The News of the Week - Disney to Buy Pixar?

I tend to be a Disney snob.

If I go to the theater to see a movie, there's a good chance that it is to see a Disney film. I like charting the weekly box office returns, always rooting for Buena Vista Pictures to be the distributor most often mentioned in the Top 10. And I will "boycott" films from "competitive" studios. You won't catch me seeing any DreamWorks animated films at the theater.

So that's why it has been so cool that Disney partners with Pixar Animation Studios to put out those really cool computer animated films over the past decade. Being that they are "Disney" movies, I can proudly go and catch them in their initial release while still keeping my snobbery properly in place. I absolutely love the look, the story, the music and the technological coolness of each and every Pixar film. How did they make Sulley's fur and Nemo's ocean look so real? Brilliant.

But when it was looking like Pixar and Disney were not going to be continuing their very successful relationship after the release of this summer's Cars, I began to prepare to lower my nose a little so that it wouldn't be so hard to look down it anymore. After all that Pixar has accomplished, I was prepared to continue to support them long after they divorced from Disney.

That's why I was a little surprised to hear the news that Pixar might be open to the idea of being acquired by Disney. I'm not so sure that Pixar needs Disney anymore. If a snob like me would be willing to queue up opening weekend and spend lots of money on admission, popcorn and soda to be entertained by whatever CGI creations Pixar had in store for me, I'd say that they had a pretty sizeable audience willing to do the same. And though it's always been a "Walt Disney Pictures Presentation of a Pixar Animation Studios Film," most people I've heard talking about these movies simply say that they are Pixar movies. They've got brand recognition already. Do they need Disney?

I've long thought (perhaps hoped) that Disney should buy Pixar, so this week's news is somewhat in line with expectations I've had for the two. I truly believe that it could be a win-win situation for both companies too. Pixar continues to have the marketing muscle they've enjoyed and *should* have the long-term financing that they need to continue producing animated masterpieces. Disney continues to add to a roster of animated stars that they can use to sell T-shirts and videos, make direct-to-video sequels and open new theme park attractions based upon them.

I guess I'm just nervous that it could wind up blowing up in everyone's faces instead. Disney overpays for the acquisition and has trouble with future financing and sees its stock price drop dramatically. This in turn could mean that budgets are squeezed and future Pixar movies aren't quite as good as they once were. Creative members of the Pixar team are tired of the penny pinching and leave to form another competitor in the animation arena. Thinking the talent is in the RenderMan software, Disney hires replacement personnel to crank out more formulaic fodder that fails to inspire moviegoers of the world. Finally, Disney is forced to abandon its tradition of animation, chosing instead to become a distributor of movies rather than a studio producing them.

Reality should favor the former scenario over the latter but I worry. As a Disney shareholder -- and aforementioned snob -- I'd hate to see Disney do damage to itself by making too drastic of a purchase. And at the same time, I'd hate to see Pixar lose its innovative edge by becoming a cog in the Mouse House's corporate machine.

It will be interesting to see how it all plays out. The business part of the entertainment business can be as engaging as the entertainment portion of it. Will Disney buy Pixar, will they decide simply to remain partners and extend their distribution agreement, or will they go their separate ways?

Having been a lifelong fan of Disney movies, I'm hoping for an ending in which they all live happily ever after.