Disney deal with Pixar seen as unlikely

LONDON, Sept. 30 (UPI) -- Walt Disney Co. President Robert Iger said it is unlikely the studio will renew its deal with Pixar Animation Studios, The Hollywood Reporter said Thursday.

The paper said Iger told an audience at the Royal Television Society's annual conference in London Wednesday the Disney-Pixar partnership is coming to the end of its natural life span.

"It would be nice to continue the relationship to infinity, but yeah, I think we've outgrown one another in a sense," said Iger. "I'm not ruling out some sort of cooperation -- if not with Pixar, then with somebody else."

The entertainment press has pinpointed ill will between Disney CEO Michael Eisner and Pixar head Steve Jobs as a factor in Pixar's decision last January to break off talks with Disney on renewing their contract. The partnership has generated the box-office hits "Toy Story," "A Bug's Life," "Toy Story 2," "Monsters Inc." and "Finding Nemo."

Eisner has said he thinks the companies could resolve their differences and keep the partnership alive. Iger said Pixar no longer needed the marketing clout of Disney, as it did when the partnership was first formed in the 1990s.