A Departure With Implications for Investors: Disney’s John Lasseter
- 6 years ago
A Departure With Implications for Investors: Disney’s John Lasseter
The director of the seminal animated hit “Toy Story,” Mr. Lasseter “is the father of modern
animation,” said Doug Creutz, senior media and entertainment analyst for Cowen & Company.
“If there’s anything at the core of Disney, it’s animation.”
When Mr. Lasseter took creative control of Walt Disney Animation in 2006, after Disney’s acquisition of Pixar, the venerable studio was essentially moribund, its animators
demoralized by flops like “Home on the Range.” He “brought Disney animation back from the dead,” said Michael Nathanson, senior research analyst at MoffettNathanson.
“Cars 2,” the last Pixar film for which Mr. Lasseter served as director, as opposed to executive producer, was widely panned by critics,
and “Cars 3,” released last spring, was a box office disappointment.
For all his achievements, Mr. Creutz said, “some of the best films Pixar has made
weren’t necessarily done by John Lasseter, especially over the past 10 years.”
Mr. Lasseter has been the face of Disney animation for so long that few others in the division have become well known on Wall Street.
Under Mr. Lasseter’s leadership, the Disney studio has churned out a remarkable series of critical
and financial hits: “Tangled,” “Zootopia,” Moana” and 2013’s “Frozen,” the biggest grossing animated film ever, soon to be a Broadway musical.
The director of the seminal animated hit “Toy Story,” Mr. Lasseter “is the father of modern
animation,” said Doug Creutz, senior media and entertainment analyst for Cowen & Company.
“If there’s anything at the core of Disney, it’s animation.”
When Mr. Lasseter took creative control of Walt Disney Animation in 2006, after Disney’s acquisition of Pixar, the venerable studio was essentially moribund, its animators
demoralized by flops like “Home on the Range.” He “brought Disney animation back from the dead,” said Michael Nathanson, senior research analyst at MoffettNathanson.
“Cars 2,” the last Pixar film for which Mr. Lasseter served as director, as opposed to executive producer, was widely panned by critics,
and “Cars 3,” released last spring, was a box office disappointment.
For all his achievements, Mr. Creutz said, “some of the best films Pixar has made
weren’t necessarily done by John Lasseter, especially over the past 10 years.”
Mr. Lasseter has been the face of Disney animation for so long that few others in the division have become well known on Wall Street.
Under Mr. Lasseter’s leadership, the Disney studio has churned out a remarkable series of critical
and financial hits: “Tangled,” “Zootopia,” Moana” and 2013’s “Frozen,” the biggest grossing animated film ever, soon to be a Broadway musical.