John Lasseter was born in Hollywood, but he grew up in Whittier, a city near Los Angeles. His parents, Jewell Mae Risley, an art teacher, and Paul Eual Lasseter, a parts manager at a Chevrolet dealership, had a significant influence on his early life.
John's mother's profession as an art teacher contributed to his fascination with animation, particularly the Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck cartoons he watched on television. As he entered high school, he realized that he could have a career in animation and wrote to the Walt Disney Studios, but unfortunately, nothing came of it.
In 1975, the Disney company launched an animation course at Calarts, and John, with his mother's encouragement, was one of the first to sign up. He was taught by some of Disney's veteran animators, including Ollie Johnston and Frank Thomas, and went on to produce two animated shorts, Lady and the Lamp (1979) and Nitemare (1980),which both won the Student Academy Award for Animation.
After graduating in 1979, John was hired as an animator at the Disney Studios. In 1983, while working on Mickey's Christmas Carol, he was introduced to the concept of computer-generated imagery (CGI) through some footage of Tron. He was immediately impressed with its potential to enhance animated films and, along with a colleague, created a short test film that demonstrated the technology's capabilities.
However, his superiors at Disney were not pleased with the project and ultimately canceled it, leading to John's departure from the company. He went on to join Lucasfilm, which was later acquired by Steve Jobs for $10 million. John convinced Jobs that the future of animation lay in computer animation, and he was soon working on a feature-length film.
In 1988, John created the short film Luxor Jr, which brought his desk lamp to life and received a standing ovation at a computer graphics conference. This success led to the production of the first computer-animated feature film, Toy Story, which won John an Academy Award for Special Achievement and another for Animated Short Film - Tin Toy.
Throughout his career, John has received numerous accolades, including Oscar nominations for Animated Feature - Monster Inc and Cars, Original Screenplay -Toy Story, and Animated Short Story - Luxor Jr. Knick Knack, one of his short films, was selected by Terry Gilliam as one of the best 10 animated films of all time.
In 2008, John was honored with the Winsor McCay Award, a lifetime achievement award for animators. He has also served on the board of governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences from 2005 to 2014 and was presented with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in November 2011.
Today, John oversees three animation studios: Pixar, Disney Animation, and DisneyToon.
