“Boosted by a record quarterly and full-year performance, Pixar Animation Studios chief Steve Jobs on Wednesday explained his company’s decision to split with The Walt Disney Co., blasting Disney as weak creatively and unwilling to compromise on a new agreement,” Gary Gentile reports for Associated Press. “In a conference call with analysts to discuss Pixar’s earnings, Jobs took a slap at Disney’s recent animated films.”

“‘The truth is there has been little creative collaboration with Disney for years,’ Jobs said. ‘You can compare the creative quality (of Pixar films) with the creative quality of Disney’s last three films and judge each company’s creative ability yourselves,’” Gentile reports. Jobs criticized Disney’s last two animated efforts, this year’s ‘Brother Bear’ and last year’s ‘Treasure Planet,’ as ‘flops. No amount of marketing will turn a dud into a hit,’ Jobs said,” Gentile reports.

“Jobs said it is unlikely Pixar would ever agree to make a sequel of the five films co-produced by Disney and said he would not want to see Disney exercise its right to make sequels on its own. ‘We feel sick about Disney doing sequels,’ Jobs said. ‘If you look at the quality of their sequels, such as ‘Lion King 1 1/2′ and (the Peter Pan sequel ‘Return to Neverland’), it’s pretty embarrassing,’” Gentile reports.

“Disney called Jobs’ remarks ‘unfortunate. It is unfortunate that Steve Jobs has grossly mischaracterized good faith negotiations to reach agreement on an extension of the present, successful partnership that has been beneficial to shareholders of both Pixar and Disney,’ Zenia Mucha, a Disney spokeswoman, said in a statement. ‘It’s also sad and unfortunate that he has resorted to insults and name-calling in the wake of the disagreement. We expected better of him.’”

Full article here.

MacDailyNews Take: Zenia better hope that Steve doesn’t soon become her boss – unless she likes pink slips.

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