LOS ANGELES, May 28 (UPI) -- A Wall Street analyst has questioned the value of Disney's plans to make sequels to Pixar animation hits without further input from Pixar Animation Studios.
Talks on extending the production partnership between Disney and Pixar broke off in January. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Walt Disney Co. CEO Michael Eisner told Merrill Lynch analyst Jessica Reif Cohen this week that the studio is planning several sequels to its Pixar-produced hits.
The parnership has turned out five blockbusters -- "Toy Story," "Toy Story 2," "A Bug's Life," "Monsters Inc." and "Finding Nemo."
In a report issued Thursday, Reif Cohen said the plan may be good for Disney but could have an "adverse impact" on Pixar.
"The unproven writing and graphics quality of Disney's work with computer-guided-image animation may have an unintentional 'contagion' impact since consumers may subconsciously associate these films as Pixar product," Reif Cohen said.
