Apple TV+ released its new original movie Luck earlier this month, and viewers can’t believe it features producer John Lasseter in spite of the sexual misconduct allegations against him. Lasseter is a long-time executive in the animation industry, and in 2017 he faced several allegations of sexual misconduct with former employees. Luck is his first new movie since those allegations dropped, and some people are boycotting it.
Luck is a fantasy-comedy movie about a lonely young woman befriending a mysterious black cat, which she believes is turning her bad luck around. It was written by Kiel Murray and directed by Peggy Holmes, and it has an A-list cast including Eva Noblezada, Simon Pegg, Jane Fonda, Whoopi Goldberg, Flula Borg, Lil Rel Howery, Colin O’Donoghue and John Ratzenberger. It also features a conspicuous producer credit for Lasseter via Skydance Pictures, and for some fans, that’s enough to ignore this movie altogether.
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Lasseter released an internal memo at Pixar in November of 2017 where he acknowledged what he called “missteps” with some employees. According to a report by Variety at the time, these included “grabbing, kissing, [and] making comments about physical attributes.” The outlet even learned that Pixar was aware of these issues and had hired “minders who were tasked with reining in his impulses.”
Lasseter took a leave of absence following the publication of this memo, and ultimately he left Pixar altogether. However, in early 2019 he was hired as the head of Skydance Animation. According to a report by Deadline, the company conducted an internal investigation to confirm that there were no allegations of sexual assault against Lasseter, nor of propositioning or harassment. The investigators said “there were no findings of secret settlements by Disney or Lasseter to any parties asking for a settlement.”
Lasseter himself wrote at the time: “I have spent the last year away from the industry in deep reflection, learning how my actions unintentionally made colleagues uncomfortable, which I deeply regret and apologize for. It has been humbling, but I believe it will make me a better leader.”
For some people – both inside the industry and out – that simply isn’t enough assurance to put Lasseter back to work so quickly. Many also complained that he was being given a second chance while other qualified people without a tarnished history were being passed over for a job they could do just as well. Here’s a look at some of the top responses to Lasseter’s work on Luck this month.
Nameless Name-Drop
The poster for Luck lists some of Lasseter’s top credits but not his actual name. Commenters couldn’t help but find this suspicious.
Irony
One ironic line from Luck stuck out to viewers in consideration of Lasseter’s past.
Animation Stars
Some other stars of the animation industry made their feelings on this hiring choice clear, including Bojack Horseman creator Raphael Bob-Waksberg.
Conflicted
Because of the A-list cast and new studio, some fans were interested in watching this movie even if they disagreed with the choice to hire Lasseter. Others admitted that the advertising campaign had hooked them in before they realized he was involved.
Critical
Some fans argued that it was alright to watch Luck and engage with it in a critical sense on social media as long as reviews acknowledged the controversy hanging over Lasseter’s actions.
More Consequences
Others felt that the only responsible move for the entertainment industry as a whole would be to fire Lasseter permanently.
Merit
Finally, some viewers made posts about the movie’s quality, saying that it wasn’t worth relitigating Lasseter’s scandal just to discuss Luck. The movie is streaming now on Apple TV+.
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