Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Audio / Video

Disney to Acquire Pixar for $7.4 Bln

Geoff Duncan
By

The Walt Disney Company and Pixar announced today that Disney has agreed to acquire animation house Pixar for an all stock deal valued at $7.4 billion. The deal has been approved by the boards of both companies, and is expected to be completed by mid-2006.

Pixar President Ed Catnull will serve as the President of the new Pixar and Disney animation studios, and John Lassetter (considered by many to be the crown jewel of Pixar) will serve as Chief Creative Officer of the studios, as well as Principal Creative Advisor at Walt Disney Imagineering, where he’ll contribute to Disney theme park attractions. And what of Pixar’s iconic CEO Steve Jobs, also CEO of Apple Computer and in control of about half Pixar’s stock? He’ll be joining Disney’s Board of Directors as one of three non-independent members.

Recommended Videos

“Disney and Pixar can now collaborate without the barriers that come from two different companies with two different sets of shareholders,” said Jobs. “Now, everyone can focus on what is most important, creating innovative stories, characters and films that delight millions of people around the world.”

Related

Pixar has developed several successful animated films which have been distributed by Disney, including Toy Story,Toy Story 2,A Bug’s Life,Monsters, Inc., Finding Nemo, and The Incredibles, with total earnings estimated near $3.2 billion. However, friction between Jobs and former Disney CEO Michael Eisner led Jobs to walk away from the Disney distribution deal when it concludes this year with the release of Cars.

The Disney acquisition secures Pixar’s talent and unique culture, bringing them into the Disney fold, and enables the House of Mouse to further leverage Pixar characters, stories, and creations through its many media and merchandising channels. For many Pixar employees, the deal may represent a bit of a dream come true: many of the storytelling and production values of earlier Disney animated films are what inspired Pixar in the first place. However, the deal does cast doubt on Disney’s confidence in its own in-house talent, and may complicate life for Steve Jobs’ other day job at Apple Computer, where, as a member of Disney’s board, he may face additional hurdles trying to convince other video content providers (Time Warner, NBC/Universal, CBS, etc.) to put their content up for sale on Apple’s iTunes Music Store.

Editors' Recommendations

Geoff Duncan
Geoff Duncan
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Geoff Duncan writes, programs, edits, plays music, and delights in making software misbehave. He's probably the only member…
HD to 4K: these home theater projectors are up to $2,000 off
The Optoma UHD55 projector.

While TVs are great, if you want to have a large screen TV that goes over 80 inches, you're liable to spend thousands of dollars, and if you want to go over 100 inches, you may not even find any options at all, especially at the consumer level. Luckily, there are a lot of great projectors that can not only hit those targets but exceed them and do it at a much cheaper cost than a regular TV. Even better, there is quite a big sale right now at Crutchfield on home theater projectors, with everything from budget-friendly options to top-of-the-range stuff.

What you should buy in Crutchfield's projector sale
Not all projectors have to be incredibly expensive, and you can grab a great project for a good price with the Optoma HZ40HDR, which is , saving you a solid $450 in the process. It's an FHD projector, although it can handle 4k and HDR sources,  and the bulb has a 30,000-hour life span, which is pretty great for a budget-oriented projector. On the other hand, if you want 4k, Optomo has a good budget option for that too, the Optoma UHD35STx, which is a 4k short-throw projector with HDR10 and HLG HDR going , which isn't a massive discount on the usual $1,549, but it's still pretty good.

Read more
Best AirPods Max deals: New and refurbished for $440
A woman wearing the Apple AirPods Max.

Shopping the best headphone deals will turn up a number of options from a wide variety of headphone brands, but if you’re interested in what Apple has to offer in terms of premium audio, the Apple AirPods Max are where you’ll want to turn. The AirPods Max are Apple’s top-of-the-line headphones, and while they churn out some impressive audio experiences, they also churn out a hefty price point. With the rumors of AirPods Max 2 going on you’ll be able to find some decent AirPods Max deals out there. We’ve done that hefty lifting for you, however, and have laid out the best AirPods Max deals below. You’ll find deals on both new and refurbished AirPods Max, but click quickly if one of these deals works for you, as Apple deals can be unpredictable and we don’t know how long these will last.
AirPods Max -- $519, were $549

The AirPods Max are Apple's first attempt at a set of over-the-ear headphones. They got a lot of things right. We love these headphones, even when compared against some audiophile options that prioritize sound quality. The AirPods Max have awesome noise cancelling. Everything Apple learned with the earbud-style AirPods works even better with the cup style of the AirPods Max. Along with great ANC comes a great transparency mode. With a twist of the Max's massive knob, you'll go from complete silence to feeling like you're not wearing headphones at all. The audio on phone calls is great as well, and they pair better with the iPhone than any non-Apple headphones could ever hope to.

Read more
Best AirPods Pro deals: Get Apple’s flagship earbuds for $122
The Apple Airpods Pro in their charging case.

Apple’s lineup of headphones has grown over the years. It currently makes a number of AirPods models that can be talked about among the best wireless earbuds. Among them are the AirPods Pro. The AirPods Pro are regularly in contention to be among the best headphones overall as well, and because of their popularity it can be difficult to track down AirPods Pro deals worth shopping. We’ve managed to find some out there, however, and below we’ve rounded up all of the best AirPods Pro deals you can shop right now. You’ll find discounts on both new and refurbished AirPods Pro models, as well as some information on why each model might be best for you.
Apple AirPods Pro (Refurbished) — $122, was $220

While there’s a newer model of AirPods Pro available, the first generation Apple AirPods Pro can still hold their own against some of the best wireless earbuds. Made for a slightly more premium user than something like the Apple AirPods 3, the AirPods Pro have higher end features, including active noise cancellation and a transparency mode, which allows you to hear and interact with the world around you while you have the headphones on. Spatial audio with dynamic head tracking is another impressive feature. This makes watching movies and other content a truly immersive experience. This refurbished model of the Apple AirPods Pro comes with free 30-day returns and a 1-year warranty.

Read more