Apple TV+ 'Luck' is John Lasseter's post-Pixar redemption arc
John Lasseter's work on the Apple TV+ animated feature "Luck" was significant, a profile ahead of the film's release reveals, involving a complete overhaul of the project after joining Skydance Animation.
Following his public ouster of Disney's Pixar over workplace allegations, Pixar's John Lasseter joined Skydance Media in 2019 as its animation chief. After his joining, the in-development animated film "Luck" went through the wringer, with Lasseter prompting a restart of the entire creative process to improve the picture.
The profile of Lasseter by the New York Times occurs just days ahead of the August 5 release of "Luck" on Apple TV+, a $140m movie all about changes in fortune. While the article covers Lasseter's exit from Pixar, it also covers the impact of Lasseter joining the Skydance Animation team and taking control of the film.
Lasseter was eventually hired by Skydance after lawyers were hired to examine the claims against the animation chief, and determined there was "nothing egregious" at play. Likewise, it seems that Lasseter continues to be loved by Apple.
"It feels like part of me has come home," Lasseter admits, pointing out that Steve Jobs helped him build Pixar in the first place. "I really like what Apple TV+ is doing. It's about quality, not quantity, and their marketing is just spectactular."
On his transition from Pixar to Skydance, more than 50 people reportedly moved with him to his new workplace, including writer Kiel Murray and director Peggy Holmes.
As part of Lasseter's work, he will gladly make major changes to projects while they're being made, to try and improve the quality of the resulting film.
In the case of "Luck," the film originally involved a fight between the human agents of good and bad luck, with "Kung Fu Panda 3" director Alessandro Carloni hired to direct it. However, after Lasseter got on board, the film was thrown out in favor of a pink dragon voiced by Jane Fonda and a bipedal unicorn played by Flula Borg.
"As soon as I heard the concept, I actually was kind of jealous," said Lasseter. "It's a subject that every single person in the world has a relationship with, and that is very rare in a basic concept of a movie."
However, "sometimes you have to take a building down to its foundation, and frankly, in this case, down to its lot," Lasseter admins.
As part of the changes, Lasseter pushed for research into luck in various cultures and the foster care system, which became a key part of the story. A "story trust" council was formed to critique the work.
Despite the controversy surrounding his Pixar exit, Lasseter has also become part of the marketing campaign for "Luck," with it described as being "from the creative visionary behind Toy Story and Cars."
With the theme and the title of the movie, it seems to be an ideal attempt at redemption for the animation leader.
Read on AppleInsider
Following his public ouster of Disney's Pixar over workplace allegations, Pixar's John Lasseter joined Skydance Media in 2019 as its animation chief. After his joining, the in-development animated film "Luck" went through the wringer, with Lasseter prompting a restart of the entire creative process to improve the picture.
The profile of Lasseter by the New York Times occurs just days ahead of the August 5 release of "Luck" on Apple TV+, a $140m movie all about changes in fortune. While the article covers Lasseter's exit from Pixar, it also covers the impact of Lasseter joining the Skydance Animation team and taking control of the film.
Lasseter was eventually hired by Skydance after lawyers were hired to examine the claims against the animation chief, and determined there was "nothing egregious" at play. Likewise, it seems that Lasseter continues to be loved by Apple.
"It feels like part of me has come home," Lasseter admits, pointing out that Steve Jobs helped him build Pixar in the first place. "I really like what Apple TV+ is doing. It's about quality, not quantity, and their marketing is just spectactular."
On his transition from Pixar to Skydance, more than 50 people reportedly moved with him to his new workplace, including writer Kiel Murray and director Peggy Holmes.
As part of Lasseter's work, he will gladly make major changes to projects while they're being made, to try and improve the quality of the resulting film.
In the case of "Luck," the film originally involved a fight between the human agents of good and bad luck, with "Kung Fu Panda 3" director Alessandro Carloni hired to direct it. However, after Lasseter got on board, the film was thrown out in favor of a pink dragon voiced by Jane Fonda and a bipedal unicorn played by Flula Borg.
"As soon as I heard the concept, I actually was kind of jealous," said Lasseter. "It's a subject that every single person in the world has a relationship with, and that is very rare in a basic concept of a movie."
However, "sometimes you have to take a building down to its foundation, and frankly, in this case, down to its lot," Lasseter admins.
As part of the changes, Lasseter pushed for research into luck in various cultures and the foster care system, which became a key part of the story. A "story trust" council was formed to critique the work.
Despite the controversy surrounding his Pixar exit, Lasseter has also become part of the marketing campaign for "Luck," with it described as being "from the creative visionary behind Toy Story and Cars."
With the theme and the title of the movie, it seems to be an ideal attempt at redemption for the animation leader.
Read on AppleInsider
Comments
Doesn't sound moronic to me.
https://deadline.com/2019/01/john-lasseter-skydance-town-hall-apology-sexual-harassment-1202534949/
The allegations have been described as "grabbing, kissing, making comments about physical attributes":
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/john-lasseters-pattern-alleged-misconduct-detailed-by-disney-pixar-insiders-1059594/
There was another issue here that doesn't get reported much. Some of this movement was about the perception that Pixar had a boys' club that was excluding underrepresented groups and this is reflected in Lasseter's apology at SkyDance. Some of the people who were reported to have left due to unwanted advances clarified that they left due to this difference of opinion about representation. Lasseter was made to undergo unconscious bias training.
"We did not leave Pixar because of unwanted advances. That is untrue. That said, we are happy to see people speaking out about behavior that made them uncomfortable. We parted ways because of creative and, more importantly, philosophical differences." They described Pixar as "a culture where women and people of color do not have an equal creative voice," adding, "We encourage Pixar to be leaders in bolstering, hiring and promoting more diverse and female storytellers and leaders."
He must have been seen as a barrier to underrepresented groups being promoted to directors and some wanted him out of the way. It seems like a lot of the allegations were exaggerated to portray Lasseter as a Weinstein character but nothing that has been reported suggests anything close to this.
What some underrepresented groups consider to be bias could have been a difference of opinion over what makes good content. Netflix recently scrapped a lot of this type of content when their stock value dropped:
https://www.theblaze.com/news/report-netflix-scraps-multiple-woke-projects-for-creative-reasons-including-antiracist-baby-and-stamped-racism-antiracism-and-you
One of the problems with this type of content is the authors make the stories about themselves. Entertaining content is there to entertain the audience and not be a vehicle for a creator's own interests. Another problem is that people who make this content think that focusing on representation automatically gives the content enough merit to be good and it doesn't. Most of this material is low quality and even the progressive companies unconsciously acknowledge this because they put this content in the background like Marvel movies relegated this to after the big movies have been done and they are out of ideas.
50 people followed Lasseter to SkyDance and there were no allegations that resulted in settlements.
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-features/john-lasseter-skydance-animation-luck-1235186710/
"Since Lasseter arrived, Skydance Animation has grown from 65 employees to nearly 900, acquired the animation unit of Madrid-based Ilion Studios (Wonder Park, Planet 51), and set a multiyear film and TV deal with Apple. Lasseter has also lured some of Pixar and Disney’s top, Oscar-winning talent, including The Incredibles director Brad Bird, who is at work on his movie Ray Gunn for Skydance; Zootopia director Rich Moore, who signed an exclusive deal with the studio this spring; and Beauty and the Beast composer Alan Menken, who is writing the music for the studio’s sophomore feature, Spellbound."
One of the people who wasn't happy with his hiring at SkyDance said the following:
https://twitter.com/ashlynanstee/status/1161690648157646849?lang=en
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/john-lasseters-return-hollywood-divides-animators-1175137/
"When a company hires somebody like that, that’s a red flag that it’s going to be a boys’ club."
"I love consulting for preschool properties or adding female voice in the room."
"I’m less angry now," says Ashlyn Anstee, a director at Cartoon Network. "It’s more letting a so-called creative genius continue to take up positions and space in an industry that could begin to be filled with different people. I wish the leadership above Lasseter would take a look at what they’re valuing and what they’re willing to take a chance on."
A few of Disney's recent animations:
https://www.dailywire.com/news/new-woke-disney-junior-show-includes-song-about-racial-micro-aggressions-targeting-preschoolers
https://disneyplusoriginals.disney.com/show/the-proud-family-louder-and-prouder
https://www.metroweekly.com/2022/06/disneys-strange-world-features-gay-teen-romance/
Some of these are worked on by Lasseter's replacements.
https://www.dailywire.com/news/i-just-couldnt-lie-anymore-conservative-disney-producer-explains-why-he-finally-left-the-ultra-woke-company
"Disney reportedly compelled its employees to attend various training sessions, where Daws recounts that he was told, "as a white, straight, male, I should be quiet and listen." Even more so, he says he was told that "promotions would be on hold for the white men on the team" and to "start casting non-binary children for our photo and video shoots. That was the last straw," he said."
It's not all one or the other, there was acknowledgement of bad behavior but it has clearly been exaggerated and there was more to his firing than what has been portrayed.