Press Release from The Walt Disney Studios

HOLLYWOOD, CA – November 1, 2011 — Two-time Academy Award-winning director John Lasseter today received his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame from the The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce.  In addition to his many and varied feature animation film credits, Lasseter serves as Chief Creative Officer, Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios and Principal Creative Advisor, Walt Disney Imagineering.

The celebration was emceed by Hollywood Chamber of Commerce President/CEO Leron Gubler, with special guest speaker, actress Bonnie Hunt.   Also joining the celebration were Owen Wilson, Brad Paisley, Emily Mortimer, John Ratzenberger, Patton Oswalt, Don Rickles, Randy Newman and Cheech Marin.  Key Disney and Pixar executives in attendance included Studio Chairman Rich Ross, Studio President Alan Bergman, Production President Sean Bailey, Disney and Pixar Animation Studios President Ed Catmull, Pixar General Manager Jim Morris, among many other prestigious guests.

Lasseter’s star is the 2,453rd on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and is located in front of the historic El Capitan Theatre.   The event was followed by an exclusive luncheon specially prepared by celebrity chef Guy Fieri.

Lasseter made his feature film directorial debut with the now classic “Toy Story,” which was the first-ever feature length computer animated motion picture. He subsequently directed the international box office hits “A Bug’s Life,” “Toy Story 2,” “Cars” and “Cars 2.” Creatively overseeing all films and associated projects from Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios, his executive producing credits include the Oscar-winning and nominated Pixar films “Monsters, Inc.,” “Finding Nemo,” “The Incredibles,” “Ratatouille,” “WALL*E,” “Up” and “Toy Story 3.” He also served as executive producer for Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Academy Award-nominated features “Bolt,” “The Princess and the Frog” and “Tangled,” as well as the studio’s most recent release “Winnie the Pooh.” Lasseter is also the executive producer of Pixar’s new animated feature “Brave,” which will be released in 2012.

A graduate of CalArts with a BFA in film, Lasseter is the only two-time winner of the Student Academy Award for Animation for his student films “Lady and the Lamp” and “Nitemare.”

Interview with Lasseter:

Is it a testament to Pixar that you create such well-loved characters?

At Pixar, we have been very fortunate to produce a number of incredible movies with characters that people really love. We’ve had the “Cars” and “Toy Story” movies, as well as “Finding Nemo,” “Monsters, Inc.,” “The Incredibles,” “WALL•E” and “Up.” Each of these sets of characters has struck a chord with the audience. I always say that we strive to create characters that are loved beyond the boundary of the film. To me, that is why our films are so successful.

How important is it to keep your characters alive when a movie finishes?

It’s incredibly important. We did a series of shorts with the “Cars” characters called “Mater’s Tall Tales” in between “Cars” and “Cars 2.” That was extremely fun to do, and it’s something we will continue to do.

How important are the shorts?

The shorts are a very important tradition at Pixar. They’re not only fun, but we use them to help develop talent. It’s an opportunity to let some of the younger artists and animators take a step up and create a story, or be a directing animator, or even direct.

From a production point of view, how is “Cars 2” different from previous Pixar movies?

One of the things that is dramatically different in this film is the level of complexity. It’s ten times more complex than any previous Pixar film. We really pushed the envelope with “Cars 2.”