-
Welcome to the WDWMAGIC.COM Forums!
Please take a look around, and feel free to sign up and join the community.
News Lasseter taking leave of absence
- Thread starter Lou Filerman
- Start date
MerlinTheGoat
Well-Known Member
Lasseter's point of view is that he gave out "unwanted hugs", which he shouldn't be doing but isn't THAT serious. But I believe there were also claims of him forcibly kissing and sticking his tongue in women's mouths, and attempting to hike his hands up skirts or down pants. If he did that, that's extremely bad and well worthy of being fired or worse.
While Disney's PR won't acknowledge that he did the latter, their actions to remove him from the company (assuming he's gone for good and never returning) indicates they were aware of something far more serious going on than "unwanted hugging".
flynnibus
Premium Member
I didn't read anything of that nature... but the unwanted touching, kissing, etc. Dunno what the rumor side is.. but it sounds to me like the guy has a serious drinking problem and mix in the inability to 'find the boundary' between friends and aquaintances/coworkers... and it's a hot mess.
Frankly... I hate it myself when strangers want to hug me.. and it's some Cali Bro thing too. Waves and handshakes are for people you are not close with... not hugs. But that's me... and I'm dirty like a sailor...
MerlinTheGoat
Well-Known Member
I'm not into strangers hugging me either. But I do understand that some people are "huggers" by nature and that they usually don't mean anything bad by it (like being perverts or whatever).
What Lasseter is being accused of went much further than just hugging. Including a woman who alleges she had to fight him off from attempting to put his hand up her skirt while sitting next to him at a meeting. This was not an isolated incident either, others have said he touched them in inappropriate places that went well beyond hugs. Here's some links-
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/n...uct-detailed-by-disney-pixar-insiders-1059594
http://deadline.com/2017/11/john-lasseter-behavior-pixar-disney-1202213821/
Lasseter obviously wasn't caught doing any of this on video or audio like Weinstein was. Which probably somewhat explains his soft "vacation" from Disney instead of being outright fired and condemned by the company. But this behavior seems to have been a known trend of his from people who knew him.
I caught your previous comment before deletion. You included the F bomb only barely censored by one letter. That is my guess as to why it was deleted. Trying to bypass the profanity censor on this site is against the rules. Calm down.
Last edited:
ford91exploder
Resident Curmudgeon
Not wrong about OP the point of a 'pearl harbor file' is twofold one used to destroy one's enemies, Secondly in a termination scenario exiting under terms favoriable to the holder of the file, otherwise it goes public.
Which in all likelihood is how Weinstein's wrongdoing was exposed.
Occasionally arrogant or stupid senior leaders say 'take your best shot'. Usually that ends in disaster. Iger/ZeniaI think believes themselves invincible and i expect the public will be treated to a view of Disney corporate's dirty laundry as a result. Just speculation on my part though. But if it does come to pass....
D
Deleted member 107043
Lasseter's 6 month leave to “give me the opportunity to start taking better care of myself, to recharge and be inspired" is almost up, and according to a story published in Fast Company yesterday nobody beyond Iger seems to know what happens next.
What Disney chairman and CEO Bob Iger thinks about Lasseter’s future is a mystery. Indeed, the only thing that anyone at Disney or Pixar can say with certainty is that no one knows what Iger is thinking.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.fa...d-pixar-the-debate-over-john-lasseters-return
What Disney chairman and CEO Bob Iger thinks about Lasseter’s future is a mystery. Indeed, the only thing that anyone at Disney or Pixar can say with certainty is that no one knows what Iger is thinking.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.fa...d-pixar-the-debate-over-john-lasseters-return
Sir_Cliff
Well-Known Member
Surely he can't come back?
the.dreamfinder
Well-Known Member
If John wants to be stoned by his own employees with the hope of being boss again, let ‘em.
HauntedMansionFLA
Well-Known Member
Yes, I quiet retirement party with just John in attendance at his residence. They have played it smart and kept quiet hoping it blows over.
TP2000
Well-Known Member
His six months are up May 22nd, 2018. He's got six weeks left.
The only scenario I can see him coming back to Disney is if he returns clear eyed and coherent, has lost 50 pounds, looks fit and healthy, and does a series of frank interviews talking about how he overcame his battle with alcoholism which allowed him to take on his demons of sexist and inappropriate behavior with female employees.
He simply can't come back next month and still be fat n' crazy Drunk Uncle John, jumping around on stage slurring "I grewwh uhp in Whitttthyer Cahlifohhrnia", because no one is going to believe he's also changed his behavior towards women in the workplace.
TeriofTerror
Well-Known Member
Is it wrong that I would love to see this scenario play out?
I'm sure I'm just being hopelessly naive, but Lasseter just never felt truly evil or dirty to me.
Of course I never had to actually deal with him, so my opinion means absolute zilch.
MerlinTheGoat
Well-Known Member
I'm not so sure. I respect your opinion, and perhaps i'm lacking some perspective here (both as a guy, and as someone who has never been sexually assaulted). But I think it could be an awkward situation if he were allowed back. Even if alcohol was what he says drove him to it.
I wonder how the women who made these accusations would feel about his return. Assuming the accusations are true (which appears so in this case). There's potential for a huge PR backlash over letting him back. It could stir up a hornet nest and get the #metoo movement on their case.
There's also the argument that he's already being let off easy. Even if he never returns, he will still live a very wealthy and comfortable life. The laws regarding groping vary a bit, but there HAVE been cases of people being jailed for it.
In addition, i'm not sure Disney (or at least Pixar) actually needs Lasseter anymore. The best Pixar movies in recent years are Inside Out and Coco. He seems to have had very little influence over them based on the credits. There are tons of other fantastic Pixar movies that he apparently had little involvement in. We'll see how a Lasseter-less Pixar manages in the coming years I guess if he remains fired.
My biggest concern is that there may not be anyone left with Lasseter's level of influence and power over the executives. He had a lot of sway in the company. The concern is the creative side being stifled by the executives because no one can talk back to Iger and company anymore without getting the boot.
Last edited:
RandomPrincess
Keep Moving Forward
Truthfully no one in Hollywood or elsewhere knows what will happen with any of these men who have been accused.
the.dreamfinder
Well-Known Member
TRIGGER WARNING: Sexual Assualt
We don’t know the full extent of his behavior yet. Is it just the clumsy groping and inappropriate comments? Until more journalism comes out with more victims on the record, no one can really make a judgement. We know, from The New Yorker and NY Times reporting that Harvey Weinstein raped women. I wouldn’t suggest that Lasseter has done what he did, but we do know he forcibly French kissed a women so something serious, in line with his behavior, like digital vaginal penetration could have happened and Disney wrote a check To make it go away.
This company is screwed either way. The toxic Eisnerian culture with Iger’s focus on stock price management is killing the company wholesale. People scoff, but Disney’s headed for a break up or bankruptcy in ten years or less regardless of the Fox deal if they stay the course. Disney needs fresh blood at the top, a proper gassing and a complete rethink of how it operates. It can harken back to the Disney way whilst becoming a far more dynamic, successful and sustainable company.
D
Deleted member 107043
We don't, but there is this bit of insight from the article I shared earlier:
According to staff, Disney has also been monitoring how people within the company feel. In January, the company organized a Day of Listening–the first of its kind at Disney Animation–where employees were gathered together and encouraged to air their feelings about Lasseter. But if Disney thought the session would prove to be a catharsis that would clear the air and pave a way for Lasseter’s return, the company was mistaken.
“The message that was sent was that there are still a lot of raw feelings,” says one source. “The climate of the dialogue was not one where you leave thinking, okay, John is coming back.”
As a major talent losing Lasseter could be tough on Disney, but bringing him back might be a blow for morale at Pixar and Disney Animation.
HauntedMansionFLA
Well-Known Member
Innocent until proven guilty.