Disney and Pixar

[Marky Lazer]

Disney bought Pixar.

Well, a simple question... Good idea or bad idea?

 

[Priv8eye]

I think it could be bad.

I suppose it all depends on whether the management and creative teams at Pixar remain intact or whether they are subject to outside influence from the new owners.

 

[Culhwch]

Wait, I thought Disney and Pixar were associated, but now Pixar has split off independently....

 

[ravenus]

Oh no! Is this going to be another thread about how the evil empire Disney is going to ruin the incredibly talented and downright angelic Pixar? PLEEEASE! At least from my naive perpective the details of the takeover make it look like Pixar's key men Jobs and Lassetter are going to take control of Disney's animation division. And with movies like Monsters Inc and Finding Nemo Pixar has proved that they are as capable as the evil empire of delivering good-looking but boring movies.

 

[Marky Lazer]

No that wasn't the intention of this thread at all. I think Disney herself made a fair few awesome movies.

 

[Omega]

Disney was a bloke.

 

[Marky Lazer]

I know, but I mostly refer to companies as her.

 

[Priv8eye]

Disney has been responsible for some really good movies over the years. However, I think that as time has gone on the quality of their products has waned, whereas Ppixars has grown stronger.

I don't beleive that Pixar has produced nothing but good movies. I was seriously underwhelmed by A Bugs Life, and havent seen Monsters Inc or Nemo because they don't appeal.

Toy Story, its sequel and the Incredibles are perhaps their best movies, but the remaining movies remain strong ones compared to some of the stuff that Disney has subjected us to over the years in her wane.

Perhaps the 'angelic' Pivar view came about because they poroduced a top notch sequal to Toy Story, spent time and money on it and had it released in the cinemas (as opposed to straight-to-video as many other Disney sequels) only to find that it wasnt part of their five movie contract with disney.

One could say more fool Pixar for not reading the contract properly.

 

[edott]

disney seems to spend a lot of time saying that people don't want to see there movies cause they aren't 3d computer generated when in fact no one was going cause they s**ked.
people liked Nemo and the Increadibles cause they were great movies. Shrek was hilarious and would have made a fortune even if it had been done in a traditional animated medium.
more plot less whining is what disney needs to do.

 

[Thadlerian]

Ah, the Rat's growing fat.

I think it'll be a bad thing if Disney is to get more influence on the movies Pixar make, like the setting, the message. Funny sidekicks and stock sentimentalism would be tuned way up. Clever contemporary observations would be redirected to the "deleted scenes" on DVDs.

Disney stopped making good, original, non-ripoff (here with exception of fairy-tales/legends) features more than 10 years ago. Such very movies have been produced by Pixar almost ever since. Disney should admit to not being number One any more, and try to learn from Pixar, Ghibli and any other studios actually ranking substance over looks and laughs (and who still manage to create beautiful, funny movies).

 

[Marky Lazer]

And those lads who made Ice Age did a pretty good job as well. Can't think of the studio's name this moment...

 

[Omega]

According to imdb.com

Blue Sky Studios and Fox Animation Studios.

 

[Priv8eye]

I beleive that Lasseter, of Pixar leadership, is to get a place on the Disney board as part of the deal so perhaps it may become Pixar ruling disney instead of the other way around?

 

[Brian G Turner]

Disney was seen to have made a huge blunder by not renewing their distribution contract with Pixar last year.

Both are separate companies - Pixar is in majority owned by Steve Jobs of Apple, I believe - and Disney has been undergoing some serious boardroom wargames, with Walt Disney's nephew Roy leading a campaign to have Michael Eisner removed from the chair.

It seems that now Disney is coming back together at the boardroom level, they are now trying to repair past damage - obviously, Pixar is so profitable that they can potentially disitribute themselves or sign a major deal with another, such as Universal.

Disney making a bid on Pixar is almost certainly about keeping that powerful horse in the Disney stable, to ensure a continued relationship.

More on the story here:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4643526.stm

 

[edott]

More than many of you here this does worry me as i have kids and will probably see a lot of these movies. I only hope that they let Pixar continue to make great movies.

 

[stormbard]

I personally love all of the Pixar films, and would hope they continue in the same fashion, but when huge companies become involved who knows? Let's just hope that their creativity, uniqueness and quality remain after this is all over

 

[McMurphy]

One thing is for sure, it is going to hurt perspective American animators. Disney has been outsourcing their animation department for years, while Pixar kept their animation departments based in California.

Another ugly, large corporate merge....another gapping hole in the American job market.

Oh, well. I suppose we all really preferred working at Taco Bell, anyway, didn't we?

 

[ravenus]

I wish they'd outsource their story departments to Studio Ghibli. The constant attempt at generating characters based on what would make for cutesy merchandise and tie-ins in with McDonalds doesn't necessarily make for engaging cinema.

 

[McMurphy]

For those who thought Chicken Little was funny....

I wish they'd outsource their story departments to Studio Ghibli. The constant attempt at generating characters based on what would make for cutesy merchandise and tie-ins in with McDonalds doesn't necessarily make for engaging cinema.

Heh. Very true. Hell, I would even settle for Disney outsourcing their writing department (ie: their marketers and lawyers) to my five year old niece. I am sure she can think something up more engaging....

 

[Gwydion]

i thought pixar was leaving after Cars?