- Disney Animation and Pixar chief creative officer John Lasseter announced Wednesday he is taking a leave of absence from the studios.
- The announcement came ahead of a report alleging Lasseter had behaved inappropriately with Disney employees. His behavior toward employees was described as "grabbing, kissing, making comments about physical attributes," according to The Hollywood Reporter.
- According to THR, "Toy Story 4" writers Rashida Jones and Will McCormack left the movie early because Lasseter made "an unwanted advance." They're both still credited as writers.
- Tuesday night, Jones and McCormack released a statement saying they left over "creative" and "philosophical differences" with Pixar in addition to opposing the company's treatment of women.
- "Toy Story 4" was originally set to release in 2017 and has been delayed twice to June 21, 2019. It's not clear whether or not Lasseter's actions may have been partly responsible for the delay.
Disney Animation and Pixar chief creative officer John Lasseter announced in an employee memo Tuesday he is taking a six-month leave of absence from the company. The news came shortly ahead of The Hollywood Reporter's story in which Disney employees alleged Lasseter had inappropriately grabbed and kissed them.
Of note in the THR piece is one instance of an alleged unwanted advance, which reportedly led to "Toy Story 4" writers Rashida Jones and Will McCormack leaving the project during its early days.
It may leave fans wondering if this is one of the reasons "Toy Story 4" has been delayed.
First announced in 2014, the sequel to the movie about Woody, Buzz Lightyear, and their gang of talking toys has been pushed back twice from its original 2017 release date. Lasseter raised eyebrows in July at Disney's D23 event when it was announced he was stepping down as director for the fourth installment. For now, he is still serving as executive producer.
It's not clear whether or not Lasseter's alleged behavior led to any of the changes on "Toy Story 4." INSIDER has reached out to both Disney and Pixar for comment.
Here's a timeline of everything we know about the fourth installment of the franchise.
November 6, 2014: "Toy Story 4" is announced
Disney CEO Bob Iger first announced a fourth "Toy Story" movie November 6, 2014 during the company's fourth quarter earnings call. At the time, Iger said the sequel would be directed by Lasseter, who directed the first two movies in the franchise.
"We love these characters so much; they are like family to us," said Lasseter in a statement at the time. "We don’t want to do anything with them unless it lives up to or surpasses what’s gone before."
"When Andrew, Pete, Lee and I came up with this new idea, I just could not stop thinking about it," he added. "It was so exciting to me, I knew we had to make this movie — and I wanted to direct it myself."
Tim Allen and Tom Hanks were set to reprise their roles as Buzz Lightyear and Woody, respectively, while Rashida Jones and Will McCormack were announced as writers on the project. If you look closely at the photo below, you can see Jones and McCormack in the background behind Lasseter.
At the time, "Toy Story 4" was set for a June 17, 2017 release date.
August 14, 2015: Lasseter says "Toy Story 4" will be an emotional story inspired by his wife and a co-director is announced.
The next big news fans received about the four-quel was at 2015's Disney's D23 Expo. Lasseter gave a few details on what the next installment would entail.
"For ‘Toy Story 4,’ we are doing a type of story we have not done before: a love story. It’s a story about a relationship between Woody and Bo Peep," Lasseter told fans at D23 Expo.
McCormack and Jones were there to give their support.
As of August 2015, the movie was still set for a June 16, 2017 release date. Though Lasseter was still named as director, a press release named Josh Cooley as co-director.
According to the Associated Press, Lasseter described the film as a personal and emotional story that was inspired by his wife. It makes sense he would want to make sure he's overseeing and directing the film.
October 2015: "Toy Story 4" gets pushed back a year and there's no word on Jones and McCormack's status as its writers
In October 2015, Disney made a bunch of changes to its schedule, adding 14 new movies including "The Incredibles 2" for 2019. Among the new releases, "Toy Story 4" was pushed back to June 15, 2018.
There was no word on whether or not Jones or McCormack were still tied to the movie, but the delay could've been a sign of story trouble for the film.
It wouldn't be the first Pixar film to get delayed due to story problems. Pixar's long-delayed "The Good Dinosaur" underwent a lot of story issues and reworking before it made its way to the big screen.
October 2016: The movie is pushed back once again to 2019
This time, "Toy Story 4" switches release dates with "The Incredibles 2." It will now be released June 21, 2019. No reason is given for the delay.
March 2017: A new writer is attached to "Toy Story 4"
A "Toy Story" blog points out that Variety, THR, and Rolling Stone have all noted Martin Hynes ("Stealing Harvard") is listed as a writer on "Toy Story 4." But that's it.
No other details are given as to whether he was brought on to help write or rewrite the screenplay. It's also not noted whether or not Jones or McCormack are even still involved with the project at this point, but it seems unlikely.
July 2017: John Lasseter is replaced as the director of "Toy Story 4"
Fans were shocked when Lasseter announced at a panel at D23 Expo in July that he was no longer directing the fourth movie in his franchise. Instead, co-director Josh Cooley — who has never directed a full-length movie — will be directing one of the biggest sequels Disney has ever released. Cooley has directed two shorts: an "Inside Out" short called "Riley's First Date?" and Disney/Pixar short "George and A.J."
"Toy Story 3" grossed over $1 billion at theaters. That franchise is now resting on Cooley's shoulders.
At a press conference following the panel, Lasseter told journalists he felt he had too much on his plate.
"I oversee three studios and I think I counted 24 feature films I’m overseeing, and it was not really practical, to be blunt," Lasseter said, according to i09. "But also what made it easy was Josh Cooley was amazing; wait until you see it – he is so good. And it was time to let go of the bike and let him ride, and he’s doing a great job. It’s really fantastic. And I do get creative satisfaction from being the executive producer, the chief creative officer, and helping all of these great filmmakers."
Lasseter says he'll stay on board to executive produce. Still, it seems a bit odd that he would pass up on telling a story so near and dear to his heart.
November 21, 2017: Lasseter is stepping away from Pixar/Disney for six months
Lasseter sent a memo to staff Tuesday saying he's taking a six-month sabbatical after "painful" conversations that led him to face what he vaguely referred to as "missteps."
According to an article published by THR, Lasseter was accused of "grabbing, kissing, making comments about physical attributes." THR reports Jones and McCormack left the film at some point early in the filmmaking process after an alleged "unwanted advance."
Tuesday night, Jones and McCormack dismissed that claim. The two issued a joint statement saying they left the film citing "creative and, more importantly, philosophical differences."
Among those differences Jones noted the company's unequal treatment of women.
"There is so much talent at Pixar, and we remain enormous fans of their films. However, it is also a culture where women and people of color do not have an equal creative voice," reads the statement. "We encourage Pixar to be leaders in bolstering, hiring and promoting more diverse and female storytellers and leaders."
Disney, Pixar, and representatives for Jones and McCormack didn't immediately respond to INSIDER's request for comments.
"Toy Story 4" is still currently set for a June 21, 2019 release. The studio's current movie "Coco" is now in theaters.
