Lost in the Plot

There’s an article worth reading over at Jim Hill Media about the current state of negotiations between Pixar and Disney. Sounds like they’re talking again, and more than that, it really does seem both parties are keen to strike a distribution deal but neither wants to lose face after such a public end to talks the first time.

What really interested, and I have to say, concerned me, was this passage from the article -

Wall Street analysts had reportedly been told that — starting in 2009 — Pixar Animation Studios would begin beefing up its release schedule. That — from 2009 on forward — the Emeryville-based studio would be putting two new animated pictures out in the multiplexes each year.

I really hope that this isn’t the case, because my observation of the problems that Disney had both creatively and at the box office, is that too many animated features too fast always results in lowered quality, reduced box office for each release, and ultimately a crisis in the medium when the marketplace becomes too overcrowded and Studios aren’t making enough money.

Dreamworks is planning an even more aggressive domination of the animation market, with between two and three films a year. Katzenberg himself commented recently that the market was going to be fierce, explaining that in 2006 there would be an animated film released by a studio each month of the year! Phew… I think it’s going to be brutal for some of the studios, but I guess the question is, what are the odds that it’ll be Disney, Dreamworks or Pixar to have a big flop? Their marketing budgets and brand recognition will probably get them through… but it’ll be interesting!

On a final note, the JHM article also mentions that apparently Pixar aren’t against letting the Disney CG Studio produce most of the animation for Toy Story 3, but they want more input into the script. I can only cross my fingers and hope that they decide against it, but I’m fairly certain there’s too much money to be made for either of them to say no.