The Amazing Home of John Lasseter

Take a look at the Sonoma, California residence of John and Nancy Lasseter. Also, take a peak into a busy day at Pixar Studios.

Train Library

Model railroads travel throughout various rooms of the house, both above one's head and below the feet.

To access the Train Library: none other than a secret, hidden staircase. 

Hawaiian Shirt Closet

Over 370 Hawaiian-style shirts.

Trophy Room

Wine Cellar

Kitchen / Dining Room

Gym / Backyard

We need to see more pics of the backyard, John! From what I can tell, there is are (at minimum) water slides going into a pool. In the two photos above it almost resembles River Country.

Below we see a satellite view of the mini water park-like backyard, as well as the rest of the home. Beautiful home in beautiful beautiful Northern California. 

The estate is located some 60 miles from Pixar in Emeryville. But worry not, John has a driver to take him to/from the Studio. And for good reason. I wonder if that black SUV made a cameo in Cars 2? Hmm. If so, it surely had a clever and punerific name.

This is fascinating. John approves animation and provides notes from his iPad.

"A Day in the Life of John Lasseter" Video

Thanks John Lassetire. Oh, I mean Lasseter. Remember to send us photos of your cool backyard!

Related posts:

Love, Hate, and John Lasseter
The Makings of a Good Sequel
Walt Disney Studios Post Production Behind-the-Scenes
Imagineering Sound Design Behind-the-Scenes
Original Visions of CalArts
Real-life 'Up' House

Walt Disney Studios Post Production Behind-the-Scenes

Take a tour of the Walt Disney Studios with Gil Gagnon, VP of Post Production Services.

Earlier this week we brought you Imagineering Sound Design Behind-the-Scenes. Today we present another film by Michael Coleman and SoundWorks Collection entitled Walt Disney Studios Post Production Tour.

Something mentioned in the video really intrigued me. A tunnel under studio building where artwork and other delicate items would be transported. I wish I had photos!

At first glance I thought this guy's sketch might have been the inspiration for the new Walt Disney Animation Studios. But then it was brought to our attention that the pose was the one found on the studios sign way back in the Hyperion days. For some reason I thought the Hyperion sign featured a standing Mickey and not a walking Mickey. Either way, it's good to have this for a current logo.

Related posts:

Imagineering Sound Design Behind-the-Scenes
Original Visions of CalArts
The Makings of a Good Sequel
Videos. Vintage WDW and Disneyland Videos.

After All It's a Step in the Right Direction

Thoughts on "The Princess and the Frog", "Tangled", and the future of Disney Feature Animation.

By Lilly

After letting it sink in for a few weeks, I went and saw Disneyʼs The Princess and the Frog for the second time. This time I tried my darnedest to watch with less critical eyes.  After all, it is in 2D. After 5 years, I think I join many Disney fans in saying thank you (itʼs about time).

Now I have to admit, even after the second viewing, Disneyʼs The Princess and the Frog isnʼt my favorite movie of all time, it seemed a bit formulated to me (African American + Princess + a Prince with a personality + songs by Randy Newman = demographics and ratings–and was it just me or was Tiana a black version of Belle?), but Iʼll take it. The animation looked great and I thought the talent was excellent particularly Anika Noni Rose and Keith David–they sound great. And despite my petty thoughts on the plot, Iʼve read reviews, reviews and more reviews that rave about the plot, the characters and the whole experience. Well, I donʼt think weʼre quite there yet, but I guess I wonʼt complain too much.

I hope Disney also wonʼt complain too much. A $25 million opening weekend  may not have been a complete blow out, but it wasnʼt a crash either and I suspect so many positive reviews (itʼs rated 84% on Rotten Tomatoes) will give Disney plenty of continuing revenue, proving 2D animation still has its place in the world. I just wish this news would have reached them before they decided these beautiful concept drawings of Rapunzel, or should I say Tangled as it is now called, should be taken to the computer instead of the drawing board.

However, the filmʼs previous director, Glen Keane, has said although Rapunzel/Tangled will be in 3D, it is being designed to feel more like a traditional hand-drawn Disney Classic. Animators for this film will use a non-photorealistic rendering technique which will make the surface look like it is painted but still contain depth and dimensions. Well, I guess weʼll see. I can only hope the reason the filmʼs release date continues to be delayed is because they are making marvelous changes. Iʼll wish a star tonight that that is the case. At least theyʼve bagged the idea of intermingling it with the modern world back when it was entitled Rapunzel Unbraided. Whew, that would have been a catastrophe.

Overall, my greatest desire is that Disney will continue to take steps in the right direction. Hopefully we can put the days of The Wild, Chicken Little, Home on the Range, Brother Bear and Treasure Planet behind us. As Princess Tiana said, “Weʼre Almost There!”