Computers don't create computer animation any more than a pencil creates pencil animation. What creates computer animation is the artist.
John LasseterThis is what I always tell my filmmakers-you have to do tons of research, because you don't know where the inspiration is going come from.
John LasseterThere is such amazing talent at Disney. My job is 100% creative, and I am very excited to creatively lead them.
John LasseterIt [moviemaking] is about entertaining audiences with great characters and great stories, you want to make people laugh, you want to make people cry, you want to have great music that is memorable. You want a movie that, as soon as it's over, you want to watch it again, just like that. That's what it is, whether it's live-action, animation, hand drawn, computer, special effects, puppet animation, it doesn't matter. That's the goal of a filmmaker.
John LasseterI've always loved animation it's the reason why I do what I do for a living - the films of Walt Disney. This art form is so spectacular and beautiful. And I never quite understood the feeling amongst animation studios that audiences today only wanted to see computer animation. It's never about the medium that a film is made in, it's about the story. It's about how good the movie is.
John LasseterI quickly realized that this medium had a lot to offer someone like me. To do Disney-quality hand-drawn cartoons, you have to be a master of two art forms. Seriously, you have to be able to draw like a Leonardo da Vinci or a Michelangelo. But also you have to know movement and timing and control that through 24 frames a second.
John LasseterI worry about kids today not having time to build a tree house or ride a bike or go fishing. I worry that life is getting faster and faster.
John LasseterYou have to do three things really well to make a successful film. You have to tell a compelling story that has a story that is unpredictable, that keeps people on the edge of their seat where they can't wait to see what happens next. You then populate that story with really memorable and appealing characters. And then, you put that story and those characters in a believable world, not realistic but believable for the story that you're telling.
John LasseterSoon I learned that the worse the puns and jokes, the funnier they could be, if you knew how to deliver them.
John LasseterA good part of my leadership skills is crafted from learning from experiences early in my career that were not positive experiences.
John LasseterI love the villains who are really hyper-smart. When at the end of the movie you find out what they were about, and it makes absolutely perfect sense from their point of view.
John LasseterA gem of a short film has a sense of pure joy in animation that is different from anything you see in a feature film.
John LasseterEvery single Pixar film, at one time or another, has been the worst movie ever put on film. But we know. We trust our process. We don't get scared and say, 'Oh, no, this film isn't working.'
John LasseterI think that the entertainment industry and the entertainment press tends to focus on opening weekend box office as a measure of the success of a film and I think the true success is out there in people's homes and how much they absolutely love these characters.
John LasseterI realized that people make cartoons for a living. It had never dawned on me that you could do this as a career.
John LasseterI believe in the nobility of entertaining people and I take great, great pride that people are willing to give me two or three hours of their busy lives.
John LasseterSlice open one of my veins and cartoons will pour out; open another vein and you'll get a flood of motor oil.
John LasseterI think the painted backgrounds in animations are absolutely stunningly beautiful. There's something really special about this medium. I don't believe audiences have grown past it. I think what audiences love is to be entertained-thoroughly, deeply entertained, and that's what I've always set out to do.
John Lasseter