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Disney buying Pixar: good news or bad news?

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wontobe's picture
Submitted by wontobe on

As you can see from the poll, as of right now, 100 percent believe that the buy out is a bad thin. :D

If Disney sticks its fingers into this pie, it is likely to take on a whole new taste.

kdiddy13's picture
Submitted by kdiddy13 on

As you can see from the poll, as of right now, 100 percent believe that the buy out is a bad thin. :D

If Disney sticks its fingers into this pie, it is likely to take on a whole new taste.

Yuck. Don't think they haven't had their fingers in the pie for a while now (pushing for name actors and such). Now they'll be able to stick more fingers in.

Archie's picture
Submitted by Archie on

Wait, so does this mean Pixar will be back with Disney?

kdiddy13's picture
Submitted by kdiddy13 on

Wait, so does this mean Pixar will be back with Disney?

If you mean "owned by" when you say "back with" then yes.

Archie's picture
Submitted by Archie on

I quite like that idea really. I believe if Pixar never had Disney to start with Toy Story probably wouldnt of been as popular as it is now. Disney is what caught the publics idea, not Pixar, back then for many younger viewers it was just "Disney Presents Toy Story" now many of them know the Pixar name, but a lot of them probably believe Chicken Little is a pixar product. I'm not arsed about them getting back together, as long as their films are brilliant.

SpaceGhost2K's picture

If it makes Jobs the single largest Disney shareholder, it might mean Pixar changing Disney more than Disney changing Pixar.

cartoonchaos's picture

If it makes Jobs the single largest Disney shareholder, it might mean Pixar changing Disney more than Disney changing Pixar.

For the sake of all things holy, lets hope that's how it goes.

Follow @chaostoon on Twitter!

kdiddy13's picture
Submitted by kdiddy13 on

For the sake of all things holy, lets hope that's how it goes.

Agreed.

.

kdiddy13's picture
Submitted by kdiddy13 on

I quite like that idea really. I believe if Pixar never had Disney to start with Toy Story probably wouldnt of been as popular as it is now. Disney is what caught the publics idea, not Pixar, back then for many younger viewers it was just "Disney Presents Toy Story" now many of them know the Pixar name, but a lot of them probably believe Chicken Little is a pixar product. I'm not arsed about them getting back together, as long as their films are brilliant.

Don't confuse marketing (something that Disney has down to an art form) and the craft of story telling. Disney has, in my opinion, spent more time in recent years worrying about making marketable films than they have making good films and then marketing them. A subtle difference, but a difference none the less.

Haredevil_Hare's picture

As long as Disney and Pixar get the same arrangement they had before, this could be a good thing. But, like many people here have speculted, if this new deal does give Disney execs more "creative control" then this is the end of an era for Pixar. :(

skinnylizard's picture

while a little distressing i dont think that Jobs will get into a situation where he allows Disney to screw Pixars legacy. They might have some caveats going into this.

blinkmetoys's picture

im tired of disney movies.

If they still create "The Incredibles" level of intensity then, fine, go with disney....but if they keep going a disney route...its a waste of potential.

i just dont want to see things like beauty and the beast anymore. It was fine back in the day...but...just....i dont know...look at the incredibles!

"who wouldn't want to make stuff for me? I'm awesome." -Bloo

skinnylizard's picture

i dont see how they would move away from a mould that has worked very well for them. they could let Pixar be independent and let them do what they do best with a greater share in the finances.

Animated Ape's picture

while a little distressing i dont think that Jobs will get into a situation where he allows Disney to screw Pixars legacy. They might have some caveats going into this.

I hope he wouldn't let that happen, but he is a buisness man, who stands to make, what $3.2 billion dollars from the deal? :eek: Pluss a board member. That's a lot of money. I kind of like the idea of them being more of an independant studio, and sort of renting out their talent from time to time, like on the Incredibles. Oh well, we'll see what happens soon enough.

Aloha,
the Ape

skinnylizard's picture

I hope he wouldn't let that happen, but he is a buisness man, who stands to make, what $3.2 billion dollars from the deal? :eek: Pluss a board member. That's a lot of money. I kind of like the idea of them being more of an independant studio, and sort of renting out their talent from time to time, like on the Incredibles. Oh well, we'll see what happens soon enough.

Aloha,
the Ape

while that is true, Jobs is already a billionaire so its difficult to say how he will go about this. I would like to think that he is in a position to dictate terms more so than anyone else (though it could be diminished somewhat with the success of Chicken Little which though substandard, made good money) he dosent need to sell so if he is selling he is getting something out of this. Also interesting is the lack of cash being transferred?
that is intriguing, someone who wanted to get his hands off the firm would prefer taking atleast a chunk in cash. But its all stock. To me it seems that Mr.Jobs has his sight set much MUCH higher.
Iger better watch out.

Just as a sidenote - i had an interesting chat with Atul Rao who has written for almost all major studios in India and abroad. He said that dont compare what you see out there with Pixar, they are not a little or a lot ahead, they are pretty much an entire evolution/generation ahead of what is out there in terms of content and animation.

kdiddy13's picture
Submitted by kdiddy13 on

Just as a sidenote - i had an interesting chat with Atul Rao who has written for almost all major studios in India and abroad. He said that dont compare what you see out there with Pixar, they are not a little or a lot ahead, they are pretty much an entire evolution/generation ahead of what is out there in terms of content and animation.

I think there's a missing noun or pronoun in there. Who's an entire evolution ahead? Pixar or the studios abroad?

I wouldn't doubt that the studios abroad are trying new things. The American production system is very unforgiving to failure, so it's not often that a studio will take a risk on something new and non-formulaic.

What will be interesting to see is if the Indian/abroad studios will be able to swallow their pride enough to hire Western writers or consultants to help with their stories. That is, if their goal is to break into the American/western theater system (otherwise, I'm sure they'll do just fine in their own markets). In the past Asian stories (and even some of those from far Western Europe and the Middle East) have failed to connect with the western audience. It's no wonder since the Asian culture has a different set of myths, hero archetypes, motivations (honor for instance is a key element in Japanese storytelling, loss of honor being equivalent to death in many stories, while not quite as important in Western), and story structure.

They may be fantastic stories and brilliantly animated, but if they don't connect with their intended audience they won't see the success they are seeking. And there are plenty of American studios that seem to forget this, too, they just don't have the cultural differences to blame on it. :)

skinnylizard's picture

I think there's a missing noun or pronoun in there. Who's an entire evolution ahead? Pixar or the studios abroad?

I wouldn't doubt that the studios abroad are trying new things. The American production system is very unforgiving to failure, so it's not often that a studio will take a risk on something new and non-formulaic.

What will be interesting to see is if the Indian/abroad studios will be able to swallow their pride enough to hire Western writers or consultants to help with their stories. That is, if their goal is to break into the American/western theater system (otherwise, I'm sure they'll do just fine in their own markets). In the past Asian stories (and even some of those from far Western Europe and the Middle East) have failed to connect with the western audience. It's no wonder since the Asian culture has a different set of myths, hero archetypes, motivations (honor for instance is a key element in Japanese storytelling, loss of honor being equivalent to death in many stories, while not quite as important in Western), and story structure.

They may be fantastic stories and brilliantly animated, but if they don't connect with their intended audience they won't see the success they are seeking. And there are plenty of American studios that seem to forget this, too, they just don't have the cultural differences to blame on it. :)

:confused:

sorry. i meant to say that Pixar is whole generation ahead of even a lot of US based studios to say nothing of studios anywhere else.

Kdiddy what you say is absolutely true a 100% true infact. Just that indian studios arent trying to sell indian content to the world. they would love to be involved in some kind of a hybrid. To get personal in my case you have a budget of $200,000 for a series of 13 Flash episodes there is just no way you can pay a Western writer $15,000 an episode. It would just blow the whole equation away.
its the costs that make things impossible. hey, i got no pride, i simply cant afford the talent abroad.

i recently had a upcoming Canadian director (who is on a sabbatical) stay and train my guys for a month. If i had to pay him it would have cost me around $10,000 and expenses which is just not possible for me with my present budget. So instead i made him a deal, where i arranged his housing and took him out for a beer every other day. This of course is all due credit to him and none to me.
if anyone else wants that deal drop me a line :D

DSB's picture
Submitted by DSB on

i dont see how they would move away from a mould that has worked very well for them. they could let Pixar be independent and let them do what they do best with a greater share in the finances.

Well said. There are always endless details of deals like this that aren't addressed in the sound-bite press releases the general public sees.

The Pixar guys aren't stupid - they know they hold all the cards just now. They're not about to make a deal that risks their unprecedented track record or doesn't allow them to either make movies the way they want or get out of the deal.

There's also the possibility that this press release is just another negotiating tactic. Wasn't many months ago when Jobs said the talks with Disney were dead and Pixar was looking for another distribution partner.

kdiddy13's picture
Submitted by kdiddy13 on

Well said. There are always endless details of deals like this that aren't addressed in the sound-bite press releases the general public sees.

The Pixar guys aren't stupid - they know they hold all the cards just now. They're not about to make a deal that risks their unprecedented track record or doesn't allow them to either make movies the way they want or get out of the deal.

There's also the possibility that this press release is just another negotiating tactic. Wasn't many months ago when Jobs said the talks with Disney were dead and Pixar was looking for another distribution partner.

Thanks for the clarification Skinny. The wage differences across the borders seem to be causing quite a bit of difficulty on both sides.

That's all well and good, but the guys in suits have a tendency to think they know how to do the artists jobs. Dreamworks made that mistake with Chicken Run by sending Katzenburg constantly to oversee the project (as well as putting his 2 cents in on every other project they've done). There's an anecdote in a Wired magazine from last year about Katzenburg (am I getting his name right?) and how he came up with the hysterical old lady kicking the lion in the balls on Madagascar, as if that's what it needed to fix the scene.... Ugh.

My point is that Hollywood is filled with egos who may know the business and surrounding numbers, but have no business medling in the art. And this merger is going to bring a whole new set of suits who'd like nothing more than to be associated with Pixar (which in turn means, they're all likely to be looking to etch their name in the walls somehow, and ego means they think they can improve it somehow). Remember the executive decision making prowess that brought us such classics as "2D is dead"? As if it was the style's fault for old hackneyed formulaic drivel (it didn't help Chicken Little). These are likely to be the people that will now be involved with Pixar with more ability to say/do something.

*Please note the use of the sarcasm font earlier :D

DSB's picture
Submitted by DSB on

My point is that Hollywood is filled with egos who may know the business and surrounding numbers, but have no business medling in the art. And this merger is going to bring a whole new set of suits who'd like nothing more than to be associated with Pixar (which in turn means, they're all likely to be looking to etch their name in the walls somehow, and ego means they think they can improve it somehow)... These are likely to be the people that will now be involved with Pixar with more ability to say/do something.

True enough. But what makes you think that that hasn't been going on for the last 10 years? Pixar's films have grossed over half a billion dollars. Surely some executives at Disney have noticed that and tried to get their greasy fingers into the process at some (probably several) point(s) over the last decade. Yet Pixar keeps churning out film after film that succeeds both artistically and financially, while Disney's product has been less than inspiring.

Jobs isn't a dumb guy. Some consider him the top CEO in the country. He's undoubtely learned loads over the last 10 years about dealing with Hollywood types. There is no reason for him to enter into a deal that doesn't have everything he wants in it, and if he's smart (or not dumb), he knows that creative control is what's gotten Pixar to where it is.

Does it make my skin crawl to think of the Maus Haus swallowing up the lamp boys? Sure; the potential for disaster definitely exists. But the probability of said disaster is based on who's in the driver's seat. Right now, I gotta believe that's Jobs.

skinnylizard's picture

Thanks for the clarification Skinny. The wage differences across the borders seem to be causing quite a bit of difficulty on both sides.

That's all well and good, but the guys in suits have a tendency to think they know how to do the artists jobs. Dreamworks made that mistake with Chicken Run by sending Katzenburg constantly to oversee the project (as well as putting his 2 cents in on every other project they've done). There's an anecdote in a Wired magazine from last year about Katzenburg (am I getting his name right?) and how he came up with the hysterical old lady kicking the lion in the balls on Madagascar, as if that's what it needed to fix the scene.... Ugh.

My point is that Hollywood is filled with egos who may know the business and surrounding numbers, but have no business medling in the art. And this merger is going to bring a whole new set of suits who'd like nothing more than to be associated with Pixar (which in turn means, they're all likely to be looking to etch their name in the walls somehow, and ego means they think they can improve it somehow). Remember the executive decision making prowess that brought us such classics as "2D is dead"? As if it was the style's fault for old hackneyed formulaic drivel (it didn't help Chicken Little). These are likely to be the people that will now be involved with Pixar with more ability to say/do something.

*Please note the use of the sarcasm font earlier :D

you know, Katzenberg to his credit had the vision to push for animation and Dreamworks Animation is standing on its on two feet with much credit to him.
However i do agree that you dont want to have a producer that think he is creative.

you know knowing Jobs, maybe Pixar is a small price to pay for all of Disney.

kdiddy13's picture
Submitted by kdiddy13 on

True enough. But what makes you think that that hasn't been going on for the last 10 years? Pixar's films have grossed over half a billion dollars. Surely some executives at Disney have noticed that and tried to get their greasy fingers into the process at some (probably several) point(s) over the last decade. Yet Pixar keeps churning out film after film that succeeds both artistically and financially, while Disney's product has been less than inspiring.

Jobs isn't a dumb guy. Some consider him the top CEO in the country. He's undoubtely learned loads over the last 10 years about dealing with Hollywood types. There is no reason for him to enter into a deal that doesn't have everything he wants in it, and if he's smart (or not dumb), he knows that creative control is what's gotten Pixar to where it is.

Does it make my skin crawl to think of the Maus Haus swallowing up the lamp boys? Sure; the potential for disaster definitely exists. But the probability of said disaster is based on who's in the driver's seat. Right now, I gotta believe that's Jobs.

Let's hope so. Word on the street (from a number of sources very near to the heart of it) is that Pixar isn't the company it used to be. It's gotten big. Word is that they canned Jan Pinkava in favor of Brad Bird for directing Ratatouille. Both talented, and after The Incredibles, it's a strong argument for Bird. But the family atmosphere is disappearing (very apparent with the switching of someone who had been there for years for a new popular star, very Hollywood...), the producing staff is growing in numbers and the artists are no longer in control of the company. The company is growing and loosing the "kid next door" magic veneer. It happened at Industrial Light and Magic and it's happening in Pixar (or so my sources tell me).

Jobs must also realise that Pixar's lead in the business by light years, has shrunk to miles. PDI/Dreamworks for all of their flaws isn't far behind and has made much more money on a number of films, like Shrek 1 and 2. It's possible he's cashing in while the cashing is good (especially considering that the word is that Cars isn't so hot, and I have to admit, I am about as uninterested as you can get in this one) having lost interest in the whole thing now that he's not the only kid with the toy on the block.

Will he keep control over Pixar is the next question? How much did he attempt to control it in the past? I always thought that he had a pretty hands off approach to things there, leaving it up to Catmull and Lasseter. Will he prevent others from meddling, shielding the artists from the money, too? Many, many questions. It all smells like Jobs wants money just as much as Lucas, the Wal family and Gates (at least Gates gives so much of his away to charity :D). Jobs just puts more polish on the chrome of his products.

DIEMERAS Dark Angel's picture

As you can see from the poll, as of right now, 100 percent believe that the buy out is a bad thin. :D

If Disney sticks its fingers into this pie, it is likely to take on a whole new taste.

Bad news indeed fellas, we at WB are in a heated debate on how this will affect the entire television industry, Disney will become a powerhouse if that happens, leaving WB and other networks that air cartoons to develop a new plan, one that will cost millions.
All of you who ever wanted to hold a job at WB, now seems like a good time. The agony of more of Disney's happiness, little pixies and talking tea cups, my word, how wrong can this be :o Good for the kids, but bad for us.

He who seeks the truth, must first empty his heart of a false pursuit.

Diemeras Dark Angel

skinnylizard's picture

Bad news indeed fellas, we at WB are in a heated debate on how this will affect the entire television industry, Disney will become a powerhouse if that happens, leaving WB and other networks that air cartoons to develop a new plan, one that will cost millions.
All of you who ever wanted to hold a job at WB, now seems like a good time. The agony of more of Disney's happiness, little pixies and talking tea cups, my word, how wrong can this be :o Good for the kids, but bad for us.

No offense but -

1) Disney is a powerhouse even before they signed up with Pixar - ABC, Disney Channel, ESPN, Disney Stores, Disney Worlds, Disney Cruiseline, Buena Vista, Miramax, Walt Disney Pictures, Tristar - the list could go on, Disney is an entertainment behemoth like no other. It is truly a vertically integrated company
2) None of the networks that air cartoons will be affected by this decision because this is purely a cinematic venture,little to do with TV toons.
3) The only people remotely being affected by this are Disney, Pixar, Dreamworks, Paramount, Comcast, Microsoft. These are the guys who are, were or should have been involved.

kdiddy13's picture
Submitted by kdiddy13 on

No offense but -

1) Disney is a powerhouse even before they signed up with Pixar - ABC, Disney Channel, ESPN, Disney Stores, Disney Worlds, Disney Cruiseline, Buena Vista, Miramax, Walt Disney Pictures, Tristar - the list could go on, Disney is an entertainment behemoth like no other. It is truly a vertically integrated company
2) None of the networks that air cartoons will be affected by this decision because this is purely a cinematic venture,little to do with TV toons.
3) The only people remotely being affected by this are Disney, Pixar, Dreamworks, Paramount, Comcast, Microsoft. These are the guys who are, were or should have been involved.

And hasn't Disney all but dropped out of the Network Saturday morning scene? They have a small handful of toons (Kim Possible, The Proud Family), but they seem to come on later and go off the air and in to 3 hours of pregame football or food processor infomercials long before the WB or Fox stop playing their cartoons. As far as Saturday morning, it's been my impression that WB still holds the top slot.

Animated Ape's picture

Looks like it's pretty offical.
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/11003466/
I heard on the morning news that it's approved and just the details are being ironed out. We'll see the effects soon enough.

Aloha,
the Ape

hett15's picture
Submitted by hett15 on

I think that this is actually really good news for people that want to be animators. John Lasseter will become the new head of Disney/Pixar Animation and he has stated that he will do traditional animation again. This will probably mean that some of the animation studios that have been closed down will re-open and flourish under the new management. Steve jobs is a creative and business savy guy that really does think outside the box. He will become a board member and with such a large stake in the company he will have a lot of pull on what happens. Yes Disney bought Pixar, but Disney isn't what is/was bad about the company, it was the management and with out Eisner things will be very different. Think of it like Disney is Yellow paint and Pixar is blue paint. It only takes a little bit of blue mixed into yellow to make green$$ Disney isn't making Pixar worse Pixar is changing Disney.

Ken Davis's picture
Submitted by Ken Davis on

Its way too early to tell what's going to happen with the deal going down as is.

Wait six months, wait for announcements of new appointments, new projects and if any new "philosophies" are adopted.

Then we can talk.

kdiddy13's picture
Submitted by kdiddy13 on

How can you possibly be so calm when the sky is falling!?!

Gamirk's picture
Submitted by Gamirk on

The one thing i just heard on the news that made me very excited was that John Lasseter would be the new creative director for Disney Studios. I just couldn't see him doing anything but improving the quality of animation from Disney. The only thing I worry about now is a studio merger creating less jobs for cg animators... do you think?

cartoonchaos's picture

Its way too early to tell what's going to happen with the deal going down as is.

Wait six months, wait for announcements of new appointments, new projects and if any new "philosophies" are adopted.

Then we can talk.

Well, I just saw it on CNBC.

Pixar has just agreed to be bought by Disney for 7.4 billion dollars.

Pixar President Ed Catmull will serve as president of the combined Pixar and Disney animation studios.

But, get this.... John Lasseter will be chief creative officer of the animation studios AND the theme parks! How rock ass is that!

I wanna change my vote. With Mr. Lasseter in creative control... I think things will be okay. He's the new Walt Disney, looks like.

Follow @chaostoon on Twitter!

ScatteredLogical's picture

The only thing I worry about now is a studio merger creating less jobs for cg animators... do you think?

I know -nothing- about business, but my feeling is that either they could do their own separate things still, but allied in government and finance, in which case the count wouldn't change much, -or- they could unify into one creative force, in which case it's not like they're losing money to keep everyone they have, and just have a massive juggernaut force to pump out the animation.

The press release talks about something akin to 'bringing over the creative teams,' so I'm hoping they mean all of the team....minus even just a few people and it isn't the same team.

matt2001's picture
Submitted by matt2001 on

"As if millions of (geek) voices suddenly cried out in terror, and were suddenly silenced."

Relax everyone, I highly doubt this is the end of the animation world. :cool:

Animated Ape's picture

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11003466/

A few interesting points:

"Pixar Executive Vice President John Lasseter will become chief creative officer of the animation studios and principal creative adviser at Walt Disney Imagineering, which designs and builds the company’s theme parks."

"Pixar President Ed Catmull will serve as president of the new combined Pixar and Disney animation studios, reporting to Iger and Dick Cook, chairman of The Walt Disney Studios."

"Disney is not acquiring a direct interest in Apple. But Jobs could help Iger push his plans to marry films, TV shows, video games and other content to computers, iPods, handheld game consoles and even cell phones."

Everyone will be happy this happened and will scream that this is the best thing that's happened to Disney. Then we'll all be back here 15 years from now crying that Jobs and Lasseter drove Disney into the ground! :p I'm KIDDING!

Aloha,
the Ape

kdiddy13's picture
Submitted by kdiddy13 on

So what happens to the Pixar stock?

cartoonchaos's picture

So what happens to the Pixar stock?

2.3 Disney shares will be issued for each Pixar share.

Disney to buy Pixar

Follow @chaostoon on Twitter!

skinnylizard's picture

Personally i think this is the last great thing we will see happen in Animation for sometime. Either this will take Disney Animation to great new heights or it will take Pixar to great new depths.

I like to think it will be the former. Pixar stock will go up of course, but dont bother buying, its been surging since the news was out. However Disney didnt fall as much as i thought it would, which is good.

Harvey Human's picture

Pixar stock will go up of course, but dont bother buying, its been surging since the news was out. However Disney didnt fall as much as i thought it would, which is good.

Since the announcement of a possible acquisition, Disney stock has remained steady. It's been relatively steady (going up or down a few points here and there) for the past two years.

Pixar stock, on the other hand, has fallen since the announcement, but not by a significant amount. Overall, it's skyrocketed over the past three years, probably more for the performance of its last three movies than for its dealings with Disney.

http://today.reuters.com/stocks/charts.aspx?ticker=dis
http://today.reuters.com/stocks/Charts.aspx?symbol=PIXR.O

DIEMERAS Dark Angel's picture

No offense but -

1) Disney is a powerhouse even before they signed up with Pixar - ABC, Disney Channel, ESPN, Disney Stores, Disney Worlds, Disney Cruiseline, Buena Vista, Miramax, Walt Disney Pictures, Tristar - the list could go on, Disney is an entertainment behemoth like no other. It is truly a vertically integrated company
2) None of the networks that air cartoons will be affected by this decision because this is purely a cinematic venture,little to do with TV toons.
3) The only people remotely being affected by this are Disney, Pixar, Dreamworks, Paramount, Comcast, Microsoft. These are the guys who are, were or should have been involved.

Remotely true, but my statement was not intended for that much severity.
The WB is a broadcast giant maybe far greater than Disney, we are in a debate as to how this will affect us, I never said it will and I know that their move was cinematic, still, never the less, in this business, you must never underestimate your competition and seeing that we are falling in the ratings, a move like this is big business one that must be taken into account at all costs.
Skinnylizard I will say this, you misunderstand and miss the point many a times, mostly without proper knowledge of the intended situation, but I do admire your somewhat arrogant nature which I believe is an onset of some problems you face.
Never the less, I do thank you for the information.

He who seeks the truth, must first empty his heart of a false pursuit.

Diemeras Dark Angel

skinnylizard's picture

Remotely true, but my statement was not intended for that much severity.
The WB is a broadcast giant maybe far greater than Disney, we are in a debate as to how this will affect us, I never said it will and I know that their move was cinematic, still, never the less, in this business, you must never underestimate your competition and seeing that we are falling in the ratings, a move like this is big business one that must be taken into account at all costs.
Skinnylizard I will say this, you misunderstand and miss the point many a times, mostly without proper knowledge of the intended situation, but I do admire your somewhat arrogant nature which I believe is an onset of some problems you face.
Never the less, I do thank you for the information.

could you be more specific as to how WB is a greater broadcast giant vis a vis Disney??

Disney owns ABC which is one of the big 4 networks and i dont see how WB would challenge them.

Animated Ape's picture

could you be more specific as to how WB is a greater broadcast giant vis a vis Disney??

Disney owns ABC which is one of the big 4 networks and i dont see how WB would challenge them.

WB is part of the whole Time/Warner, or what ever they're called now, family. This includes TMC, CNN, Turner Broacasting, Cartoon Network, the WB network, America Online, HBO, New Line Cinema, Warner Bros. Entertainment, and others. I don't know who is bigger, but I think they are pretty close.

I would think that the recent merger of CBS' UPN and the WB network would affect you more than the PIXAR-Disney sale DIEMERAS.

So are they getting rid of PIXAR stock all together? Also what about the name? Will PIXAR still keep their name or will they also be called Disney? I wish I could travel ten years into the future and see how thing turn out. I would've wished that PIXAR stayed independent of Disney, but this is a much better outcome than I would've thought possible.

Aloha,
the Ape

Dekri's picture
Submitted by Dekri on

I originally though Disney buying pixar was a bad thing, but today my proffesor for my art history class went over and cleared up all the questions I've had about it. Now I'm not sure if it is either good or bad. With John Lasseter now being the creative mind behind Disney, things may start looking up.

For Pixars sake, I hope they keep their name. If the comon people, (the ones who see disney films as kiddy films) see the name Disney on films, they may not be as excited as when they see the name Pixar. Seeing how Pixar now is almost as big of a name as Disney, it will be interesting to see what happens with that.

kdiddy13's picture
Submitted by kdiddy13 on

My concern is that becoming bigger usually doesn't mean getting better (especially when artistic endeavors are involved). Pixar has done well by taking 2+ years to make it's movies, with Lasseter overseeing (even if just in the back ground) the details. Chances are John (easier than his last name) won't have the same amount of time as he did when he was overseeing one picture every two years. Now he'll be overseeing ALL of them, that includes their direct to DVD ventures which there seem to be at least three a year, not to mention the television, as well as whatever they decide to do with Disney Animation.

In other words, bigger does not usually mean better. I'd bet that this is going to be better for Disney than for Pixar. I guess time will tell.

Larry L.'s picture
Submitted by Larry L. on

Hello.

My sense of it is that Disney buying Pixar is a good thing especially in these areas:

1) Financially

2) Shareholders confidence

3) Cast member (Employee) confidence

1. Financially it makes sense because Dinsey needs to maintain their position in the marketplace. Pixar and they have had a string of hits and we all know you don't kill the goose which lays the golden eggs.

2. The confidence in Disney by it's shareholders has been as of late, in the flusher. They couldn't wait to rid themselves of Michael... and Robert Iger has yet to prove himself. Roy Disney and Steve Jobs on the Board will do much as a start to repair the confidence of the shareholders.

3. The employees of the Disney company have to be extremely happy over the merger- in the long run the company will be stronger- it puts Disney back on top with the best animation studio in the world. Hopefully, Steve Jobs will be left to ride herd over Disney... and the "suit" mentality will change. I saw so many good folks exit- it was amazing.

The only folks who might feel insecure might be the folks of Pixar- being gulped up by a corporate giant.

skinnylizard's picture

WB is part of the whole Time/Warner, or what ever they're called now, family. This includes TMC, CNN, Turner Broacasting, Cartoon Network, the WB network, America Online, HBO, New Line Cinema, Warner Bros. Entertainment, and others. I don't know who is bigger, but I think they are pretty close.

I would think that the recent merger of CBS' UPN and the WB network would affect you more than the PIXAR-Disney sale DIEMERAS.

So are they getting rid of PIXAR stock all together? Also what about the name? Will PIXAR still keep their name or will they also be called Disney? I wish I could travel ten years into the future and see how thing turn out. I would've wished that PIXAR stayed independent of Disney, but this is a much better outcome than I would've thought possible.

Aloha,
the Ape

i think you do have a point but im not sure WB is assumed to be part of that collective while Disney is since Disney is greatly animation related while for WB its just part of the strategy. Considering they are merging with UPN and going after the 'minorities' demographic i wonder how it will play out vs Disney. I see them becoming a smaller niche player then they are already but stronger.

Its difficult to say how this will play out but the best bit of information that no one is throwing around is how Steve Jobs becomes the single largest shareholder of Disney.

Animated Ape's picture

...Chances are John (easier than his last name) won't have the same amount of time as he did when he was overseeing one picture every two years...
In other words, bigger does not usually mean better. I'd bet that this is going to be better for Disney than for Pixar. I guess time will tell.

From everything I've heard from inside and out of PIXAR, is that they are switching from a 18 month release plan to a 12 month one, and nearly doubling there current staff. I'm not sure when that is suppose to happen, but It's supposed to be in the next few years. This might accelerate do to this buy out.

I think someone mentioned their concern about there being less animators. I don't think that will be a problem with PIXAR's increase, and Disney's A and B animation teams.

Like it was said, this will be good for Disney, but it's yet to be seen if this will also be good for PIXAR.

Aloha,
the Ape

skinnylizard's picture

From everything I've heard from inside and out of PIXAR, is that they are switching from a 18 month release plan to a 12 month one, and nearly doubling there current staff. I'm not sure when that is suppose to happen, but It's supposed to be in the next few years. This might accelerate do to this buy out.

I think someone mentioned their concern about there being less animators. I don't think that will be a problem with PIXAR's increase, and Disney's A and B animation teams.

Like it was said, this will be good for Disney, but it's yet to be seen if this will also be good for PIXAR.

Aloha,
the Ape

i think whats good for Disney will be good for Pixar because they wont be fighting over money anymore.

DIEMERAS Dark Angel's picture

WB is part of the whole Time/Warner, or what ever they're called now, family. This includes TMC, CNN, Turner Broacasting, Cartoon Network, the WB network, America Online, HBO, New Line Cinema, Warner Bros. Entertainment, and others. I don't know who is bigger, but I think they are pretty close.

I would think that the recent merger of CBS' UPN and the WB network would affect you more than the PIXAR-Disney sale DIEMERAS.

So are they getting rid of PIXAR stock all together? Also what about the name? Will PIXAR still keep their name or will they also be called Disney? I wish I could travel ten years into the future and see how thing turn out. I would've wished that PIXAR stayed independent of Disney, but this is a much better outcome than I would've thought possible.

Aloha,
the Ape

Thank You animated Ape for enlightening Skinny Lizard on the issue of my previous post, I don't know which is worse, a person who talks before they think or someone who just pretends.
I did not need remind him that WB is apart of Time Warner, if he knows everything in the world I just thought he would be smart enough to do research, at least.
Yes, there will be no more WB, we are forming an amalgamation with UPN, supposedly forming a new network powerhouse called "CW," go figure.
Check out my poll concerning this issue.

He who seeks the truth, must first empty his heart of a false pursuit.

Diemeras Dark Angel

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