Pixar in talks with studios that rival Disney-paper
Reuters, 02.05.03, 6:43 AM ET
NEW YORK, Feb 5 (Reuters) - Pixar Animation Studios (nasdaq: PIXR - news - people) chief, Steve Jobs, has begun preliminary talks with executives from Hollywood studios interested in a partnership should Pixar's distribution relationship with Walt Disney Co. (nyse: PIXR - news - people) break up, the Los Angeles Times reported on Wednesday.
Last week, Warner Bros. President Alan Horn and associates visited Pixar's computer animation campus, people familiar with the meeting told the newspaper. Executives from 20th Century Fox are scheduled for a similar "meet and greet" with Jobs this week, sources said.
Disney Studios Chairman Richard Cook told the LA Times he was aware that Jobs was feeling out competitors, but was hopeful that Disney and Pixar would remain partners.
Warner Bros. is a unit of AOL Time Warner (nyse: AOL - news - people) and 20th Century Fox, is part of News Corp.'s <NCP.AX> Fox Entertainment Group Inc. (nyse: AOL - news - people) .
Pixar, Disney, Fox and AOL were not immediately available for comment early on Wednesday morning.
Copyright 2003, Reuters News Service
