John Lasseter

Buzz Lightyear and Woody in Toy Story

John Lasseter is the “Chief Creative Officer” at Pixar. He is also the director of some of its most famous films. Pixar recently turned 25 and the company celebrated with an exhibition of the artwork for its animation features. When the show went to the PAC gallery in Milan, John Lasseter was there to present it:

John Lasseter (Standard American accent)

You know, everyone has their own sense of accomplishment. For every person it’s different. You know, some people, you know, in the Holly... in the movie business, it’s opening weekend box office. To me, it is sitting in an audience anonymously and watching an audience watch my film and seeing how our films entertain an audience. This is where I get my greatest, you know, sense of accomplishment and great satisfaction. Five days after Toy Story opened, I was travelling with my family, and we were in the Dallas Texas airport, changing planes. Five days after Toy Story I walked off the plane and there was a little boy holding a Woody the cowboy doll. It was the first time I had seen a child outside of Pixar, outside of my family, holding this character I had created... that we had created. The look on his face! He could not wait to show his father this toy of his. I will never forget that little boy’s face, for as long as I live, and every day at Pixar I think of that little boy’s face and how what we do moves audiences around the world. He was the first time I had seen that, and that’s why I do what I do, that’s why we put so much effort and artistry and creativity in our films so that every Pixar film, no matter what subject matter, you will be entertained, from when the lights dim in the theatre to when the credits start to roll, and it’s... and it’s... it’s because of this little boy that keeps reminding me of why we do what we do.

To read the main article, click here