Pixar, Disney Integration "Terrific" says Disney Exec

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – The integration of Pixar Animation Studios Inc into Walt Disney Co. "is hap-pening better than we had ever dreamed it would," Disney Studios Chairman Dick Cook said. Disney, which is in the process of acquiring Pixar in an all-stock deal worth $7.4 billion when it was announced in January, plans to make two animated films per year after the merger is completed late this month or in May, Cook told an A.G. Edwards conference on Tuesday. "That's where we would like to be," Cook said. Integration has been "terrific" he said. Cook also said he expected the glut of animated films released this year – about one each month – to ease in the next year or two. He said the current slate of films, which is heavy with sequels to popular franchises and animated films, should show whether box office attendance dropped 9 percent worldwide in 2005 on the quality of films "or if ... people are obtaining their entertain-ment in some other way." Cook said that the DVD market, which also saw a slowdown last year in sales, has been relatively firm in the last few months.