Poll : Disney to Benefit from Pixar Deal

(Los Angeles Business) – This week, as expected, The Walt Disney Co. bought out Pixar Animation Studios in a $7.4 billion deal. In an informal Los Angeles Business survey, a majority of readers think that the merger will do just that, as 53 percent said that Disney will once again be tops in animated features. "Enough with all these short-term sighted nay-sayers, Pixar was brought into this world with Disney Magic in mind – consider Toy Story for proof," one respondent said, noting the success of the "Toy Story" series as the gold standard of the Disney-Pixar relationship. However, plenty of people think that the merger will not work, as 44 percent said that Pixar will be ruined under Disney's watch. "A few years ago, computer animation was demanding work that required unique technical skills. Now the labor market is flooded. Disney paid too much for what it could have done on its own," one reader noted. Several comments were directed at the fact that with the merger, Pixar CEO and head of Apple Computer Inc. Steve Jobs will be given a seat on the Disney board. "Putting Steve Jobs on the board will only prove to be disruptive. He needs to call attention to himself, which means one-upping whomever is going to end up as Disney's chairman," a response said. "Let Steve Jobs take over the board and he'll have Mickey humming again – of course, he'll be humming tunes downloaded from iTunes," another noted, taking a jab at Jobs' position with Apple.