John Lasseter Net Worth

What Is John Lasseter's Net Worth?

John Lasseter is an American animator, film director, screenwriter, and producer who has a net worth of $150 million. John Lasseter is a pioneering animator, director, and producer whose career has helped redefine modern animation and generate billions in box office revenue. After starting at Disney in the late 1970s, he was fired in 1983 for advocating computer animation, a vision that found its outlet when he joined Lucasfilm's Computer Graphics Group—later acquired by Steve Jobs and renamed Pixar. As Pixar's creative lead, Lasseter directed the groundbreaking "Toy Story" in 1995, the first fully computer-animated feature film. He went on to direct or produce numerous blockbuster hits, including "A Bug's Life," "Toy Story 2," "Cars," and "Cars 2," while serving as executive producer on nearly every major Pixar release through the 2010s. After Disney acquired Pixar in 2006, Lasseter became Chief Creative Officer of both Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios, overseeing the resurgence of Disney animation with films like "Frozen," "Zootopia," and "Moana." Collectively, the films he directed or executive produced have grossed over $19 billion at the global box office.

Lasseter left Disney in 2018 following internal allegations of inappropriate workplace behavior. In 2019, he was hired to lead Skydance Animation, where he helped launch new projects including "Luck" (2022) and "Spellbound." Despite the controversy, Lasseter's influence on animation—both creatively and financially—remains among the most significant in Hollywood history.

Early Life

John Lasseter was born John Alan Lasseter on January 12, 1957, in Hollywood, California. His father, Paul, worked as a parts manager at a car dealership, and his mother, Jewell, was a high school art teacher. John and his fraternal twin, Johanna, grew up in Whittier, California, and he became interested in animation at a young age, thanks to his mother's profession. After reading the Bob Thomas book "The Art of Animation," Lasseter realized that he wanted a career in animation. In 1975, he enrolled at the California Institute of the Arts and was only the second student to sign up for the school's new Character Animation program, which was created by two Disney animators, T. Hee and Jack Hannah. The program was taught by veteran Disney animators Eric Larson, Ollie Johnston, and Frank Thomas. During his time in the CalArts Character Animation program, John produced the shorts "Lady and the Lamp" (1979) and "Nitemare" (1980), which both won Student Academy Awards for Animation. During summer breaks, Lasseter worked at the Walt Disney Company and took a job as a skipper on the Jungle Cruise.

Early Career and Disney Beginnings

After graduating from CalArts—where he studied alongside future animation legends like Tim Burton, Brad Bird, and Henry Selick—John Lasseter joined Walt Disney Productions as an animator. In the early 1980s, he became fascinated by the emerging potential of computer animation, sparked by footage he had seen from SIGGRAPH computer graphics conferences. His enthusiasm culminated in a test project adapting Maurice Sendak's "Where the Wild Things Are" into a short computer-animated film, which he co-developed with animator Glen Keane. Though groundbreaking, the project was not well received by Lasseter's superiors. It was abruptly shut down, and Lasseter was fired from Disney. As he later recalled, "Well, John, your project is now complete, so your employment with the Disney Studios is now terminated."

Lucasfilm and the Birth of Pixar

Lasseter went on to freelance with the Lucasfilm Computer Graphics Group under Ed Catmull, working on what would become the company's first computer-animated short film, "The Adventures of André & Wally B." In October 1984, he was hired full-time and continued to innovate, contributing to the special effects of "Young Sherlock Holmes" by helping create the first fully computer-generated photorealistic animated character—a knight emerging from a stained-glass window.

After George Lucas sold the division in the wake of his divorce, the group was spun out into an independent company called Pixar in 1986. Steve Jobs purchased a majority stake in the new studio, which was renamed Pixar Animation Studios. Lasseter remained its creative heart and driving force, directing the studio's first feature, 1995's "Toy Story"—the first fully computer-animated feature film in history. He later directed "A Bug's Life," "Toy Story 2," "Cars," and "Cars 2," while serving as executive producer on every Pixar feature from 1995 to 2018. His creative vision helped establish Pixar as one of the most respected and commercially successful studios in Hollywood.

Disney Leadership and Creative Expansion

When Disney acquired Pixar in 2006, Lasseter was named Chief Creative Officer of both Pixar and Walt Disney Feature Animation, which he renamed Walt Disney Animation Studios. He also became a principal creative adviser for Walt Disney Imagineering, contributing to the design of Disney theme park attractions around the world.

Lasseter played a critical role in revitalizing Disney's animation division, serving as executive producer on a string of hit films including "Tangled," "Wreck-It Ralph," "Frozen," "Big Hero 6," "Zootopia," and "Moana." In 2007, he and Ed Catmull also took over management of Disneytoon Studios, further consolidating Lasseter's influence across Disney's animated output.

In addition, Lasseter oversaw U.S. releases of several Studio Ghibli films, collaborating with his friend Hayao Miyazaki to produce English-language dubs and facilitate broader international recognition for films such as "Spirited Away," "Howl's Moving Castle," and "Ponyo."

Departure from Disney and Skydance Animation

In 2018, Lasseter took a leave of absence from Disney following internal allegations of inappropriate workplace behavior. He officially departed at the end of the year. In January 2019, he was hired as Head of Animation at Skydance Animation, a division of David Ellison's Skydance Media. The move was met with mixed reactions in the industry due to the circumstances of his Disney exit, but Lasseter resumed developing new animated features. His early Skydance projects included "Luck" and "Spellbound." In 2020, composer Alan Menken revealed that he was collaborating with Lasseter on an upcoming Skydance film.

Other Contributions and Legacy

Beyond his directing and producing work, Lasseter has more than 20 writing credits, including "story by" roles on all four "Toy Story" films, as well as "A Bug's Life," "Cars," and "Cars 2." He served on the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Board of Governors from 2005 to 2014, eventually holding the position of first vice president before stepping down due to term limits.

Across his decades-long career, Lasseter's films have grossed more than $19 billion at the global box office, and his pioneering work in computer animation has permanently reshaped the industry. Despite the controversies, his artistic and technological contributions remain foundational to modern animation.

Pascal Le Segretain / Getty Images

Personal Life

John married Nancy Ann Tague in 1988, three years after meeting her at a  San Francisco computer graphics conference. They are parents to sons Sam, Paul, Jackson, Bennett, and Joey, and their oldest son is Nancy's child from a previous relationship.

Since 2002, the couple has owned the Lasseter Family Winery, which is located in Glen Ellen, California. John collects Hawaiian shirts. He also has a collection of classic cars, including a 1952 Jaguar XK120.

In May 2009, he gave the commencement address at Pepperdine University and received an honorary doctorate from the school. John and Nancy's son Sam was diagnosed with diabetes as a child, and they have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

Awards and Nominations

Lasseter has been nominated for seven Academy Awards, winning Best Short Film, Animated for "Tin Toy" in 1989 and a Special Achievement Award for "Toy Story." His other nominations were for Best Short Film, Animated for "Luxo Jr." (1987), Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen for "Toy Story" (1996), Best Animated Feature for "Monsters, Inc." (2002), Best Animated Feature Film of the Year for "Cars" (2007), and Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay for "Toy Story 3" (2011). John won Primetime Emmys for Outstanding Animated Program for "Prep & Landing" (2010) and Outstanding Short-Format Animated Program for "Prep & Landing Stocking Stuffer: Operation: Secret Santa" (2011). He received a Lifetime Achievement Award in Motion Pictures from the PGA Awards in 2010, and the organization gave him a Vanguard Award in 2002.

Lasseter has received career achievement awards from the 3D Creative Arts Awards (Sir Charles Wheatstone Award), Annie Awards (Winsor McCay Award), Art Directors Guild (Contribution to Cinematic Imagery Award), BAFTA/LA Britannia Awards (Contributions to Worldwide Entertainment), Publicists Guild of America (Showmanship Award), ShoWest Convention (Pioneer of Animation award and Outstanding Achievement award), Venice Film Festival (Career Golden Lion), and Visual Effects Society Awards (Georges Méliès Award). John has also won awards from the Annecy International Animated Film Festival ("Luxo Jr."), Awards Circuit Community Awards ("Toy Story"), Berlin International Film Festival ("Luxo Jr."), Christopher Awards ("Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi" and "Ratatouille"), Hiroshima International Animation Festival ("Luxo Jr."), Hollywood Film Awards ("Cars"), Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards ("Toy Story" and "A Bug's Life"), Seattle International Film Festival ("Knick Knack"), St. Louis Film Critics Association ("Cars"), Tampere Film Festival ("Tin Toy"), Tokyo Anime Awards ("Cars"), and Vancouver Effects and Animation Festival ("For the Birds"). In 2011, Lasseter received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

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