Here's a pretty good article on what transpired earlier this year. I believe the biggest players will be Twentieth Century Fox and Warner Bros.
d-r when I come across the specifics regarding Lucasfilm's deal I'll let you know if there are any missing components to the agreement terms you have outlined.
Lucasfilm Ltd is privately held and has two equally dynamic agreements concerning StarWars. The first is the distribution through Fox and the second is the licensing with Hasbro. If Pixar was considering a similar arrangement, they would have to structure something which incorporates both avenues as well.
That is why I believe Warner Bros makes the most sense in going head to head against Disney here.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/chronicle/a/2003/02/06/BU14654.DTL
Disney rivals court Pixar
Emeryville animation studio looking for new distributor
Benny Evangelista, Kelly Zito, Chronicle Staff Writers Thursday, February 6, 2003
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chart attached
As Pixar Animation Studios puts the finishing touches on its latest movie,
"Finding Nemo," the Emeryville firm apparently is having little trouble attracting potential suitors that want to replace its longtime partner, the Walt Disney Co.
Analysts say Pixar, which is free to sign a new deal as soon as "Finding Nemo" is delivered to Disney in March or April, has been contacted by all of Disney's major Hollywood competitors.
Speculation began to heat up last week after a delegation of top executives from Disney's longtime cartoon rival, Warner Bros., visited Pixar's sprawling Park Street campus. Analysts say other potential partners include Twentieth Century Fox Film Corp. and Sony Picture Corp.
"I think they're in discussions with everybody," said Jeffrey Logsdon, an analyst with Gerard Klauer Mattison. "There's a lot of guys who want to take the girl to the prom."
Pixar, which is due to report fourth-quarter earnings today, declined to comment on reports that Steve Jobs, Pixar's chief executive officer, has begun preliminary talks to find a new film distribution partner to replace Disney or was preparing for a visit from officials from Twentieth Century Fox. A Disney spokeswoman also declined to comment.
Barbara Brogliatti, spokeswoman for the studios that have produced Looney Tunes cartoon characters for decades, confirmed that Warner Bros. President Alan Horn and a few other studio executives visited Pixar last week, but "the nature of that visit is something between us and Pixar," she said.
Disney has distributed and marketed the four successful, computer-animated films produced by Pixar -- "Toy Story," "A Bug's Life," "Toy Story 2" and "Monsters, Inc."
"Finding Nemo," scheduled for release in theaters May 30, is the latest in a five-picture deal that is scheduled to end in 2005.
Both Jobs , who also serves as the charismatic CEO of Apple Computer Inc., and Disney CEO Michael Eisner have stated their admiration for their long- standing working relationship.
Disney's powerful marketing and distribution channels appear to have helped boost Pixar's reputation, as their co-productions tallied more than $1 billion worldwide.
But the relationship has been tested by a division of revenue that has left Pixar complaining it is not getting its fair share on deals. For example, Pixar receives no money for the use of Pixar characters at Disney theme parks. Pixar officials say they want a more favorable split in any new deal with Disney or another entertainment company.
Pixar's run of successful films puts the firm "in a dramatically stronger position than they were when they signed the original Disney deal," said analyst Lowell Singer of SG Cowan Securities Corp.
The Pixar-Disney relationship began in 1986, when Pixar provided technology to help Disney duplicate traditional animation film cels. Pixar was formed that year, when George Lucas sold Lucasfilm Ltd's computer graphics division to Jobs for $10 million.
The small staff quickly gained fame for its computer-generated shorts, including "Luxo Jr.," which received an Academy Award nomination for best animated short in 1987.
In 1991, Pixar, which by then had largely shed its technology focus, and Disney paired up with the intention of making three feature-length, animated films.
After the success of 1995's "Toy Story," which earned $358 million worldwide, Pixar and Disney went back to the table in 1997 to hammer out a new agreement.
Under that five-picture pact, Pixar and Disney would split costs and profit after Disney earned back what it spent on marketing and earned a distribution fee equal to 10 to 15 percent of total film proceeds, including merchandising rights.
As a result, Pixar ends up with about 40 to 45 percent of profit while Disney gets 55 to 60 percent, an imbalance some industry watchers say has spread ******* at Pixar.
Pixar still must deliver three pictures to Disney. But the agreement lets Pixar enter discussions with other studios after it delivers "Finding Nemo."
The Pixar-Disney relationship also has proven rocky at times because of the strong personalities at the top.
In an interview with the Los Angeles Times last year, Jobs said that, like any longtime partners, Pixar and Disney have had the usual ups and downs. When asked about his relationship with Eisner, Jobs replied, "Let's talk about that next year."
According to earlier published reports, the tension mounted shortly after the release of "Toy Story 2" in 1999. Disney, pushing for a possible third installment in the "Toy Story" series, said that film would not count as part of the five-movie agreement.
Pixar, hoping to get out of its current contract, reportedly insisted "Toy Story 3" be considered one of the five. "Toy Story 3" has not been made.
After "Finding Nemo," Pixar and Disney are scheduled to release "The Incredibles," about a family of undercover superheroes, in 2004, and "Cars," the story of a group of classic cars that travel along Route 66.
Analyst Singer said although there are inherent advantages for Pixar to remain with Disney, both Fox and Warner Bros. also are "capable of delivering worldwide distribution to Pixar."
Pixar stock rose 6 cents to close at $55.61 on the Nasdaq Stock Market Wednesday. Disney was unchanged at $16.90 on the New York Stock Exchange.
