After retiring from Pixar, the company he founded,
in the wake of a sexual harassment scandal, John Lasseter is again heading an
animation studio.
Lasseter, the former creative chief of Pixar and
Disney Animation, will lead Skydance Animation beginning later this month, Skydance
Media Chief Executive David Ellison announced Wednesday.
“John is a singular creative and executive talent
whose impact on the animation industry cannot be overstated,” Ellison said,
while highlighting Lasseter’s track record as a technical innovator and master
storyteller. Ellison noted that Skydance had not “entered into this decision
lightly” and that they were not minimizing “anyone’s subjective views” on such
behavior. He referred to Lasseter’s past actions as “mistakes” and said the new
hire had promised to “comport himself” professionally.
Lasseter had reportedly sought top animation
positions at other studios without luck. Warner Bros. was among the companies
leery of working with him, Variety reported.
It has been just more than a year since Lasseter
took a leave of absence from Disney after admitting to professional “missteps”
in his behavior, without specifically acknowledging the allegations of sexual
harassment.
"I'm grateful to David and the Skydance team
and know that I have been entrusted with an enormous responsibility,” Lasseter
said in a statement. “It is a distinct privilege that I will relish.
“I have spent the last year away from the industry
in deep reflection, learning how my actions unintentionally made colleagues
uncomfortable, which I deeply regret and apologize for,” the statement
continued. “It has been humbling, but I believe it will make me a better
leader."
Lasseter, who began his career as a Disney
animator, co-founded Pixar in the 1980s and helped blaze a trail for fully
animated digital films, including 1995’s milestone feature “Toy Story.”
The hiring of Lasseter, who will be based in Los
Angeles, immediately becomes one of the most controversial employment moves in
Hollywood during the #MeToo and #TimesUp era. Having weighed that fact, Ellison
said: “John has acknowledged and apologized for his mistakes and, during the
past year away from the workplace, has endeavored to address and reform them.”
Lasseter began his leave of absence in November
2017 after multiple women came forward with accounts of inappropriate and
harassing behavior by him. Pixar, which is now led by Pete Docter (“Inside
Out”), announced last June that Lasseter would leave the Bay Area company at
year’s end; Jennifer Lee (“Frozen”) now leads Disney Animation.
Ellison said in his news release: “We employed
outside counsel to thoroughly investigate the allegations, which we considered
serious and have warranted our full attention as we made this important
decision. The senior leadership team and I have all carefully evaluated the
findings of this extensive investigation.”
Lasseter, who will report directly to Ellison,
effectively replaces Bill Damaschke, who will be “transitioning from his
current role,” the Skydance news release said.
Skydance Media has such big action-film franchises
as “Mission: Impossible” and the forthcoming “Terminator,” but its animation
division, formed in 2017, has not yet released a feature. In 2017, Skydance
announced that it hired Vicky Jenson (“Shrek,” “Shark Tale”) and Alessandro
Carloni (“Kung Fu Panda,” “How to Train Your Dragon”) to direct its first
animated features.
Lasseter will oversee the division and help
develop its slate of projects, according to Skydance.
Some critics of Lasseter’s hiring voiced their
concerns and anger on social media:
In response to the hiring, the Time’s Up organization released a statement that said Skydance Media’s decision to employ John Lasseter “endorses and perpetuates a broken system that allows powerful men to act without consequence.”
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