So, the news is official — Disney has bought Pixar, and with it they’ve bought their way back into animation.
I was dismayed and disappointed when Disney finally shut down their animation division, the part of the company that made Disney a household name. That was very shortsighted, and now under Robert Iger, Disney has taken a step to regain that name.
John Lasseter is finally returning to the Mouse, where he began. Let’s hope that he is able to break down the bureaucracy that Disney has grown into, and bring back some magic to the stodgy company. The same goes for Steve Jobs, who will now be on the Disney board. What will his presence do to Disney? Will Disney reclaim some of the creativity and design that were always hallmarks of the Imagineers before budget cuts and lack of vision curtailed that spark?
And what is Jobs’ next move? Will he reduce his role at Apple in favor of a more enticing role at Disney? For that matter, is Steve Jobs the 21st century equivalent of Walt Disney?
Get ready for a new soap opera, folks.
