John Lasseter Movies and Career Information

John Alan Lasseter (born January 12, 1957) is an American animator, director and the chief creative officer at Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios. He is also currently the Principal Creative Advisor for Walt Disney Imagineering. Lasseter was born in Hollywood, California, the son of Jewell Mae (née Risley), an art teacher at Medomak Valley High School, and Paul Eual Lasseter, a parts manager at a Chevrolet dealership. Lasseter grew up in Whittier, California. His mother's profession contributed to his growing preoccupation with animation. He often drew cartoons during church services at the Church of Christ his family attended. As a child, Lasseter would race home from school to watch Chuck Jones cartoons on television. While in high school, he read a book about Sleeping Beauty called The Art of Animation, by Bob Thomas, which made him realize he wanted to do animation himself. And when he saw a screening of The Sword in the Stone, he finally made the decision that he should become an animator. His education began at Pepperdine University. It was the alma mater of both his parents and his siblings. However, he heard of a new program at California Institute of the Arts and