Trivia

Admitted that whenever Pixar has encountered a creative problem, they look to Miyazaki's films for inspiration.

Five days after Toy Story (1995) opened in theaters, he was on a trip with his family and upon getting off a plane, he saw a little boy with a Woody doll, which was enough to convince Lasseter how successful the film was.

Decided to be an animator as a child after spending $.49 to watch The Sword in the Stone (1963) in a theater.

He was a member of the Computer Division of Lucasfilm Ltd. (which was later sold and became Pixar), where he designed and animated the computer-generated Stained Glass Knight character in the Steven Spielberg-produced film Young Sherlock Holmes (1985).

Is a huge fan of Hayao Miyazaki, who is a close personal friend.

His influences include Frank Capra, Preston Sturges, Walt Disney and Chuck Jones.

His favorite Disney movie is Dumbo (1941).

He falls asleep in story meetings.

He won his first award at the age of five when he won $15.00 from the Model Grocery Market in Whittier, California, for a crayon drawing of the Headless Horseman.

While attending California Institute of the Arts, he produced two animated films, both winners of the Student Academy Award for Animation, Lady and the Lamp in 1979 and Nitemare in 1980.

Ranked #1 on Premiere magazine's 2006 "Power 50" list with Pixar/Disney executive Steve Jobs. They had ranked #3 in 2005 and #1 in 2004.

Introduces the DVD release of Hayao Miyazaki's Castle in the Sky (1986), one of his favorite films.

He has an extensive collection of vintage toys and model trains. He also has an extensive collection of Hawaiian shirts, most of them have his iconic Pixar characters.

His first job at the Disney Animation studio was the introduction of Copper in The Fox and the Hound (1981). He even collaborated with Glen Keane on the climactic fight scene.

He was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6834 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California on November 1, 2011.

He and his wife own Lasseter Family Winery in Glen Ellen, California which includes a 2 mile narrow guage railway which includes a station and water tower and a locomotive the 'Marie E' which he bought from the Disney animator Ollie Johnson.

Worked as a skipper at Disneyland's Jungle Cruise ride in the late 1970s.

Educated at the California Institute of the Arts in Valencia. He later received an honorary degree from the university in 2014.

Ranked #1 in Premiere magazine's 2004 annual Power 100 list with Pixar CEO Steve Jobs. They had ranked #23 in 2003 and #31 in 2002.

In Toy Story (1995), Woody was based on a pull string Casper that John owned when he was a child. Buzz Lightyear was based on a G.I. Joe action figure that John also owned when he was a child.

He has directed three films that have been selected for the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically or aesthetically" significant: Luxo Jr. (1986), Tin Toy (1988) and Toy Story (1995). He has also executive produced one film that is in the registry: WALL·E (2008).

He wore a Scottish kilt to the premiere of Brave (2012).

In 2009 he was given an honorary Doctorate degree by Pepperdine University.

While at Lucasfilm, he worked with Sam Leffler, who was the author/editor of "The Unix System Manager's Manual". At Leffler's request, Lasseter created a cartoon version of "Beastie", the daemon mascot of BSD Unix, to appear on the book cover; Lasseter would reprise the character for two later books. Although Lasseter did not create Beastie, and several other artists have interpreted the character over the years, his rendering has proven to be one of the most popular and endearing versions.

In Toy Story 2 (1999) the issue of the Life Woody's Roundup Magazine Issue is January 12th 1957 the day Lasseter was born.

Ranked #3 on Premiere magazine's 2005 Power 50 List with Pixar founder Steve Jobs. They had ranked #1 in 2004.

In 2004, he was honored by the Art Directors Guild with its prestigious "Outstanding Contribution to Cinematic Imagery" award, and received an honorary degree from the American Film Institute.

Member of the Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (Short Films and Feature Animation Branch) since 2005.

He collects classic cars, his favourite is a British black Jaguar XK120.

His #1 Fan is Jonathan Funnell of Zephyrhills Florida.