the incredibles living a bug's life at the toy story factory (2 of 'em) are monsters, inc., that throw out mad $ like they found nemo or something!

So, FFT, tell me how you feel about Disney's $7.4 billion purchase of Pixar Animation Studios?

Well, how the fuck do you think I feel?

First, let's examine the logistics of the acquisition:

—Pixar was bought for an estimated $7.4 billion. To put this number into perspective, consider that Dreamworks pictures (with a catalog of over 60 motion pictures) and MGM (lots of fucking films!) are worth four and two times less, respectively, than the purchase price of Pixar.
—Pixar has only six original films in their catalog. Disney already owns the rights to these films and their sequels.
—The estimated production/marketing budget for a Pixar feature is over 160 million.

So, essentially, Disney has spent over $7 billion to own a animation studio that, while admittedly a powerhouse, is anything but a sure thing. Box office takes are down, and Titanic-esque returns are few and far between. Secondly, Pixar-film takes are on the decline since Toy Story 2.

And there are even more variables: There is no agreement that Pixar will make sequels to existing titles; Pixar is in Emeryville, Disney is in Burbank; etc.

Finally, and in my opinion foremost, what will Steve Jobs do under the wing of Disney? Look at the commodification of music that comes hand-in-hand with the iPod—will this monopolization translate to feature animation? Will Jobs redefine how consumers interface with animation (probably)? No doubt, the effect this will have on both traditional animation and Pixar's CGI competitors will not be positive.

And, of course, one has to consider how this will effect Pixar's target audience: kids. Do we really need more Pixar/Apple marketing gilded by the "wholesome" Disney image?

Obviously, I'm wholeheartedly opposed to this buyout. Pixar can get a film-by-film distribution deal with any studio on their terms at will; Why merge?

Of course, there's no need to answer the latter: $7.4 billion is a lot of cash, now. Twenty years of Pixar autonomy might not produce as much revenue. Jobs and John Lasseter are definitely winners; per usual, the viewing audience unfortunately loses.

Thanks for joining FFT on this so-called foray into the ins-and-outs of big $$$ Hollywood. Hopefully we won't return for a long while; NorCal!