The Associated Press reports that the Disney-Pixar merger has already borne one important bit of fruit:
One immediate sign of Lasseter’s influence is that plans for Disney to make the long rumored sequel “Toy Story 3” on its own have been scrapped. If the film is made, it will be done by Lasseter and the other creators of the original film, the companies said.
To this, today’s Studio Briefing adds:
Disney Studios Chairman Dick Cook officially announced Wednesday that the company is shutting down Circle 7 Productions, the unit that was set up to create computer-animated sequels to Pixar’s original hit films. The Glendale-based Circle 7 was already well along in the production of Toy Story 3, according to several reports. Pixar Chairman Steve Jobs, who has made his dislike for sequels well known, remarked on Tuesday, “We feel very strongly that if the sequels are going to be made, we want the people who were involved in the original films involved in the sequels.”
Interestingly, Studio Briefing reported exactly one month ago that some observers were skeptical that the existence of Circle 7 was anything more than a bargaining ploy on Disney’s part:
Variety also reported that Disney CEO Bob Iger is keeping Pixar officials “in the loop about developments at Circle 7.” However, longtime Disney watcher Jim Hill has expressed doubts about the underpinnings of Circle 7 almost from its inception, quoting a source last August as saying, “That studio is never going to produce a single frame of finished animation. It’s all just a set-up to get Pixar back to the negotiating table.” Hill pointed out that Circle 7 was set up so hastily that its name was plucked off the “street sign” on the Disney lot where it was given space — across from the studios of Disney’s local ABC-TV station, which uses the number 7 (its channel position) surrounded by a circle as its logo.
So, on the one hand, this is a bigger story than “Disney cancels Toy Story 3” — they have actually cancelled plans for other Pixar sequels, too! — but, on the other hand, this may be a smaller story than “Disney cancels Toy Story 3“, since it’s not clear that Disney ever really intended to make that movie anyway.
The interesting question now is whether Lasseter will permit the ongoing production of straight-to-video sequels to other Disney films — or does that fall under someone else’s jurisdiction?
JAN 27 UPDATE: Hmmm, this Reuters story says the fate of Circle 7 might not be sealed yet after all (“Circle 7 will not immediately be shut down, but its future is yet to be determined…”).
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