Comment s'est passée la fusion entre Disney et Pixar ?

How did the merger between Disney and Pixar happen?

948 words | Reading time: 5 minutes

Behind the scenesPixarBob Iger

The marriage very nearly never happened: Steve Jobs and Michael Eisner no longer got along. Linked since Toy Story (1995) by a simple distribution agreement, Disney and Pixar saw their collaboration under threat. The arrival of Bob Iger, who succeeded Eisner in 2005, changed everything: he relaunched the negotiations and proposed an acquisition. Announced in January 2006 and finalized in May, the deal amounted to $7.4 billion in stock and made Jobs Disney’s largest individual shareholder. This article retraces those stages.

Summary

Introduction: The Disney-Pixar Merger, a Historic Marriage

In 2006, two animation giants united: Disney acquired Pixar. A $7.4 billion deal that redefined animated cinema.

📘 For Steve Jobs' key role, also read Steve Jobs and Pixar.

The Team Disney building in Burbank, whose facade is held up by large statues of the seven dwarfs.
The Walt Disney Company headquarters in Burbank, California: the group that bought Pixar in 2006. Photo: Coolcaesar, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Context: A Strained Partnership

Since Toy Story (1995), Disney and Pixar had been linked by a distribution agreement. But relations between Steve Jobs and Disney's then-CEO, Michael Eisner, had deteriorated to the point of threatening the collaboration.

🧥 Steve Jobs faced Michael Eisner in a black turtleneck, without a single color on the board; your own wardrobe can carry a lot more, and that is exactly what our Cars sweaters and sweatshirts are there for.

Steve Jobs in profile, in a black turtleneck, smiling against a dark background.
Steve Jobs, the head of Pixar: his relationship with Michael Eisner, then Disney's CEO, had deteriorated to the point of threatening the collaboration. Photo: JD Lasica from Pleasanton, CA, US, CC BY 2.0.

Bob Iger's Arrival

The turning point came with Bob Iger, who succeeded Eisner in 2005. Convinced of Pixar's value, he relaunched negotiations and proposed an acquisition rather than a simple contract renewal.

Bob Iger, seated in an armchair, at a public event in front of a light-coloured curtain.
Bob Iger succeeds Michael Eisner in 2005: convinced of Pixar's value, he restarts the negotiations. Photo: Village Global, CC BY 2.0.

2006: The $7.4 Billion Acquisition

The acquisition was announced in January 2006 and finalized in May: Disney acquired Pixar for $7.4 billion in stock. Steve Jobs became Disney's largest individual shareholder.

The entrance gate of the Pixar studios, topped by the PIXAR ANIMATION STUDIOS sign, under a blue sky.
The Pixar campus in Emeryville, California: this is the studio Disney buys in 2006 for 7.4 billion dollars in stock. Photo: Sharon Hahn Darlin, CC BY 2.0.

🪧 In Emeryville, a sign above the gate announces Pixar Animation Studios to everyone walking past; to announce who lives behind your own bedroom door, our Cars metal decorative signs play exactly the same part.

Lasseter and Catmull at the Helm

A major consequence: John Lasseter and Ed Catmull, Pixar's creative masterminds, took over creative leadership of Walt Disney Animation Studios, revitalizing Disney's in-house animation.

John Lasseter, in a dark suit and patterned shirt, smiling on a conference stage.
John Lasseter, Pixar's guiding mind: after the merger, he takes over the creative leadership of Walt Disney Animation Studios with Ed Catmull. Photo: Meet the media Guru, CC BY-SA 2.0.

Anecdotes

  • the merger was announced in January 2006 and finalized in May 2006
  • amount: $7.4 billion, in stock
  • Bob Iger made it one of his first major decisions as CEO
  • Lasseter and Catmull then oversaw all Disney animation
The Walt Disney Animation Studios building in Burbank, crowned with an enormous blue sorcerer's hat covered in stars.
Walt Disney Animation Studios, in Burbank: Disney's in-house animation comes under the supervision of Lasseter and Catmull. Photo: The Walt Disney Company, CC BY 2.0.

🧵 The Walt Disney Animation Studios building, in Burbank, is topped by a huge blue wizard hat covered in stars; an emblem that size will never fit on a jacket, but our Cars badges and patches sew straight onto yours.

Summary Table

Element Detail
Year 2006 (announced Jan, closed May)
Amount $7.4 billion (stock)
Initiator for Disney Bob Iger
Creative Consequence Lasseter & Catmull lead Disney Animation
Effect for Jobs Largest individual Disney shareholder

FAQ — Frequently Asked Questions

  • When did Disney acquire Pixar?
    In 2006: announced in January, finalized in May.
  • How much did the merger cost?
    $7.4 billion, paid in Disney stock.
  • Who made the merger possible?
    Bob Iger, Disney's new CEO, who re-engaged with Pixar after the tensions of the Eisner era.
  • What did the merger change for Disney?
    John Lasseter and Ed Catmull took over creative leadership of Walt Disney Animation Studios.
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