Lasseter takeover--good or bad?

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Rumpelstiltskin
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Re: Lasseter takeover--good or bad?

Post by Rumpelstiltskin »

I wonder if it is possible to find a president or chief of a huge company that has climbed all the way to the top by being kind and humble and without using the elbows. Since Lasseter has been accused of micromanaging and other stuff, and he is far from alone in this, maybe the personal traits that allows someone to reach such positions also includes other personal traits. If it comes with the package, finding someone perfect would be very hard.

Also, if he should be replaced somehow, one has to hope that Disney doesn't try to compensate by swinging the pendulum too far in the opposite direction.
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unprincess
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Re: Lasseter takeover--good or bad?

Post by unprincess »

yeah, aggressive ambitious A type personalities often kinda tend to overlap with narcissist type ones.

that story about the Dwarves movie is unbelievable, how can they be so clueless! Im glad it didn't get made!
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Sotiris
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Re: Lasseter takeover--good or bad?

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While I'm pleasantly surprised by this, it doesn't negate all the horrible things he's done.
Dixon runs a production company, WalkRunFly, with choreographer Warren Adams. He recalled that Adams had once remonstrated in a meeting with executives when they were casting roles for a cruise ship production of Toy Story. The better black female dancer under consideration was given the role of the monkey toy; the less-good white female dancer was given the lead, said Dixon. Adams told the executives that the black dancer should be the lead and suggested executives call John Lasseter, chief creative officer of Pixar. When Adams returned to the room a few moments later, he discovered Lasseter had given the green light for the black dancer to be given the lead role.
Source: https://www.thedailybeast.com/brandon-v ... -muscles-8
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Sotiris
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Post by Sotiris »

This is why every film from WDAS and Pixar feels the same.
His absence has been felt in every corner of Disney’s animation business, current and former employees say. Though he personally directed only five movies, the last one in 2011, he consulted on every movie at Pixar and Disney Animation, weighing in anywhere from every few weeks to every few months depending on how smoothly production was running, employees said. Approval from Mr. Lasseter was necessary to move past key benchmarks in writing, storyboarding, production and editing.
Source: https://www.wsj.com/articles/disney-con ... 1526464166
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Rumpelstiltskin
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Re: Lasseter takeover--good or bad?

Post by Rumpelstiltskin »

Well, Brenda Chapman did accuse him of micromanagement, but she wasn't specific from what I remember. Maybe she meant that he insist to put certain elements into the movies (and exclude others), like a red thread (or several threads) that runs through the different animated projects.
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Re: Lasseter takeover -- good or bad

Post by JTurner »

Sotiris wrote:This is why every film from WDAS and Pixar feels the same.
His absence has been felt in every corner of Disney’s animation business, current and former employees say. Though he personally directed only five movies, the last one in 2011, he consulted on every movie at Pixar and Disney Animation, weighing in anywhere from every few weeks to every few months depending on how smoothly production was running, employees said. Approval from Mr. Lasseter was necessary to move past key benchmarks in writing, storyboarding, production and editing.
Source: https://www.wsj.com/articles/disney-con ... 1526464166
Seriously, I feel that both studios should establish their own identities and not try to be copycats of each other.
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thedisneyspirit
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Re: Lasseter takeover--good or bad?

Post by thedisneyspirit »

All the Lassie praise a few years back... :o :D
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Rumpelstiltskin
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Re: Lasseter takeover--good or bad?

Post by Rumpelstiltskin »

The praise was probably because of the promises that were made. From now on Disney animation should be a creator driven studio. No more bean counters; the movie makers should be allowed to make the movies exactly how they wanted it (to a certain limit). Computer or hand-drawn. As someone has pointed out, the last hand-drawn feature from Disney was Winnie the Pooh, with practically zero marketing, released the same day as Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, and it would have been easy to assume it was another movie from DisneyToon Studios. While not exactly a flop, it was no box office giant either.

But then he wanted to change Disney animation:

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/37529
My first impressions of Lasseter were that he was exactly who I thought he was going to be. His enthusiasm is so honest and pure that he couldn’t contain it and our informal meet and greet turned into a 45 minute long bullshitting session about classic Disney animation, what he’s done to make Disney animation more like Pixar and his work on the amusement parks.
Others at the studios would eventually start to complain about certain elements in leadership. And the audience would start noticing certain standard formula that became increasingly visible. Because Disney animation was starting to look more and more like Pixar animation, and what they both had in common was Lasseter, his influence is clear. He clearly has his own opinions about what makes a good movie. But when a single man keeps pushing for movies that fulfill his image of what a proper movie is supposed to be like, it becomes a straightjacket. This is not something that is visible straight away, it takes some movies to see the pattern.

I guess the question now is how the Lee-Docter takeover will turn out. Lee hasn't said much to the media yet, but based on what Docter has mentioned in previous interviews, he seems to have the right attitude.
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Re: Lasseter takeover--good or bad?

Post by Raf »

Craig Gerber wrote:Sad to hear about the closing of #DisneyToonStudios. I got my start in animation there writing for the #TinkerBell movies (and shorts). Learned all about #Pixar-style storytelling. Worked w/ some great folks, some of whom I am lucky to work with now on #ElenaOfAvalor!
https://twitter.com/_CraigGerber/status ... 3256659968

:lol:
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Sotiris
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Re: Lasseter takeover--good or bad?

Post by Sotiris »

Yikes! :shock: This isn't just morally reprehensible, it's illegal.
Cinzia Angelini wrote:Dsney likes to sell itself as the "family-friendly studio", but they are worse than any other studio! I was let go in 2008. Ed Catmull hugged me goodbye and told me "You'll be just fine". I was 6 months pregnant and he (or the studio) could not care less.
Source: https://.twitter.com/cinziaangelini/status/1021544057636409344
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Re: Lasseter takeover--good or bad?

Post by disneyprincess11 »

I just found a video of the original version of Zootopia

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=eNY3TBMILgI

The final movie is excellent, but it’s amazing how the first version was 100% original without the era cliches like sarcastic guy/cute girl, deals, road trip etc. it makes you wonder why Lasseter made Howard play by his rules
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