Archive notice: This article was originally published on January 25, 2006. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
The speculation recently fueled by a report in the “Wall Street Journal” about entertainment group Disney’s takeover of animation studio Pixar has been confirmed: Disney is taking over Pixar for around 7.4 billion dollars, as the company announced yesterday in Burbank, California. Pixar boss Steve Jobs, who also heads Macintosh manufacturer Apple, thereby becomes Disney’s largest individual shareholder.
Through the takeover, Disney is arming itself for the digital animation age. Pixar has never used the classic 2D animation employed by Disney for decades, but since 1996 has relied on animated-film productions that are animated entirely in 3D. With films such as “Toy Story,” “Finding Nemo” and most recently “The Incredibles,” the studio, which has won multiple Oscars, achieved major box-office success.
Even before the takeover, Pixar was linked to Disney through a marketing and distribution agreement. However, the film “Cars” (release: summer 2006) was supposed to be the final collaboration between the two companies. By purchasing Pixar, Disney secures the studio’s technical and creative expertise in the market for 3D animated films, which is regarded as economically promising. Pixar co-founder and director John Lasseter will be honored by the American Visual Effects Society on February 15 with the Georges Méliès Award for special artistic achievements.
