Disney Plans Life After Pixar With Sequel Unit - LA Times, 3/16/05

[Darkbeer]

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-animate16mar16,1,4578326.story

As Robert Iger, the newly named chief executive of Walt Disney Co., seeks to repair the company's fractured relationship with Pixar Animation Studios, he faces a big obstacle: Pixaren't.

That's what animators have dubbed a nondescript white warehouse in Glendale that Disney recently transformed into a factory to produce sequels to Pixar movies, including "Toy Story," "Finding Nemo" and "Monsters, Inc."

"It does muddy the waters for creating some sort of deal," said Tom Sito, president emeritus of Hollywood's local animation guild and a former Disney animator. "Pixar has very jealously guarded the integrity of their creative properties and are loath to trust them to others who are more economy-minded. It's like somebody else taking your children to school."

The new Pixar-sequel unit, housed next door to rival DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc. and just minutes from Disney's main studio lot in Burbank, intends to make one sequel a year, each costing less than $100 million, sources said.

[Mr D]

Its all beginning to make sense,

SKG and Pixar want to merge...

Disney needs Pixars success...

Steve Jobs won't deal with Eisner still in the picture...

Iger suddenly takes command of Disney and is under pressure to mend ties with Pixar...

And in the background is Katzenburg waiting for the prime moment to give Eisner the final humiliation. :devil:

[Mr Ness]

Its all beginning to make sense,

SKG and Pixar want to merge...

Disney needs Pixars success...

Steve Jobs won't deal with Eisner still in the picture...

Iger suddenly takes command of Disney and is under pressure to mend ties with Pixar...

And in the background is Katzenburg waiting for the prime moment to give Eisner the final humiliation. :devil:

Ugh, I hope not. I hate every single animated movie that Dreamworks SKG has released.

I don't think Steve Jobs is stupid. He knows that no body else can market Pixar's movies like Disney can. By making the two company's tiff so public (who hasn't heard about the failed Disney/Pixar negotiations), I imagine Jobs is simply trying to negotiate the best possible deal for his company. While I disagree with his style (it's too liable to backfire IMO), it has appeared to work in his favor this time around.

Look at it this way, Eisner was forced out more because of the Pixar debatacle. I wouldn't be suprised if Disney, under Iger, now tries to go full force back into negotiations with Pixar.

I know there's a good chance that I'm going to have to eat my words, but I really feel like Pixar, for the time being, is going to stick with Disney, under a new, much more lucrative contract for Pixar.

[J.B.Opie]

As Ebert said about "North", I downright hated Shrek, hated, hated, hated it. I thought of it as a blatant attack on the Disney name with their hidden insults, when the truth is they just hate Eisner. But I do like Dreamworks SKG's live action films.

If Pixar merges with DSKG, I only hope that SKG doesn't reduce Pixar's standards to 'Shrek-like' material.

In closing, if Chicken Little and Toy Story 3 do bad, I'll laugh, even though I am a shareholder.

[Darkbeer]

http://www.fool.com/news/commentary/2005/commentary05031701.htm

Pixar's leaving, folks. Get used to it. It doesn't need Disney. It has the golden brand, immaculate box-office track record, and clean balance sheet that Disney can no longer offer. Flip the mentor some Mentos and move on. Pixar has earned the right to collect all of the fruits of its computer-rendered labor, so why tithe to the mouse-eared deity?

Pixar and Disney were never in love. It was a relationship based solely on convenience that eventually dissolved into jealousy, adultery, and a really bad prom picture. The sooner you realize that, the quicker you can toss that heart-shaped scrapbook into the imaginary embers of a fire that never burned.

[MasterGracey]

It's sad that Pixar is leaving Disney simply because this means numerous annoying Disney-made sequels. The cheap sequels will KILL the originals and further dirty Disney's reputation for quality.

Disney needs to easy off the amount of sequels they make because its really getting out of hand. Its morphing the Disney brand into a huge joke. Nobody wants to see tired old characters in multiple sequels... It's sad and demeaning to the original productions.

How about something new, refreshing, and interesting. Sort of how the Lion King or Lilo and Stich was when it first came out...

[cellarhound]

The silly thing is that, Disney could have purchased Pixar directly from George Lucas for a song... And probably should have...

Could have, Should have, Would have...

I just imagine what Disney would have been like if Disney aquired Pixar and named Katsenberg Presedent and COO...

The unfortunate thing is we likely still would have dealt with Paul Pressler...

I love Shrek... Because it was a postmodern attack on Eisner's Disney Company... And it was doing so in a very cleaver way...

Dreamworks Animation and Pixar are unlikely to merge... But there are more CGI companies trying to come up... Blue Sky and Wild Brain...

Here is a bit of advice to Iger... Keep your friends close and your enemies closer...

[Mr D]

Disney would do better to make better animated films not so often rather than trying to mass produce them on the cheap like Chinese Walmart goods.

Pixar should absolutely stay firm on whats best for Pixar, if Eisner is still around then Eisner is still trying to get the cheapest deal from Pixar or demanding a Toy Story 3,4,5 and yes the final Jedi episode... :lol:

I really liked Shrek it was good to see the Disney references especially in Shrek 1.

There should be competition, but I do believe Pixar is sufficiently weaned of Disney now, to me the brand name Pixar means superior quality instead of mass inferiority of which Disney has been heading to these recent years.

[sir clinksalot]

Why does everybody bash the Shrek movies? They were well produced, well acted and well scripted. More than we can say for most current Disney (not pixar) movies.

If my kids are any judge they would much rather watch Shrek 2 than any other POS 2 movie that Disney has put out recently.

[MickeyMania]

http://www.fool.com/news/commentary/...ry05031701.htm

I disagree, Pixar doesn't have the name recognition. Most people see the company's movies as Disney movies, especially with Disney making the most of the characters in their theme parks and marketing. Most non-animation people scratched their heads at the Pixar leaving stuff, and some people still think it's an actual division of Disney that's trying to split away.

Of course, this would be FAR from the first time I've disagreed with a column in the Motley Fool. fool.com is a very appropriate domain for their opinions.

[shurley]

[Cousin Orville]

I don't think Steve Jobs is stupid.
I know there's a good chance that I'm going to have to eat my words, but I really feel like Pixar, for the time being, is going to stick with Disney, under a new, much more lucrative contract for Pixar.

Agreed..Disney is THE best distributor and name to have on the posters with pixar. they have amazing merch distrobution and the disny name brings audience to pixar movies too. they would be dumb not to go back.the parks alone add huge value. Iger will calmly give away alot to get them back.