Pixar is reportedly looking for a movie studio other than Disney to release its pictures. It's been pointed out many times that Steve Jobs has his loyalties divided between a technology company and an entertainment company, and there's clearly an uneasy tension there (remember when Michael Eisner told Congress that "Rip. Mix. Burn." was a call to piracy?). Maybe getting out of bed with the Mouse will enable a general willingness to take a stronger stand in favor of fair use.
Pixar's planned mouse tale is the latest jab in a year-long sparring match between Pixar CEO Steven P. Jobs, also head of Apple Computer Inc. (AAPL ), and Disney CEO Michael D. Eisner. The fight is over–what else?–money. Jobs wants more of it, especially after Pixar's run of blockbuster animated films for Disney, including Toy Story, A Bug's Life, and Monsters Inc. Without a new and better deal, Jobs could take his hit-making animators to another studio in 2006.
The timing couldn't be worse for Eisner, who is under pressure to rev up Disney's sputtering empire. Pixar lets Disney leverage characters such as Buzz Lightyear (Toy Story) and Flik (A Bug's Life) by using them in theme parks or selling them as toys. Disney hasn't had Pixar-level megahits since its Beauty and the Beast and Lion King days. Can you name any characters from Atlantis: The Lost Empire or Treasure Planet?
(via MacCentral)
