Apple in 'prolonged' talks to acquire two John Lasseter films

AppleInsider

Apple TV+ executives have reportedly been in "prolonged" talks to acquire two films produced by animator, director, and former Disney executive John Lasseter.

Credit: Variety

The acquisition of the two titles from Skydance Animation, "Luck" and "Spellbound," would also further cement what Variety reports is a "larger agreement" between the David Ellison animation division and the Apple streaming platform.

Both films are already set up at Paramount Pictures, but Skydance has a contractual right to move the projects elsewhere.

Executives who saw screened footage of "Luck" called the film "vintage Lasseter," with both the characteristically "dazzlingly" production value and commercial appeal that he is known for, Variety added.

"Luck," directed by Peggy Holmes, follows the story of the unluckiest girl in the world who stumbles upon the "never-before-seen world of good and bad luck." The other title, "Spellbound" is described as a musical fantasy set in a world of magic and follows a young girl who "sets out to break the spell that has split her kingdom in two."

Both of the titles were slated for a release in 2022.

jimh2

This is troubling to me as this guy was run out of Pixar for being a creep towards the female staff. A quick search will give you all the details you need to know. If Apple wants to do right it does not involve subsidizing this guys movies.

lkrupp

jimh2 said:

This is troubling to me as this guy was run out of Pixar for being a creep towards the female staff. A quick search will give you all the details you need to know.

Right, no second chances, no redemption, no acknowledgment of decades of artistic excellence. Apology not accepted. Cancelled. Another example of the tolerant, accepting, loving philosophy of the left. 

Be as ‘troubled’ as you want. You know almost ALL of Pixar’s titles are Lasseter’s films. Toy Story, Finding Nemo, Monsters Inc. I suppose you want them taken off the market and banned, right? You are a joke.

Ar40

I'm thrilled with this news. I couldn't care less about the rumors about Lasseter. He was kicked out of Disney, that's punishment enough. Hopefully he shaped up since then. But, if the content is good, that's all that matters. Kinda like the situation with the Hillary show. If the show is good, I can overlook the horrific choice of collaborator in Hillary.

InspiredCode

I’m fine with second chances, but he needs to do more then say he’s reformed.

Beats

Nice!

jimh2 said:

This is troubling to me as this guy was run out of Pixar for being a creep towards the female staff. A quick search will give you all the details you need to know. If Apple wants to do right it does not involve subsidizing this guys movies.

#MeToo

Funny thing is Disney currently has staff that have molested boys. Yet feminists scream "EQUALITY!!"

Would LOVE Apple to hire him. Didn't know he was kicked out of Disney over allegations. What a stupid move.

Beats

lkrupp said:

jimh2 said:

This is troubling to me as this guy was run out of Pixar for being a creep towards the female staff. A quick search will give you all the details you need to know.

Right, no second chances, no redemption, no acknowledgment of decades of artistic excellence. Apology not accepted. Cancelled. Another example of the tolerant, accepting, loving philosophy of the left. 

Be as ‘troubled’ as you want. You know almost ALL of Pixar’s titles are Lasseter’s films. Toy Story, Finding Nemo, Monsters Inc. I suppose you want them taken off the market and banned, right? You are a joke.

Actually companies are already doing this. They're banning content from MALES who have allegations. Not the other way around though.

lkrupp

Oh, and for all you cancel culture warriors here, make sure you stop using internet browsers. Remember, you canceled Brendan Eich, the creator of Javascript because he dared support traditional marriage. At the very least you should disable Javascript to make your internet experience more pure. And whatever you do don’t user Firefox. Eich was a founder of Mozilla don’t you know. And the Brave browser so many of you celebrate, Eich is the CEO. So that browser is out too I guess. What browsers do you have left to use?

SpamSandwich

jimh2 said:

This is troubling to me as this guy was run out of Pixar for being a creep towards the female staff. A quick search will give you all the details you need to know. If Apple wants to do right it does not involve subsidizing this guys movies.

No, he hugs people. Some of the women complained and they (wrongly, in my opinion) chose to let him go. Chicken move on Disney’s part. They should’ve supported Lasseter. Throwing him under the bus instead of supporting the guy who brought billions of dollars to Pixar-Disney to avoid controversy was a weak move.

Eric_WVGG

lkrupp said:

Oh, and for all you cancel culture warriors here, make sure you stop using internet browsers. Remember, you canceled Brendan Eich, the creator of Javascript because he dared support traditional marriage. At the very least you should disable Javascript to make your internet experience more pure. And whatever you do don’t user Firefox. Eich was a founder of Mozilla don’t you know. And the Brave browser so many of you celebrate, Eich is the CEO. So that browser is out too I guess. What browsers do you have left to use?

Fuck Brandon Eich.

One can "support traditional marriage" without trampling over the rights of those who think differently than him. Gay marriage doesn't eliminate or threaten straight marriage. Or am I mistaken? Now that gay marriage has been legal for what, five or more years, can straight people no longer get married? /s He's an asshole.

As for Lasseter… I agree, people like him do deserve a second chance. But he's also filthy rich. Maybe he should just be creative on his own dime. There are plenty of animators who aren't creeps that Apple could sponsor. 

mattinoz

lkrupp said:

Oh, and for all you cancel culture warriors here, make sure you stop using internet browsers. Remember, you canceled Brendan Eich, the creator of Javascript because he dared support traditional marriage. At the very least you should disable Javascript to make your internet experience more pure. And whatever you do don’t user Firefox. Eich was a founder of Mozilla don’t you know. And the Brave browser so many of you celebrate, Eich is the CEO. So that browser is out too I guess. What browsers do you have left to use?

Personally, these projects are the work of many many people. The product is the sum of all those peoples work. If the product seems harmless then why measured it against one member of the team.

crowley

lkrupp said:

Oh, and for all you cancel culture warriors here, make sure you stop using internet browsers. Remember, you canceled Brendan Eich, the creator of Javascript because he dared support traditional marriage. At the very least you should disable Javascript to make your internet experience more pure. And whatever you do don’t user Firefox. Eich was a founder of Mozilla don’t you know. And the Brave browser so many of you celebrate, Eich is the CEO. So that browser is out too I guess. What browsers do you have left to use?

How would disabling JavaScript or not using Firefox affect Eich?  

Sounds like you’ve got a major chip on your shoulder.

jimh2

SpamSandwich said:

jimh2 said:

This is troubling to me as this guy was run out of Pixar for being a creep towards the female staff. A quick search will give you all the details you need to know. If Apple wants to do right it does not involve subsidizing this guys movies.

No, he hugs people. Some of the women complained and they (wrongly, in my opinion) chose to let him go. Chicken move on Disney’s part. They should’ve supported Lasseter. Throwing him under the bus instead of supporting the guy who brought billions of dollars to Pixar-Disney to avoid controversy was a weak move.

You probably should search for a few more articles on his hugging. It might be over the top but when you have co-workers who position themselves in meetings to avoid being next to him that is a real problem and like most jobs where this crap happens it is always someone in power. There were multiple complaints from subordinate female staff members regarding his physical contact with them which included unwelcome hugs (which he admitted to) and groping and kissing (which he did not deny). He is young enough to have been given sexual harassment training when he started working, so the "from a different generation" does not work.

There is a difference between having an opinion that is not liked and hugging, touching, or kissing subordinates. Harmless as it may same it is well established that it is beyond unacceptable and is the reason he was fired. Once the complaints start coming the lawsuits are not far behind. Disney had no choice but to fire him (or let him resign) for they either were paying settlements, defending against them and preparing to defend. Cases like these are easy wins for attorneys.

I believe he meant no harm by it, but he and everyone else knows it is unacceptable behavior by anyone, much less a superior. Hiring him just does not fit with Apple's positions on issues such as this. 

SpamSandwich

jimh2 said:

SpamSandwich said:

jimh2 said:

This is troubling to me as this guy was run out of Pixar for being a creep towards the female staff. A quick search will give you all the details you need to know. If Apple wants to do right it does not involve subsidizing this guys movies.

No, he hugs people. Some of the women complained and they (wrongly, in my opinion) chose to let him go. Chicken move on Disney’s part. They should’ve supported Lasseter. Throwing him under the bus instead of supporting the guy who brought billions of dollars to Pixar-Disney to avoid controversy was a weak move.

You probably should search for a few more articles on his hugging. It might be over the top but when you have co-workers who position themselves in meetings to avoid being next to him that is a real problem and like most jobs where this crap happens it is always someone in power. There were multiple complaints from subordinate female staff members regarding his physical contact with them which included unwelcome hugs (which he admitted to) and groping and kissing (which he did not deny). He is young enough to have been given sexual harassment training when he started working, so the "from a different generation" does not work.

There is a difference between having an opinion that is not liked and hugging, touching, or kissing subordinates. Harmless as it may same it is well established that it is beyond unacceptable and is the reason he was fired. Once the complaints start coming the lawsuits are not far behind. Disney had no choice but to fire him (or let him resign) for they either were paying settlements, defending against them and preparing to defend. Cases like these are easy wins for attorneys.

I believe he meant no harm by it, but he and everyone else knows it is unacceptable behavior by anyone, much less a superior. Hiring him just does not fit with Apple's positions on issues such as this. 

“ Hiring him just does not fit with Apple's positions on issues such as this.”

You do know he worked at Pixar-Disney, right?

JWSC

crowley said:

lkrupp said:

Oh, and for all you cancel culture warriors here, make sure you stop using internet browsers. Remember, you canceled Brendan Eich, the creator of Javascript because he dared support traditional marriage. At the very least you should disable Javascript to make your internet experience more pure. And whatever you do don’t user Firefox. Eich was a founder of Mozilla don’t you know. And the Brave browser so many of you celebrate, Eich is the CEO. So that browser is out too I guess. What browsers do you have left to use?

How would disabling JavaScript or not using Firefox affect Eich?  

Sounds like you’ve got a major chip on your shoulder.

It wouldn’t.  Lkrupp was pointing out the absurdity of canceling out anything Lasseter is associated with.

JWSC

jimh2 said:

SpamSandwich said:

jimh2 said:

This is troubling to me as this guy was run out of Pixar for being a creep towards the female staff. A quick search will give you all the details you need to know. If Apple wants to do right it does not involve subsidizing this guys movies.

No, he hugs people. Some of the women complained and they (wrongly, in my opinion) chose to let him go. Chicken move on Disney’s part. They should’ve supported Lasseter. Throwing him under the bus instead of supporting the guy who brought billions of dollars to Pixar-Disney to avoid controversy was a weak move.

You probably should search for a few more articles on his hugging. It might be over the top but when you have co-workers who position themselves in meetings to avoid being next to him that is a real problem and like most jobs where this crap happens it is always someone in power. There were multiple complaints from subordinate female staff members regarding his physical contact with them which included unwelcome hugs (which he admitted to) and groping and kissing (which he did not deny). He is young enough to have been given sexual harassment training when he started working, so the "from a different generation" does not work.

There is a difference between having an opinion that is not liked and hugging, touching, or kissing subordinates. Harmless as it may same it is well established that it is beyond unacceptable and is the reason he was fired. Once the complaints start coming the lawsuits are not far behind. Disney had no choice but to fire him (or let him resign) for they either were paying settlements, defending against them and preparing to defend. Cases like these are easy wins for attorneys.

I believe he meant no harm by it, but he and everyone else knows it is unacceptable behavior by anyone, much less a superior. Hiring him just does not fit with Apple's positions on issues such as this.

The alternative, and more likely, point of view is that Disney chickened out because they didn’t want the bad publicity of contesting anything in court to tarnish their public image.  What’s throwing one employee under the bus compared to a tarnished reputation and lost profits?

I have read the headlines but I don’t pretend to know the details of what really happened.  Cancel culture now has a strong ally in corporate self preservation.  We should all be wary of taking accusations as proof of guilt when powerful companies can use it indiscriminately on “troublesome” employees.

SpamSandwich

JWSC said:

jimh2 said:

SpamSandwich said:

jimh2 said:

This is troubling to me as this guy was run out of Pixar for being a creep towards the female staff. A quick search will give you all the details you need to know. If Apple wants to do right it does not involve subsidizing this guys movies.

No, he hugs people. Some of the women complained and they (wrongly, in my opinion) chose to let him go. Chicken move on Disney’s part. They should’ve supported Lasseter. Throwing him under the bus instead of supporting the guy who brought billions of dollars to Pixar-Disney to avoid controversy was a weak move.

You probably should search for a few more articles on his hugging. It might be over the top but when you have co-workers who position themselves in meetings to avoid being next to him that is a real problem and like most jobs where this crap happens it is always someone in power. There were multiple complaints from subordinate female staff members regarding his physical contact with them which included unwelcome hugs (which he admitted to) and groping and kissing (which he did not deny). He is young enough to have been given sexual harassment training when he started working, so the "from a different generation" does not work.

There is a difference between having an opinion that is not liked and hugging, touching, or kissing subordinates. Harmless as it may same it is well established that it is beyond unacceptable and is the reason he was fired. Once the complaints start coming the lawsuits are not far behind. Disney had no choice but to fire him (or let him resign) for they either were paying settlements, defending against them and preparing to defend. Cases like these are easy wins for attorneys.

I believe he meant no harm by it, but he and everyone else knows it is unacceptable behavior by anyone, much less a superior. Hiring him just does not fit with Apple's positions on issues such as this.

The alternative, and more likely, point of view is that Disney chickened out because they didn’t want the bad publicity of contesting anything in court to tarnish their public image.  What’s throwing one employee under the bus compared to a tarnished reputation and lost profits?

I have read the headlines but I don’t pretend to know the details of what really happened.  Cancel culture now has a strong ally in corporate self preservation.  We should all be wary of taking accusations as proof of guilt when powerful companies can use it indiscriminately on “troublesome” employees.

Easier to let defamatory statements by activists ruin one employee’s reputation and fire them than to fight the falsehoods in the spotlight.

mknelson

SpamSandwich said:
Easier to let defamatory statements by activists ruin one employee’s reputation and fire them than to fight the falsehoods in the spotlight.

IF they're false.

There appears to be plenty of people saying that Lassiter was acting in inappropriate ways and nobody senior tried to correct the situation.

rbc-4

Beats said:

Nice!

jimh2 said:

This is troubling to me as this guy was run out of Pixar for being a creep towards the female staff. A quick search will give you all the details you need to know. If Apple wants to do right it does not involve subsidizing this guys movies.

#MeToo

Funny thing is Disney currently has staff that have molested boys. Yet feminists scream "EQUALITY!!"

Would LOVE Apple to hire him. Didn't know he was kicked out of Disney over allegations. What a stupid move.

Beats said:

lkrupp said:

jimh2 said:

This is troubling to me as this guy was run out of Pixar for being a creep towards the female staff. A quick search will give you all the details you need to know.

Right, no second chances, no redemption, no acknowledgment of decades of artistic excellence. Apology not accepted. Cancelled. Another example of the tolerant, accepting, loving philosophy of the left. 

Be as ‘troubled’ as you want. You know almost ALL of Pixar’s titles are Lasseter’s films. Toy Story, Finding Nemo, Monsters Inc. I suppose you want them taken off the market and banned, right? You are a joke.

Actually companies are already doing this. They're banning content from MALES who have allegations. Not the other way around though.

Post some proof.... or stop hinting.

crowley

JWSC said:

crowley said:

lkrupp said:

Oh, and for all you cancel culture warriors here, make sure you stop using internet browsers. Remember, you canceled Brendan Eich, the creator of Javascript because he dared support traditional marriage. At the very least you should disable Javascript to make your internet experience more pure. And whatever you do don’t user Firefox. Eich was a founder of Mozilla don’t you know. And the Brave browser so many of you celebrate, Eich is the CEO. So that browser is out too I guess. What browsers do you have left to use?

How would disabling JavaScript or not using Firefox affect Eich?  

Sounds like you’ve got a major chip on your shoulder.

It wouldn’t.  Lkrupp was pointing out the absurdity of canceling out anything Lasseter is associated with.

Then it didn't work, because he compared it with something not particularly comparable.

lkrupp

crowley said:

lkrupp said:

Oh, and for all you cancel culture warriors here, make sure you stop using internet browsers. Remember, you canceled Brendan Eich, the creator of Javascript because he dared support traditional marriage. At the very least you should disable Javascript to make your internet experience more pure. And whatever you do don’t user Firefox. Eich was a founder of Mozilla don’t you know. And the Brave browser so many of you celebrate, Eich is the CEO. So that browser is out too I guess. What browsers do you have left to use?

How would disabling JavaScript or not using Firefox affect Eich?  

Sounds like you’ve got a major chip on your shoulder.

Because Javascript is Eich’s work. He invented it. If you canceled him why would you still want to rely on the work of a canceled person? Isn’t that the height of hypocrisy? "Well, I canceled him but his work is too important so I keep using it. And Eich is now CEO of the Brave browser project that so many of the cancel culture warriors here say glorious things about.