Where is that guy who created Toy Story?

Whatever happened to John Lasseter?

Remember John Lasseter? He and Steve Jobs started Pixar. The animation studios that produced Toy Story and other computer animated movies including Cars. Read the book ‘Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson. Many pages were devoted to explaining who John Lasseter was back then.

But sadly he was released from Disney not long after Disney bought out Pixar. Back when first putting Lasseter in charge of animation and other significant Disney high level positions. Then again, unfortunately and recently he was fired from Disney. Let go because of lingering women hugs and most likely for wearing colorful Hawaiian shirts. A shameful business practice for sure. I personally feel someone else wanted his job and tagged him with the “Me Too” women abuse movement.

Why am I concerned about John Lasseter? I never knew him except when he was a toddler. I knew his parents Paul and Jewell Lasseter. I had even gone to the senior Lasseter’s wedding at a small church in East Los Angeles. Never the less, Paul and Jewell often drove we church kid’s to roller skating at the Moonlight rollerway in Pasadena just off Colorado Blvd. This was a monthly outing which my sister and others really enjoyed. Paul and Jewell were serious skaters. Owned their own skates and they even had official looking skating outfits. Of course, I was a bumbling skater at best. However, Jewell asked me once to skate with her during a “Couples skate only” set. The lights dimmed, the mirrored ball revolved reflecting sparkly light over the skating rink floor, then the rink organist on his huge Wurlitzer started the romantic melody, and we pushed off. She and I holding each with the typical skater’s front and back arm hold. The bottom line was Jewell had to hold me up while I shakily bumbled around the rink. I couldn’t wait for this to end and go hide. None the less it was very kind of her to let me skate with her. A realization I came to many years later. Anyway, this routine went on for at least two or three years on the first Monday of each month.

Jewell was an art instructor at a junior high in Bell Gardens and the stern-faced Paul was a Parts manager at Felix Chevrolet near downtown L. A.

The one thing John and I had in common is we both attended Pepperdine University at about ten years apart from each other. Oh yes, we both were big Disneyland fans. But anyway, I hope John is back at creating, directing, and producing unique animation. God bless.