Modern cartoon paintings are becoming more realistic, you can no longer find plasticine, puppet and even hand-drawn stories. And cartoons themselves are not always created just for children. Great computer graphics make them incredibly realistic and vibrant. One of the founders of the "new" cartoon was John Lasseter. His work is known everywhere, and even people who are absolutely not keen on the world of cartoon characters know McQueen's racing car, the brave Elsa from the picture Frozen, and, of course, the Woody cowboy and the space ranger named Buzz. John Lasseter became the creator of all these heroes, as well as many others, no less outstanding and iconic for the culture of our time.
The birth of an outstanding animator, family
To thank for the birth of a talented director, screenwriter and producer, you need his parents - Juell and Paul Lasseterov, although initially they predicted a different fate for their son. And who knows what his biography would be then. John Lasseter did not abandon his childhood dream and became known throughout the world precisely as a multiplier. From birth he lived in Hollywood, but none of John's family belonged to the world of cinema.
Nevertheless, it was the profession of the mother, according to Lasseter himself, that laid the foundation for his animated career. John's dad was an employee at a car dealership, but Mom taught painting at a local school. She opened the world of fine art to the boy. In his youth, he entered the university where his parents studied, but when he heard about the possibility of studying at the Institute of Arts in California at the Department of Animation, he transferred there without hesitation.
Becoming a great animator
There he became a student of the best masters of his craft, many of whom were employees of the Walt Disney company, and among classmates with whom John Lasseter gnawed at the granite of science, there were no less outstanding personalities - Tim Burton, Brad Bird and Henry Salik.
As a student, John managed to create a good name for himself among teachers. At that time, he had already prophesied a great future. After graduating from university in 1979, he immediately started working as an animator, but several years of work showed him that the world requires something new, and he can give it to him. Having stumbled upon a video recording with frames of computer graphics, John decided to try out this technique for animation. Thus, he became the progenitor of cartoons created on the computer.
A new era of cartoons
In those days, this topic was still insufficiently studied and in demand, but, understanding that the future lies in graphics, John leaves Disney to another company - Lukasfilm, which was more involved in computer processing. But financial difficulties and the novelty of his ideas did not always make it possible to create for pleasure. He receives unexpected support from Steve Jobs, who bought Lukasfilm. Over time, this company was renamed the now famous Pixar animation studio. John Lasseter oversaw various projects as a producer at this studio, and also part-time at the Disney film company, to which he returned on much more favorable terms in 2006.
Confession
John earned his first award back in 1988, when he received the Academy Award for the short animated film “Pewter Toy”. He deserved the second figurine thanks to the cartoon that conquered the whole world. It was "Toy Story", and the American Film Academy recognized in 1995 its breakthrough, because the whole cartoon was made using computer graphics.
In addition, other nominations and victories appear in the list of his achievements. So, he is one of the ten best animators in the world, received the Winsor McKay Award and was even recognized as an Honorary Doctor at Pepperdine University, where he began his studies. Naturally, such an outstanding figure in Hollywood cannot but have his own star on the Walk of Fame and, of course, he left his mark on this glorious place, immortalizing his name on this star Olympus.
One more time, one more time ...
The success of Lasseter’s work is proved by the fact that viewers constantly demand the continuation of his cartoons. The general love of cars from children and adults from all over the world clearly demonstrates that John Lasseter from “Wheelbarrows” did something really amazing.
The audience saw this story in 2006, and since then many boys and girls have been happy to watch the cartoon about Lightning McQueen. Difficulties of the hero, his victory and achievements, meeting new friends - the storyline of the cartoon is unsophisticated, but the high quality, funny moments, and also the excellent work of the animators did their job. "Cars 2" John Lasseter released five years after the first cartoon, viewers and world critics greeted the picture no less favorably than the first part.
Favorite Heroes Return
The list of works on which John Lasseter worked (photo with Lightning McQueen above) contains a huge number of fascinating stories. The most popular with viewers are:
- "Cars" (first and second parts).
- "Toy Story" (three parts).
- The Adventures of Flick.
- "The master and the ghostly light."
Toy Story is one of the longest-running projects in which Lasseter became a director, screenwriter, and producer. In 2018, the fourth part is expected to be released. In addition to directing, John makes a huge contribution to the development of animation as a producer. The list of his achievements in this field is simply amazing.
Among the most acclaimed cartoons is Rapunzel: A Tangled Story. John Lasseter acted as a producer during its creation, leaving the process itself to the new stars of animation art - Byron Howard and Nathan Greno.
Other cartoons, to which John is directly related, were such films as “Brave”, “WALL-E”, “Good Dinosaur”, “Frozen” and “Ratatouille”.
Without a doubt, this person will present more than one interesting and vivid story to his viewer. The success of all his endeavors is due to his great love for his work and following his dream. In his address to the students, he said: “Do not let anyone ever stain your dreams.”