# Disney To Buy Out Pixar? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 31, 2005, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disney-to-buy-out-pixar/328723 "2005-10-31T15:12:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2005, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disney-to-buy-out-pixar/328723/1 "2005-10-31T15:12:08Z")
Talks are underway… [http://money.cnn.com/2005/10/31/news/midcaps/pixar\_disney/](http://money.cnn.com/2005/10/31/news/midcaps/pixar_disney/) That _Incredibles_ sequel may not be too far off, at that. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2005, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disney-to-buy-out-pixar/328723/2 "2005-10-31T15:21:10Z")
If this happens, will Disney ruin it? The Pixar films have been almost uniformly excellent while recent animated films from Disney have sucked. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2005, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disney-to-buy-out-pixar/328723/3 "2005-10-31T15:22:55Z")
> [@Dewey Finn](#): > > If this happens, will Disney ruin it? Yes. They’ve pillaged their own library of classics for a bunch of made-for-DVD crap, so why not do the same to Pixar? ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2005, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disney-to-buy-out-pixar/328723/4 "2005-10-31T15:32:29Z")
I dearly do not want this to happen; they’ll ruin it. ---
**Author:** ![Nonsuch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nonsuch/32/2922_2.png) [@Nonsuch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nonsuch)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2005, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disney-to-buy-out-pixar/328723/5 "2005-10-31T15:42:33Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > I dearly do not want this to happen; they’ll ruin it. If they run it the way Steve Jobs ran it — keep John Lasseter and his team in place, and let them do what they want — everything will be fine. It’s not inconceivable that they will; Eisner is gone, and the new guy seems to have a good head on his shoulders. ---
**Author:** ![cstamets](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/958977/32.png) [@cstamets](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cstamets)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2005, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disney-to-buy-out-pixar/328723/6 "2005-10-31T16:41:03Z")
> [@Mr. Blue Sky](#): > > Yes. They’ve pillaged their own library of classics for a bunch of made-for-DVD crap, so why not do the same to Pixar? Disney already has rights to pillage everything Pixar did while they had their distrubtion deal. And from what I’ve read, I think they intended to fully exercise those rights. ---
**Author:** ![Dragwyr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dragwyr/32/2855_2.png) [@Dragwyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dragwyr)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2005, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disney-to-buy-out-pixar/328723/7 "2005-10-31T17:45:51Z")
> [@cstamets](#): > > Disney already has rights to pillage everything Pixar did while they had their distrubtion deal. And from what I’ve read, I think they intended to fully exercise those rights. They already did with the animated TV series, “Buzz Lightyear of Star Command”. ---
**Author:** ![chefjef](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e480ec/32.png) [@chefjef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chefjef)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2005, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disney-to-buy-out-pixar/328723/8 "2005-10-31T18:55:43Z")
> [@Dragwyr](#): > > They already did with the animated TV series, “Buzz Lightyear of Star Command”. i actually think they’ll have a huge success on their hands with chicken little…zach braff will pull huge weight with that one. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2005, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disney-to-buy-out-pixar/328723/9 "2005-10-31T19:05:43Z")
I believe Disney created Chicken Little without the involvement of Pixar. So if it fails, one could argue that lately it’s only success was with Pixar animated movies, but if it succeeds, then perhaps Disney still has some magic left and doesn’t need Pixar as much. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2005, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disney-to-buy-out-pixar/328723/10 "2005-10-31T19:08:02Z")
> [@chefjef](#): > > i actually think they’ll have a huge success on their hands with chicken little…zach braff will pull huge weight with that one. _Variety_ panned it. A stinkeroo. > **[Chicken Little](https://variety.com/2005/film/awards/chicken-little-1200520598/)** > > Disney’s first inhouse all-CG animated feature, “Chicken Little,” lives up to its name by serving up a fraction of what audiences are used to getting in this department from Pixar… _ **Not** _ a good sign. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2005, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disney-to-buy-out-pixar/328723/11 "2005-10-31T19:16:58Z")
> [@chefjef](#): > > i actually think they’ll have a huge success on their hands with chicken little…zach braff will pull huge weight with that one. _Chicken Little_ is not a Pixar film. Disney has closed their hand-drawn animation department, and will only make computer-animated movies from now on. Whether they will be able to hold their own against the Pixar pack, I don’t know. _Chicken_ looks like it has potential, but then again, I only guess that due to the kooky premise (Chicken Little believes that the sky is falling _again_- turns out he’s right this time…aliens are invading!) and the all-star voice cast (Patrick Stewart! Don Knotts! Adam West! Joan Cusack! Garry Marshall! Amy Sedaris! Fred Willard! Catherine O’Hara! And Starring Zach Braff as Chicken Little!) Or it could be horrible. Who knows? Disney is referring to this film as “Disney’s first computer-animated movie.” Since it failed, I guess they’re pretending _Dinosaur_ doesn’t exist like they used to _The Black Cauldron_. (Their other forgotten film, _Song of the South_, hasn’t completely disappeared from the landscape- Splash Mountain, everyone? And rumor has it they will release it on DVD next year for its 60th anniversary, in an effort to stop people from buying bootlegged copies, with apologetic disclaimers about their treatment of African Americans in the film.) ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2005, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disney-to-buy-out-pixar/328723/12 "2005-10-31T19:53:01Z")
We had a thread comparing Pixar and Dreamworks animated films and one of the things that Dreamworks was criticized for was the use of a celebrity voice cast. I don’t know if that’s a problem but then I enjoyed the Dreamworks films like Shrek. Perhaps Disney is following the Dreamworks model instead of the Pixar model? ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2005, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disney-to-buy-out-pixar/328723/13 "2005-10-31T19:58:28Z")
**Song of the South** certainly hasn’t disappeared – even on DVD, it’s for sale in Europe. Even **The Black Cauldron** hadn’t completely disappeared. They kept a BC-themed eatery open in Disneyland for quite a while, and the work has been out on VHS. I don’t doubt it will reappear on DVD eventually. But it’s true Disney does kinda sweep some things under the rug. **The Black Hole** , **Escape to Witch Mountain**. And I’m amazed at howe completely and rapidly **Treasure Planet** vanished. Me, I’m gonna give **Chicken Little** a chance. I think it has potential. ---
**Author:** ![MacTech](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MacTech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacTech)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2005, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disney-to-buy-out-pixar/328723/14 "2005-10-31T20:07:44Z")
Call me a pessimist if you must, but i don’t hold up much hope for Pixar if it’s assimilated by The Mouse™ most recent Disney movies IMHO have been eminently forgettable, the only thing that made Brother Bear even tolerable was the running commentary by Bob and Doug McKenzi…oops, not Bob and Doug, just a pair that sounds _remarkably_ like them and are even voiced by Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas… it didn’t make the movie _good_, just more tolerable than it otherwise would have been Disney’s Magic™ has passed it’s “best by” date long ago… Pixar, OTOH, understands that the most important parts of a movie are the _plot_ and characterizations, the _story_ comes first, all else is secondary, whether it’s rendered by the latest in high-tech computers, or drawn by monkeys with crayons, the story is the most important part, Pixar understands this fact, i think The Mouse™ has lost sight of this fact ---
**Author:** ![MacTech](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MacTech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacTech)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2005, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disney-to-buy-out-pixar/328723/15 "2005-10-31T20:09:52Z")
Ops, i totally forgot… “Monkeys with Crayons” would be an excellent name for a band 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Nonsuch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nonsuch/32/2922_2.png) [@Nonsuch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nonsuch)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2005, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disney-to-buy-out-pixar/328723/16 "2005-10-31T20:15:26Z")
> [@Dewey Finn](#): > > We had a thread comparing Pixar and Dreamworks animated films and one of the things that Dreamworks was criticized for was the use of a celebrity voice cast. I don’t know if that’s a problem but then I enjoyed the Dreamworks films like Shrek. Perhaps Disney is following the Dreamworks model instead of the Pixar model? From the reviews I’ve seen, it seems like Disney is adopting another of Dreamworks’ failings: going for quick, cheap pop-culture riffs instead of actual jokes that grow from the characters’ personalities. I just saw _The Incredibles_ over the weekend, and one of the many, many things I liked about it was its complete lack of any labored, winking references to movies or tv shows or this month’s c-grade celebrity. ---
**Author:** ![Scissorjack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c67d28/32.png) [@Scissorjack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scissorjack)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2005, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disney-to-buy-out-pixar/328723/17 "2005-10-31T20:18:59Z")
> [@mobo85](#): > > Disney is referring to this film as “Disney’s first computer-animated movie.” Uh? Did Tron disappear in the purges too? ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2005, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disney-to-buy-out-pixar/328723/18 "2005-10-31T20:39:38Z")
I can’t imagine Steve Jobs selling Pixar without _some_ sort of iron-clad guarantee that its quality and integrity will be preserved. It’s too much “his baby” for his ego to just take the money and run. Even if Pixar ends up as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Disney, there’s gonna be something to make sure it doesn’t churn out crappy films and sully the brand. > [@](#): > > “It was brutal, but _Toy Story 2_ was the defining moment for the studio,” says Catmull. “We decided **we could never fall into the trap of thinking, Oh we’ll produce crap and great movies.** Making two kinds of films is bad for your culture. You can’t do great work in the long run if you think that way.” > –Ed Catmull, President of Pixar (from [Welcome to Planet Pixar](http://www.electric-escape.net/node/983) ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2005, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disney-to-buy-out-pixar/328723/19 "2005-10-31T21:01:22Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > \*\* > Even **The Black Cauldron** hadn’t completely disappeared. They kept a BC-themed eatery open in Disneyland for quite a while, and the work has been out on VHS. I don’t doubt it will reappear on DVD eventually. Already is. I own a copy. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2005, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disney-to-buy-out-pixar/328723/20 "2005-11-01T00:50:06Z")
> [@rjung](#): > > I can’t imagine Steve Jobs selling Pixar without _some_ sort of iron-clad guarantee that its quality and integrity will be preserved. It’s too much “his baby” for his ego to just take the money and run. Even if Pixar ends up as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Disney, there’s gonna be something to make sure it doesn’t churn out crappy films and sully the brand. i can. Lots of $$$$$. :dubious: :smack: [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disney-to-buy-out-pixar/328723.md?page=2)