Profiles in Computer Animation Success
by Kirk Bangstad
kirk.bangstad@theanimationschooldirectory.com
Animation School Directory Columnist
Animation kings John Lasseter and Ed Catmull are doing pretty well for themselves. John is the creative spirit behind Pixar, and Ed is Pixar’s president and technological whiz. These two men were pivotal in Disney’s buyout of Pixar.
Two Animation Jobs that Pay Pretty Well
When Disney merged with Pixar, it made sure that Pixar’s president and main creative talent were part of the deal. The language in the contract even stipulated that the $7.4 billion deal depended on these two men. Catmull will step into a new animation job—president of the new Pixar/Disney animation studio. Lasseter’s new Disney animation job will be chief creative officer of the new studio.
Bringing Computer Animation Expertise to Disney
This dynamic duo has a long history. Catmull started at Lucasfilms, and was always excited about computer animation. In fact, he had the original dream to create an entire movie solely using computer animation. Once he met Lasseter, a creative talent who embraced 3d animation jobs and who was working for Disney at the time, he knew he had to hire him.
This duo was created and heavily financed by Steve Jobs, Pixar’s Chief Executive Officer, and the rest is history. The two animation experts led Pixar to produce hugely profitable films—and if all goes well, they’ll do the same for the new Pixar/Disney studio.
Sources
Ed Catmull
John Lasseter
Pixar
About the Author
Kirk Bangstad is a singer living in Chicago, IL. Having received his B.A. in Government at Harvard, Kirk previously worked as a management consultant.
Posted on February 12, 2007 at 11:45 AM
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