John Alan Lasseter, born on January 12, 1957, is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and animator whose pioneering work in computer animation revolutionized the film industry and cemented his status as one of the most financially successful filmmakers of all time. As the former chief creative officer of Pixar Animation Studios, Walt Disney Animation Studios, and Disneytoon Studios, and currently the head of animation at Skydance Animation since 2019, Lasseter's career has been marked by groundbreaking achievements and later overshadowed by allegations of misconduct. His journey began at the Walt Disney Company, where he worked as an animator, but his passion for computer-generated imagery led to his dismissal after he championed the then-unproven technology. Undeterred, Lasseter joined Lucasfilm, where he collaborated on early CGI innovations, and when the Graphics Group of Lucasfilm's Computer Division was sold to Steve Jobs in 1986, it became Pixar.

At Pixar, Lasseter oversaw all of the studio's films and personally directed several landmark features, including Toy Story (1995), the first fully computer-animated feature film, which earned him a Special Achievement Award from the Academy. He followed this with A Bug's Life (1998), Toy Story 2 (1999), Cars (2006), and Cars 2 (2011), while serving as executive producer on all other Pixar releases through 2018. His works have grossed over $19 billion globally, with five of the ten animated films to surpass $1 billion being executive produced by him: Toy Story 3 (2010), the first animated film to cross that threshold; Frozen (2013), the seventh-highest-grossing animated film ever; Zootopia (2016); Finding Dory (2016); and Incredibles 2 (2018). He also won an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film for Tin Toy (1988). From 2006 to 2018, Lasseter additionally oversaw all films at Walt Disney Animation Studios and Disneytoon Studios as executive producer, guiding the studio through a renaissance that included hits like Frozen and Moana.

However, in November 2017, Lasseter took a six-month sabbatical from Pixar and Disney Animation following numerous allegations of sexual misconduct from employees, with reports indicating the behavior had occurred over many years. In June 2018, it was announced that he would leave the company at the end of his contract, transitioning to a consulting role until his departure. After leaving Disney and Pixar, Lasseter was hired by Skydance founder and CEO David Ellison to lead Skydance Animation, where he continues to work, though his legacy remains deeply complex—celebrated for his transformative impact on animation but also scrutinized for the workplace culture he fostered.