• Reuters, Thursday, February 2, 2006 11 AM

Putting in writing what industry observers have been saying in the days since the Walt Disney Company acquired Pixar Animation Studios, Reuters reporter Gina Keating describes John Lasseter, Pixar's creative czar, as the embodiment of Walt Disney himself.  Lasseter, who will take control of Disney's once-revered animation unit when the Disney-Pixar deal closes, once worked at Disney but soured on the company when it turned out not to be the creative environment he'd dreamed of. Now, having overseen a string of mega-hit animation features at Pixar, he has the opportunity to return Disney to its glory days. "Most animators regard Lasseter as the most respected current creator," says Sarah Baisley, editor-in-chief of Animation World Network. [He has] pure dedication and love of the art and how to treat the artist." The Reuters story says that Lasseter's talent is viewed as so critical to the success of the Disney-Pixar union that his death or departure could nix the deal. Lasseter, who is 49, holds Pixar stock options worth some $84 million.

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