I quickly realized that this medium had a lot to offer someone like me. To do Disney-quality hand-drawn cartoons, you have to be a master of two art forms. Seriously, you have to be able to draw like a Leonardo da Vinci or a Michelangelo. But also you have to know movement and timing and control that through 24 frames a second.

Meaning of the quote

To create high-quality hand-drawn cartoons like the ones made by Disney, you need to be an expert in two different art skills. First, you must be an amazing artist who can draw as well as famous painters like Leonardo da Vinci or Michelangelo. Second, you need to understand how to make things move and time it perfectly, controlling 24 individual drawings per second.

About John Lasseter

John Lasseter is an acclaimed American filmmaker who has had a major impact on the animation industry. As the former head of Pixar and Disney Animation, he has directed iconic movies like Toy Story and Cars, and overseen the production of many other beloved animated films that have grossed billions of dollars worldwide.

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More quotes from John Lasseter

I believe in the nobility of entertaining people and I take great, great pride that people are willing to give me two or three hours of their busy lives.

John Lasseter

American animator, film director, screenwriter, producer

I’ve got Disney blood running through my veins.

John Lasseter

American animator, film director, screenwriter, producer

If you’re sitting in your minivan, playing your computer animated films for your children in the back seat, is it the animation that’s entertaining you as you drive and listen? No, it’s the storytelling. That’s why we put so much importance on story. No amount of great animation will save a bad story.

John Lasseter

American animator, film director, screenwriter, producer

We make the kind of movies we like to watch. I love to laugh. I love to be amazed by how beautiful it is. But I also love to be moved to tears. There’s lots of heart in our films.

John Lasseter

American animator, film director, screenwriter, producer

In dire economic times, movies are relatively inexpensive entertainment for the whole family.

John Lasseter

American animator, film director, screenwriter, producer

Soon I learned that the worse the puns and jokes, the funnier they could be, if you knew how to deliver them.

John Lasseter

American animator, film director, screenwriter, producer

The art challenges the technology, and the technology inspires the art.

John Lasseter

American animator, film director, screenwriter, producer

Animation is the only thing I ever wanted to do in my whole life. I have no desire for live-action or anything else.

John Lasseter

American animator, film director, screenwriter, producer

I love movies that make me cry, because they’re tapping into a real emotion in me, and I always think afterwards: how did they do that?

John Lasseter

American animator, film director, screenwriter, producer

Walt Disney had always tried to get more dimension in his animation and when I saw these tapes, I thought, This is it! This is what Walt was waiting for! But when I looked around, nobody at the studio at the time was even halfway interested in it.

John Lasseter

American animator, film director, screenwriter, producer

Sure, they were simple desk lamps with only a minimal amount of movement, but you could immediately tell that Luxo Jr. was a baby, and that the big one was his mother. In that short little film, computer animation went from a novelty to a serious tool for filmmaking.

John Lasseter

American animator, film director, screenwriter, producer

I realized that people make cartoons for a living. It had never dawned on me that you could do this as a career.

John Lasseter

American animator, film director, screenwriter, producer

There is such amazing talent at Disney. My job is 100% creative, and I am very excited to creatively lead them.

John Lasseter

American animator, film director, screenwriter, producer

I quickly realized that this medium had a lot to offer someone like me. To do Disney-quality hand-drawn cartoons, you have to be a master of two art forms. Seriously, you have to be able to draw like a Leonardo da Vinci or a Michelangelo. But also you have to know movement and timing and control that through 24 frames a second.

John Lasseter

American animator, film director, screenwriter, producer

Every single Pixar film, at one time or another, has been the worst movie ever put on film. But we know. We trust our process. We don’t get scared and say, ‘Oh, no, this film isn’t working.’

John Lasseter

American animator, film director, screenwriter, producer

Never in the history of cinema has a medium entertained an audience. It’s what you do with the medium.

John Lasseter

American animator, film director, screenwriter, producer

I do what I do because of Walt Disney – his films and his theme park and his characters and his joy in entertaining.

John Lasseter

American animator, film director, screenwriter, producer

Animation is the one type of movie that really does play for the entire audience. Our challenge is to make stories that connect for kids and adults.

John Lasseter

American animator, film director, screenwriter, producer

You cannot base a whole movie on just the imagery alone. It has to be the story and the characters.

John Lasseter

American animator, film director, screenwriter, producer