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Pixar and Disney's Big Head
Posted: Thu Aug 07, 2003 9:11 pm
by Choco Bear
from animated movies
"We Can Get The Deal We Want," Says Pixar CEO
Buoyed by the success of the animated blockbuster Finding Nemo, Pixar Animation Studios chief Steve Jobs said today he is prepared to strike a new distribution deal with another studio if Disney does not meet his terms. "We are very clear on what a new deal for Pixar will look like," Jobs said during a conference call to discuss Pixar's second quarter financial results. "We would prefer to continue our relationship with Disney if we can strike such a deal with them." Jobs praised studios such as Warner Bros., Sony Pictures and Twentieth Century Fox, saying Pixar has talked with several companies and found them accommodating. And, Jobs said, Pixar has plenty of time and cash to hold out for its full terms. "We have talked to many of these studios and we know we can get the deal we want." The comments were the boldest statement Jobs has made yet on the negotiations with The Walt Disney Co. The current deal expires in 2005 when Pixar delivers the animated film Cars. The Pixar film The Incredibles, is set for release next year. Jobs has said he prefers a deal where Pixar keeps 100 percent of the box office receipts and pays a studio a flat fee to distribute the films. The current deal with Disney, struck in 1996, splits the production costs and box office profits between Disney and Pixar. The Mouse House actually keeps more than 50 percent because it also charges Pixar a distribution fee. Disney and Pixar also co-own the movies, and split profits from home video sales. Jobs has said a new deal will allow Pixar to retain ownership of all its films. Jobs also pointed out that the worldwide box office take of Pixar's last four animated films, including Finding Nemo, trounced the last four animated films from both Disney and rival studio DreamWorks SKG. "In the balance of negotiations, we are aware that there are a handful of other studios that can successfully market and distribute films like ours, but there is only one Pixar." Getting a little big-headed, are we?
disney disney disney when are we going to learn
its not cool to be a fool
Posted: Fri Aug 08, 2003 8:01 am
by poco
Disney would be stupid not to listen here. Pixar is some of the glue that is holding Disney together (not all the glue I might add). If disney loses Pixar you can better believe they will suffer some.
This Cars movie sounds interesting. Does anyone know what it is about?
Posted: Fri Aug 08, 2003 8:32 am
by jabroni76
^^^
There hasn't been much info released on it... other than you can expect a fall 2005 release....
edit: Also that a trailer will be ready for release with The Incredibles Cinema debut!
Posted: Fri Aug 08, 2003 8:50 am
by indianajdp
This is definitely an interesting relationship, one that I ultimately think Disney needs more than Pixar.
In the beginning this was the perfect arrangement for both parties. Pixar needed a company like Disney to help split the production costs and handle the marketing budget. And with the Disney name attached to its offerings it was certain to pull in sone huge initial audiences. Sure its box office take was less than 50%, and sure they could only split the home video profits, but these years are all about building the Pixar reputation and image.
Now things have changed.
Pixar still needs a company like Disney to keep its production costs down and continually foot the enormous marketing machine that is thrown behind each film. However to a company like Disney, where else is their 3D animation going to come from w/out a Pixar? Losing Pixar will certainly put Disney at a huge disadvantage in the shifting world of animation. Admittedly I'm not privey to the status of any in-house efforts by Disney to develop their home-grown 3D efforts (has there been any noise since Dinosaur, but they most certainly pale in comparison to Pixar's refined pieces.
I'll cut my rambling's short now, but i'll close by saying this:
Disney needs to do whatever to keep Pixar on board. If that means giving Pixar more box office proceeds on the front-end while also relinquishing roghts to the film on the back-end, so be it. If others are willing to make that deal than Disney better be prepared to do the same. For Pixar, this is no longer a marriage of necessity, but more a marriage of convenience. And if it's more convenient to join the Sony family ....
Posted: Fri Aug 08, 2003 11:15 am
by 2099net
Well, Disney is making 3D animation films of their own (Chicken Little for example) and forging new partnerships (Vangard's Valient seems to be the same deal as Disney's initial Pixar deal) and they also have dealings with William Shatner's CGI studio (no joke) and Elton John's Rocket Pictures.
As for in house Disney CGI - in a typically short-sighted bone-headed Disney management decision Disney killed the company's in-house computer effects department (known as the Secret Lab - now you understand all those in-jokes in TENG
) after Dinosaur "flopped". I guess some of the staff were re-allocated to Walt Disney Feature Animation, but it seems that Disney's let a lot of talent fall through their fingers again...
Posted: Fri Aug 08, 2003 3:58 pm
by Captain Hook
I think that Finding Nemo proves one thing - that Pixar has a much better story department than Disney, and they know it and are a little prideful. Of course, as much as I loved Nemo and Bug's Life, Incredibles does not look as good to me... of course I might (hopefully!) be wrong.
Posted: Fri Aug 08, 2003 4:49 pm
by Prince Adam
Yeah, Incredibles looked like it may rely a little too much on "fat jokes".
Posted: Fri Aug 08, 2003 5:56 pm
by Captain Hook
I SOOO agree with you Prince Adam!
Posted: Fri Aug 08, 2003 6:04 pm
by Luke
Well, we've seen a 1-minute teaser, which won't even be in the actual film. So, maybe we should hold off on judging?
Fat jokes are sometimes funnier if you're not fat, I think. Not sure what that means.
But anyway, I liked the teaser.
Posted: Sat Aug 09, 2003 3:20 am
by 2099net
Well, up until now I think Pixar has made some very good choices when deciding what type of story to present in the computer animated meduim (although as I have said on another thread, I would be interesting in seeing what Monsters, Inc. would have looked like in traditional animation). But in my mind there is no doubt that both the Toy Story films, A Bug's Life and Finding Nemo (if only for the cool underwater lighting effects) do work much better as computer animation.
However, I have to question if a superhero spoof is a good choice, being as most people associate superheros with drawn comic books. I just think that - while the trailer is undoubtedly funny - the whole film might have more 'identification' with the audience if animated drawings were used.
Of course, being a comic geek I'd love it if the film was drawn in the style of Jack Kirby and then animated (especially if lots of "Kirby-Tech" is going to feature in the plot) but I'm no a average movie goer.
When all is said and done, the proof of the pie is in the filling (or something). We'll just have to wait for the final film to see.
Posted: Sat Aug 09, 2003 9:37 am
by poco
This story has now hit CNN, or at least the "ticker tape" at the bottom of the TV on CNN. It would be interesting to see if CNN makes it into a story. I can't remember if they did the Lizzy story but this seems a bit bigger. If could be a major "fall" for Disney if they don't somehow come up with a good working relationship with Pixar
Posted: Sat Aug 09, 2003 9:58 am
by Captain Hook
"Well, we've seen a 1-minute teaser, which won't even be in the actual film. So, maybe we should hold off on judging?"
I liked the teaser, I'm just worried because it doesn't look as good as their previous movies. I mean, I've been excited about every single Pixar movie EXCEPT this one and "Cars", and I've liked every single Pixar movie so far.
Posted: Sat Aug 09, 2003 10:05 am
by Luke
Captain Hook wrote:I liked the teaser, I'm just worried because it doesn't look as good as their previous movies. I mean, I've been excited about every single Pixar movie EXCEPT this one and "Cars", and I've liked every single Pixar movie so far.
I felt the same way about Nemo's teaser and I wound up loving it all the same. Hopefully, Incredibles will be like that for you.
Posted: Sat Aug 09, 2003 10:12 am
by Captain Hook
Oh, I really hope so Luke. That would be great if it was just as good as the other ones.
Posted: Sat Aug 09, 2003 10:17 am
by indianajdp
I wasn't fond of the teaser for
The Incredibles, just as I was not fond of the teaser for
Finding Nemo. I have enough faith in Pixar and it's creative genius to not pass judgement based on those irrelevant 60 seconds
Posted: Sat Aug 09, 2003 10:19 am
by Captain Hook
I NEED your confidence, though I did love the rest of the Pixar movies... Still haven't bought any though.
Posted: Sat Aug 09, 2003 11:26 am
by Prince Adam
Regarding what I said about "fat jokes", it's just that there's so much in the media that's already relying on them (Santa Clause movies, Jiminy Glick, even Friends), and it's just getting tiring. Hopefully though, it will be just a minor annoyance.
Posted: Sat Aug 09, 2003 12:55 pm
by Maerj
Pixar has a great story depratment, I'm sure. But so far we haven't seen anything but comedy or comic adventures from them. I have seen nothing from them that compares to the epic drama of a Lion King, Hunchback or Bambi. So far they are playing it safe, doing very sellable and bankable subject matter. That's fine, I'm not picking on them or anything, but I think that Disney has been far more adventerous in their story choices over the years. Pixar has done some great work, but I don't think that it invalidates the story work Disney has done for 70+ years now.
Posted: Sat Aug 09, 2003 3:19 pm
by Captain Hook
Maerj, either you took the words out of my mouth or I just agree with you exactly.
Posted: Sun Aug 10, 2003 3:58 pm
by Prince Phillip
I don't know why but, as enjoyable as some of pixar's works have been they just urk me the wrong way
...
I hope that if they do cut ties with disney, that they end up falling flat on their faces...
And no matter what disney might be going through right now, to compare Pixar to them is shameful, IMO, disney is great, disney is legendary, disney is magica, and without disney, there would probable be no TS films, ABL, FN, ect...