who actually need it. Who actually deserve it. And neither of those people are John Lasseter or John Kricfalusi.

Much respect for this post. You could have easily lashed out, but you thought about it and I thank you for that.

I tend to think about these things logically and perhaps it sounds like I’m on their side. But I’m not, I’ve been simply pointing out how these cases are more than likely going to turn out. Someone like Lasseter or John K. don’t deserve to get their pretty offices back and pretend like nothing has happened. But they’re not going to fall so far down the ladder that they’ll be unemployed and homeless. They have friends that would still support them, granted a much smaller number. They’re not going to get their cushy old job back or anything like it and they’re not going to be able to climb back up.

If I were one of the employees at Pixar, I’d be irked to hear Lasseter’s name, but I don’t think I would make such a fuss at the thought of Lasseter getting another job. Because of course he was going to. If you expected to find him living in a box under the freeway, you’d be sorely mistaken. And again, no one’s having Pickett marches at Skydance or walking out in protest because the last thing they would want to give to guys like Lasseter is their time, arguing that he shouldn’t be hired. He’s not worth losing sleep over anymore.

If these people aren’t going to prison, they WILL eventually need jobs. It just so happens that John had enough connections, experience and sheer luck to find a job still in the industry. People act like he went from Head of Disney to Head of Dreamworks, but he’s really taken a tumble. It’s like going from President of McDonalds to manager of a greasy spoon with one location. To me, he’s not worth thinking about anymore, but I wouldn’t say that’s me defending him and those like him. The people at Pixar will shake their heads in disbelief at the bittersweet news, but will then focus on their next project, because someone like Lasseter doesn’t deserve to distract them anymore than he already did.