Animation guru and visionary John Lasseter has delivered some of the most memorable and successful animation movies in history. He is also credited for being the pioneer of using CGI technology in animation movies. Lasseter currently serves as the Head of Skydance Animation. He has previously worked for Pixar and Disney, the two giants of the animation media.
Top 5 Movies by John Lasseter
Finding Nemo
This masterpiece by Lasseter is a heart-warming story about Marlin, a clownfish, who is overly protective of his son Nemo. When Nemo gets caught by a diver, Marlin goes through the entire ocean to find his son. In his journey, he befriends Dory, a blue reef fish with a short memory. Marlin and Dory encounter different sea animals as they try to find Nemo, who is stuck inside an aquarium. Finding Nemo stars Ellen DeGeneres, Albert Brooks, and Alexander Gould. The movie is rated 8.1/10 on IMDb and 99% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Toy Story
Toy Story was released in 1995 as the first full-length feature film to use CGI technology. Toy Story is the story of Woody, who is the favorite toy of a young boy named Andy. Woody’s position as the favorite toy is under threat by a new action figure named Buzz Lightyear, who believes that he is a real-life spaceman on a mission. When Andy moves to a new house, Woody and Buzz are accidentally lost and now must work together to get back to Andy. Toy Story is rated 8.3/10 on IMDb and 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. The cast includes Tom Hanks and Tim Allen.
Toy Story 2
Released four years after the original blockbuster, in Toy Story 2, Woody is stolen from home by Al McWhiggin, a greedy toy collector who wants to sell him to a museum. Buzz and the rest of the gang team up to rescue Woody, who finds out he is a valuable collectible based on a leading character of a once-popular television show, and now does not want to go back. Toy Story 2 is rated 7.9/10 on IMDb and has a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Tom Hanks and Tim Allen reprise their roles from Toy Story.
Cars
Cars, released in 2006, is a story about a racing car named Lightning McQueen who gets lost in a small town named Radiator Springs. McQueen was on his way to the Piston Cup Championship to race the King. McQueen befriends the residents of Radiator Springs and starts to realize that winning the Piston Cup is no longer his top priority. Cars has a 7.1/10 rating on IMDb and 74% on Rotten Tomatoes. It stars Paul Newman and Owen Wilson.
Monsters, Inc.
Monsters, Inc. was released in 2001. It is a story about Sullivan, a top scarer in the largest scare factory in the monster universe. Sullivan is accompanied by his assistant and best friend, Wazowski, a one-eyed monster. They both discover a runaway girl who has entered the monster factory through a mysterious door. Sullivan and Wazowski now must help the girl return to the human world. Monster, Inc. has an 8.1/10 on IMDb and 96% on Rotten Tomatoes. The cast includes Billy Crystal and John Goodman.
About John Lasseter
John Lasseter has served as the Chief Creative Officer of Pixar Animation Studios and Walt Disney. In his role with these two animation studios, Lasseter had creative oversight of all animation films released by Pixar and Disney. Lasseter has won two Oscars for his work, including a Special Achievement Award for Toy Story and Best Animation Short Film for Tin Toy. Lasseter now works for Skydance Animation, which is the division of Skydance Media founded by David Ellison in 2010. With Skydance Animation, Lasseter has delivered Luck and Spellbound to further add to his legendary status as the guru of animation movies.
