Lasseter Taking Sabbatical over "Missteps"

Director of the Book of Life tweeted this. Leads credence to Rashida Jones and shows why people should think twice about boycotting Coco/Pixar.

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Just got out of the theater watching it - though I will say I thought twice about going but felt the people truly behind it creatively deserve for people to see it

And they definitely do - it was a wonderful movie. Visually stunning, great story and tons of touching moments ... may have been some ninjas cutting onions in our theater though based on my level of tears
 
Just got out of the theater watching it - though I will say I thought twice about going but felt the people truly behind it creatively deserve for people to see it

And they definitely do - it was a wonderful movie. Visually stunning, great story and tons of touching moments ... may have been some ninjas cutting onions in our theater though based on my level of tears
Glad to hear. I hope to see it soon.
 
I just don't agree with the argument if you go see CoCo, you are supporting Lasseter and sexual harassment in general.

Slippery slope - if you are boycotting this film and want to send Disney in general a message, you need to boycott it all. Any trips planned? Cancel it. DVC? Start planning to sell. Excited for Star Wars? Too bad.

I'm not saying yes or no to a boycott, but in order for one to work, it has to be everything.
 
I want to see Coco even though I am disgusted and saddened by this news. One of my dreams was to be an animator and I always thought Pixar was the perfect place to work even though I had to acknowledge it was a huge boys club. I never ended up pursuing my dream and now it’s like if I had, it would have likely sucked anyway. Hearing Pixar, a place I was obsessed with described as a toxic environment is just so so, so disappointing for me. I idolized Lasseter. But I’ve learned my lesson now. Never idolize anyone, particularly a celebrity.

I don’t know. I’m having a really hard time with this one.
 


I just don't agree with the argument if you go see CoCo, you are supporting Lasseter and sexual harassment in general.

Slippery slope - if you are boycotting this film and want to send Disney in general a message, you need to boycott it all. Any trips planned? Cancel it. DVC? Start planning to sell. Excited for Star Wars? Too bad.

I'm not saying yes or no to a boycott, but in order for one to work, it has to be everything.

Boycotts work by degree as well as by totality...if you want to target Disney animation to make the point on Lasseter, stop seeing their theatrical movies and skip buying their DVDs this weekend - I had planned both this weekend (Cars 3 DVD and Coco tickets)...if every single person does the same, things change...and FAST!

It's not like every person had to stop watching the NFL for people to start panicking over ratings and losses this year...you just had to turn off games without your team and stop buying merchandise if you wanted to make a point...I mean, look at the panicking owners (whether or not you agree with the boycott)...

These whole "you have to stop EVERYTHING" are dumb arguments...money is made by the $1, and every dollar lost counts...
 
Boycotts work by degree as well as by totality...if you want to target Disney animation to make the point on Lasseter, stop seeing their theatrical movies and skip buying their DVDs this weekend - I had planned both this weekend (Cars 3 DVD and Coco tickets)...if every single person does the same, things change...and FAST!

It's not like every person had to stop watching the NFL for people to start panicking over ratings and losses this year...you just had to turn off games without your team and stop buying merchandise if you wanted to make a point...I mean, look at the panicking owners (whether or not you agree with the boycott)...

These whole "you have to stop EVERYTHING" are dumb arguments...money is made by the $1, and every dollar lost counts...
And the if I go see Coco I support Lasseter arguments are dumb too but to each their own.
 


Those that I will say that I will no longer buy any Lasseter wine
To me that makes sense.

I am interested to see if he loses any honors he received. For example he received an award from the Walt Disney Family Museum just a couple weeks ago or so.
 
Now's not really the time to boycott anyway. What would be the point? The allegations have been made, the man has stepped back, and presumably the company will be investigating. There's not really any more to be done at this point. If he's allowed to come back without any changes in six months, *that* will be the time to protest.
 
Now's not really the time to boycott anyway. What would be the point? The allegations have been made, the man has stepped back, and presumably the company will be investigating. There's not really any more to be done at this point. If he's allowed to come back without any changes in six months, *that* will be the time to protest.
No. People can choose to boycott when they want. What may be the time for you won't necessarily be the time for others. Some will never choose to boycott.
 
Boycotts work by degree as well as by totality...if you want to target Disney animation to make the point on Lasseter, stop seeing their theatrical movies and skip buying their DVDs this weekend - I had planned both this weekend (Cars 3 DVD and Coco tickets)...if every single person does the same, things change...and FAST!

It's not like every person had to stop watching the NFL for people to start panicking over ratings and losses this year...you just had to turn off games without your team and stop buying merchandise if you wanted to make a point...I mean, look at the panicking owners (whether or not you agree with the boycott)...

These whole "you have to stop EVERYTHING" are dumb arguments...money is made by the $1, and every dollar lost counts...

I thought the point was to target more than just Disney animation. If you want Disney/Iger to be held accountable for a culture that allows this to happen, then you have to hit where it hurts, which is all of it.

Just saying, if you're done with a company, be done with it. I've done it before, I understand.

oops, traveled back in time...
 
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Disney can solve the whole problem and fire Lasseter anytime they want...that would probably make folks feel a whole lot better about seeing Coco...it's not like other companies had backup plans when they let go of Weinstein, Charlie Rose, Louis CK, Kevin Spacey, Jeffrey Tambor, Mark Halperin, etc...
They sure could.
 
The Vanity Fair article I just read was the last I'll read on this topic - I can't read anymore about this because it just makes me feel gross. His "apology" is gross, the acknowledged behavior is gross, the fact that it went on for however long that it did without anyone putting a stop to it or telling him to keep his hugs/kisses/comments/hands in check is gross. The lack of comment of any substance from Disney is gross.

Sadly, it's no different than (apparently) any other job in a "brass ring" setting ... there are only so many opportunities to work in fields like those, and when you give up so much of your life to get there you don't want to be the one to blow the whistle when something is wrong or you're put in a position that makes you uncomfortable - it's either deal with it and try to make the best or quit and pursue something else.

A person should never have to accept unwanted behavior in the workplace, public situation or even in private if it's unwanted. If I don't want someone to hug me or touch me or make comments about my boobs or what I'm wearing or kiss me on the cheek(s), I shouldn't have to accept it just because "Oh, that's what he ALWAYS does! He doesn't mean anything bad by it!". That's unacceptable.

But unfortunately, we live in a time where full-time jobs with things like decent pay, good benefits, annual raises, paid vacation, opportunities for upward growth and other value-adds are hard to find, let alone keep (be it layoffs, staff attrition, conversion to automation, outsourcing, etc.) and people fall into the trap of keeping silent and dealing with toxic behavior because it's possibly the only way to keep their livelihood.

It's all just so gross. Pixar knew the workplace culture was toxic for years ... I have to believe that all the way up the ladder at Disney had an inclination as well, but just turned a blind eye because it wasn't losing money and they weren't facing lawsuits, or the "hush money" to prevent lawsuits hadn't reached a critical-mass dollar figure. I feel badly for other writers and animators that will possibly lose opportunities as minorities to tell stories and present works from a minority angle because of a potential bad box-office return for "Coco" - but the fact that they have to put all their chips on the success of ONE movie to possibly open doors for them in the future with not only Pixar but other studios is yet another indictment of the toxic, white-washed Hollywood culture.

Personally, it very much changes my attitude towards Disney as a whole and will greatly impact my upcoming plans and spending behaviors at WDW.
 
I had no intention of seeing Coco, but I will say, that I want to hear more about what Disney's over-arching response to this is going to be. I harshly vote with my dollars, I mean, there are places that I have products I used to enjoy, but I don't agree with various policies/positions they've publicly held, so I don't frequent their establishments. I'd really like to hear that Lasseter is gone, like yesterday, and that a systemic change is coming to any part of Disney's business which tolerates such a corporate culture. I'm happy for them to take their time, but if nothing is really done with Lasseter, I am actually going to have to consider what I think it would mean TO ME (just one consumer) if I gave money to an organization who lets such a corporate culture exist. Am I ok with not giving Pixar money? Actually, that's no skin off my nose, at all, but I'll have to measure what I think based on how Disney corporate responds. I'll be deeply disappointed if this gets pushed under the rug. If they let him creep back into the business, I'm going to be 1) sad and 2) have some trips to consider.
 
I'd really like to hear that Lasseter is gone, like yesterday, and that a systemic change is coming to any part of Disney's business which tolerates such a corporate culture.

I agree with this - with all the other instances of such behavior, we've seen swift action from industry equivalents like Netflix and Amazon and the guilds and academies that support and award the players involved. But the resolute silence from Disney is startling.
 
Lasseter is also the head of Imagineering for Disney Parks. He's beyond a "rainmaker" for Disney, the majority of his product and guidance has been absolutely golden for Disney. The turnaround at Disney Animation has been downright miraculous. He is second in importance only to Bob Iger...maybe even MORE important in some respects. This guy is as close to "irreplaceable" as it gets...and yet...Disney may have to.
 
Lasseter is also the head of Imagineering for Disney Parks. He's beyond a "rainmaker" for Disney, the majority of his product and guidance has been absolutely golden for Disney. The turnaround at Disney Animation has been downright miraculous. He is second in importance only to Bob Iger...maybe even MORE important in some respects. This guy is as close to "irreplaceable" as it gets...and yet...Disney may have to.
No he is not. Bob Weis is president of Walt Disney Imagineering. John Lasseter is a consultant for Imagineering.
 

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