This is a follow-up to what I had written about this week’s shocking news…
I had posted merely nine or so hours after the news broke that John Lasseter, one of the men who was extremely instrumental in making Pixar into what it is now and their creative overseer, is no different from other terrible people within Hollywood’s archaic boys’ club. He has been outed for sexual harassment, and Pixar’s culture is said to be toxic in general and very biased against women and people of color.
We’ve heard shreds of this over the years.
One of the first instances where it was really brought out was through writer-director Brenda Chapman. Chapman joined Pixar in the mid-aughts to write and direct a story based on her own personal experiences, one that would eventually become the studio’s 2012 film Brave. In some interviews, she had noted that they were indeed a boys’ club and that she was the “token” female.
Of course, I and many others gave Pixar the benefit of the doubt. I myself had assumed that maybe Pixar had ridiculous standards, that the few people who happened to meet them were men. Namely, Pixar’s Brain Trust. Directors like Pete Docter, Andrew Stanton, Lee Unkrich, Brad Bird, etc.
The animation community was shook in late 2010 when it was announced that Chapman was being ousted from her own film that she poured all her heart into. Her replacement was a male, and Brave didn’t get the glowing reception other Pixar films received. Early on, Chapman had stated that she was glad the film was finished and stated it was close to what she envisioned. Some anonymous staffers backed that up… A year later, she was at DreamWorks for a little while, and had stated in an interview that her experiences at Pixar weren’t good, and that John Lasseter has a real “my way or the highway” approach.
At the time, I took it as sour grapes. “Pixar didn’t want to make the exact movie you wanted to make, suggested changes, you took your toys and left the sandbox.” After all, Pixar had removed male directors from their films, too. Brad Lewis was kicked off of Cars 2, Dan Scanlon replaced an unnamed director on Monsters University (thought to be Presto director Doug Sweetland), and Bob Peterson was removed from The Good Dinosaur. Before this current decade, Toy Story 2 had lost its original director and Ratatouille‘s originator was removed from the director’s chair.
Director removals seemed more routine at Pixar after the death of a certain someone named Joe Ranft. Some feel that Ranft’s death left a huge hole in Pixar, I think it did. I still firmly believe that Pixar hasn’t made a bad film or even a mediocre one, some of the post-Toy Story 3 films carry some flaws and issues here and there, but nothing too, too major. Still, Chapman wasn’t pleased with her experience there, and many defended her. In fact, Chapman even had to fight to share the Oscar credit with director Mark Andrews. Winning somewhat, she and Andrews held the little gold man onstage. (Brave won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature of 2012.) Prior to that, she fought to keep her name on the film. As “director.” She won that battle, too.
With this week’s news, I think things ran deeper than “He wanted me to change certain parts of the story.” In the reports, it was revealed that Lasseter not only made women feel uncomfortable, but also said demeaning things towards them quite frequently. Chapman was on Brave for a good four years, the next year and a half was when Andrews was directing it. The differences arguably aren’t clear-cut, some suspect the film’s more intimate and tender moments are Chapman’s, the humorous parts more Andrews’. That sounds about right. As far as I can see, one of Merida’s triplets landing in the middle of maid Maudie’s breasts was most likely added much later on. A tasteless joke that felt more in line with a Shrek film than a Pixar film.
Other than that, women could only be producers and writers on features. No directing.
The Pixar establishment was also exposed in 2014 when it was discovered that Ed Catmull actively partook in a wage-fixing conspiracy. We saw a man who prided himself (and wrote a book no less, from the excerpts I’ve read, it’s all full of hokum) on being that rare Hollywood executive who understood the artists… Turn out to be someone who willfully hurt artists at Pixar and at other studios. He hadn’t stepped down, he’s still Pixar’s president. You know how some Pixar films have villains who seem kind and genuine at first? Yeah… It was a lot like that.
I have had little respect for Catmull ever since, and would often wince when being reminded that he’s still there. Now, some three years later, John Lasseter is like a Mr. Waternoose-type. Of course, I’m referring to the secondary antagonist of Pixar’s Monsters, Inc. Deceptive, cruel, and behind an awful conspiracy.
About Lasseter. Yes, I saw him as a hero. An animation champion, and an inspiration. Problem is, Lasseter has been built up through PR-garbage as the ringleader, perhaps the sole driving force behind Pixar and the reformed Walt Disney Animation Studios. The glue that puts together all the great ideas from the artists. I mean, I didn’t believe ALL OF THAT, but I believed what I was told: He’s the great, genuine guy who not only loves animation, but is a heartfelt and loving guy with the usual human flaws… Far from it. Obviously, learning about what he’s really like HURT. That was followed by me feeling that I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN BETTER…
This all poured out on November 21st, the day the studio’s newest film opened. Typically with tentpoles and films like these, a set of “pre-release” showings occur the night before the official opening day of the movie. I bought my tickets in advance because I knew I wouldn’t be able to see it any other day of the week or afterwards, my schedule is super-busy from here until finals. Naturally, I was excited. The new Pixar film, just hours away… Then it was revealed that Lasseter did what he did. Naturally, I was terrified, shook, saddened…
What was I going to do? I had vocally expressed on social media that I was considering refunding the three tickets I purchased for Tuesday night, but many came at me saying that this would hurt the artists. I went anyways, but despite what others are telling me, I’m still very uneasy about the decision I made…
I feel that many haven’t heard me out, so here I go again… How many other people at Pixar are like Lasseter? How many other people enabled and excused this man?
Articles are confirming that Pixar’s staff were well aware of Lasseter’s behavior for over 15-20 years. This is a reason why I’m still regretting my decision.
New reports are suggesting that Disney CEO Bob Iger made sure that Lasseter got away with what he did. This is a reason why I’m still regretting my decision.
Another report from someone who worked for stated that there’s a real cult of personality around John, and that many of his supporters are ultimately subservient. This is a reason why I’m still regretting my decision.
A former Disney Animation director/writer, who worked for Lasseter for three years, likened Lasseter to Harvey Weinstein, and Ed Catmull to Bob Weinstein. You what Weinstein did? He had so many put his victims in fear, making sure no stories would ever get out. If John’s like Harvey, he did similar things. This is a reason why I’m still regretting my decision.
If you haven’t gotten it by now, I don’t know what to tell you.
Enough of this “it’s just one man” stuff, it’s known now that MANY PEOPLE AT PIXAR ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS.
Yes, the artists who actually are good people should not have to suffer the consequences, nor should the people Coco is representing. Ultimately, they need us… But buying Coco tickets, you’re still supporting a studio system that hurts women and people of color. No two ways about it. It’s like being able to save only one kid out of two in a raging river.
I was too scared and stressed to fully articulate my points these past few days, I feel as if people have misunderstood my earlier blog post.
Someone insinuated that I’m “living in fear.” I am not “living in fear” of what’s going to happen next. I’m mentally preparing myself to find out that tons of people at Pixar are just as terrible as Lasseter is. Weinstein’s exposure opened the floodgates, we’re going to hear that more of our “favorites” are terrible people. We’ve already seen people like Kevin Spacey turn out to be monsters.
I’m also not naive. I’ve always been well aware that terrible person can exist within the animation scene. Ed Catmull’s actions already re-confirmed that for me. I had also said that I am well aware that Walt Disney himself had flaws. Some admired him, some felt he was a monster.
I also clearly stated that I didn’t lose any love for Pixar’s films and works, even if I did mention that it’s going to be hard to watch some of them. I know others are stronger than me at this, separating the art from the artist. Maybe I have trouble doing this because I myself write, make art, and plan to make big things in the future. It’s a bit hard to comprehend that the immense heart in a certain film came from a guy who is predatory. I keep trying to separate the two, I did it enough when I had seen Coco. I tried to forget that some guy named Lee Unkrich, who could possibly be one of John’s heinous enablers, was the director. I thought that the heart was a shared experience, not exclusive to Unkrich, and that some other talented person could’ve told this story as well. Art should transcend, to be more than a bunch of bad people who made it.
This isn’t about being right or having the upper hand, this about the women, the victims, the people who dreamed to be at a place like Pixar only to enter a world where they were treated like objects. It’s very possible that my refusal to refund those Coco tickets hurt them. It was NEVER about being morally superior to everyone who paid to see the film, and whoever got that out of my statement is wrong.
This week made me question my love for Disney in general. Everything. Disney animated films, Pixar, the theme parks, other things they make. Iger has done some terrible things before. When I was younger, I had no idea of what executives did. After 2008 or so, when I gained knowledge of how these things work, I should’ve been concerned then. I remember hearing years ago that Iger kept child slave labor going, yet I still bought up Disney stuff. I just brushed it off like, “Eh, corporations are full of shitty people. What can you do? It’s about the rest of the people making those movies!”
Maybe it is. I guess everything I support has people in their upper ranks doing awful things. It is nothing new, I know that. Steve Jobs himself was a monster, too. We have monstrous politicians, monstrous people in the music industry, monstrous people everywhere. Either be a full-on cynic like Lots-O-Huggin’ Bear, or find some way to be at peace. I may not have found that yet, as someone who wants to do the right thing.
Lasseter is taking a six-month sabbatical leave. I guess he thinks six months of thinking long and hard about what he did will just change everything. It will not. Bringing Lasseter back only encourages this model and is a slap in the face to all the women and people of color at Pixar, and in the animation industry as whole. He did this for over 20 years, it wasn’t just unintentional over-hugging. It was full-on touching and disrespecting women. HE NEEDS TO GO. If Iger went along with it, he needs to go, too. Everyone who let Lasseter get away with this NEEDS TO GO. The Walt Disney Company is making a terrible decision by letting him come back. None of this “clean up your act” bullshit, take everything away from him despite his accomplishments and achievements. He is not fit for this.
Of course, I’m also asking for way too much. This is business after all, where unhealthy compromises are made. Keep the perv in charge, and you have jobs. Shutting down Pixar entirely would put hundreds of good people out of work, they wouldn’t be able to find other animation studios in an instant. One man’s actions can really affect tons of good people, as we’ve seen many times before.
What is the right answer?
Until major change happens at Pixar Animation Studios, my decision to see Coco that night will remain a questionable one. Yes, I supported artists and a population that’s underrepresented in major Hollywood movies, but I also supported a big team of cads. I’m less depressed about learning one of my heroes is a monster, and more depressed about knowing that I supported him and other monsters at Pixar. Pixar is a different kind of monsters, inc. it seems. With all those hints at how awful Lasseter was, I should’ve known instead of saying “Ahhh that’s just sour grapes.”
Truly a grey situation if there ever was one. I can only hope Lasseter and all those other people who enabled him get fired, and that better people take the reins, hopefully women and people of color. It probably won’t happen, but it’s a nice thing to suggest.