Scott's Random Thought For The Day (Pixar and Disney)



Being a fan of Apple Computers, Pixar, and animated films in general I've been keeping a close eye on all the various machinations that have been going on between Disney and Pixar. At this point negotiations have broken off, and Pixar is allegedly looking for another studio to team with. I've always felt Pixar will end up back with Disney in the end, but recently there haven't been many indications that that will happen.

Then comes this unsourced piece from The New York Post, where Steve Jobs says he'll bring Pixar back to Disney if Disney gets rid of Michael Eisner.

You've got admire the timing of this "leak," which I have no doubt was orchestrated by Steve Jobs himself. It comes one week after Home on the Range opened, reminding people that Disney's in-house animated films aren't exactly classics anymore, and the same day The Alamo opened, which early box office figures suggest is going to be a huge bomb. ($100 million budget, $9 million opening weekend.)

If this doesn't force Michael Eisner out of his position as Disney CEO, I'm not sure anything can. Losing Pixar and incurring an incredible 43% no confidence vote at the last stockholders meeting should have been enough to make any board ask for the CEO's resignation, but Disney's board is clearly incestuous beyond belief. But add the possibility of getting Pixar back and two high profile theatrical bombs in row, and that may just be enough to prod the board to do something.

The biggest question now is, if Eisner leaves will Steve Jobs make a play for CEO of Disney? An unlikely proposition, perhaps, but Jobs has been through two boardroom coups already in his career. One thing you can be sure of-- if Jobs were to lead Disney, he'd probably do his best to make sure Disney's parks regain the reputation for being spotlessly clean and well organized that they've lost under Eisner's reign. Those are two things that seem pretty important to Jobs, judging by the personal standards he enforces on Apple's retail stores.

Posted: Sun - April 11, 2004 at      

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