John Lasseter To Depart Pixar After Misconduct Claims

According to Deadline, Pixar co-founder John Lasseter will be parting ways with the animation company at the end of the year following a six-month leave of absence in the wake of sexual misconduct allegations. Lasseter will stay on in a consulting role at Disney until the end of the year, and released a statement saying that his leave of absence gave him the opportunity to reflect on “my life, career and personal priorities” and that the end of the year will be “the right time to begin focusing on new creative challenges.” Disney CEO Bob Iger issued the following statement…

“We are profoundly grateful for his contributions, which included a masterful and remarkable turnaround of The Walt Disney Animation Studios. One of John’s greatest achievements is assembling a team of great storytellers and innovators with the vision and talent to set the standard in animation for generations to come.”

Lasseter took a six-month sabbatical in November following numerous reports of misconduct, including uncomfortably long hugs, unsolicited kisses and gropes. Following these evaluations and hearings, the consensus was that Lasseter would not be welcome upon returning to the company, with some threatening to quit if he came back.