STEVE INSKEEP, Host: An announcement could come as early as today that the Walt Disney Company is buying Pixar Animation Studios, Inc. Published reports say Disney's board has authorized the CEO, Robert Iger, to complete a deal. But as NPR's Laura Sydell reports, there are some issues to work out first.</s>LAURA SYDELL: The rumors have been flying ever since the Wall Street Journal reported last week that Disney proposed buying Pixar in a stock transaction worth 6.7 billion dollars. The article also raised the possibility that Pixar chief and Apple Computer founder, Steve Jobs, might land a position on the board of Disney. But David Miller, analyst at Sanders, Morris, Harris says there could be some stumbling blocks to the deal. One of the key topics to discuss, he says, is likely to be the dislike of Disney among its former employees who now work for Pixar.</s>DAVID MILLER: Many animators, not everyone, but many, would never want to work for Walt Disney Company again. So, that is a cultural situation that would have to be absolved if in fact Disney did this deal.</s>LAURA SYDELL: Analyst Miller believes that having more input from Steve Jobs would be a plus for Disney in the changing multimedia environment. With the success of the iPod and iTunes, Jobs is seen as a leader in merging old technology content with new forms of distribution.</s>DAVID MILLER: There's a certain sexiness and appeal that would be attached to those assets now that a guy like Steve Jobs, and I'm just talking hypothetically, would be involved with the Disney Company.</s>LAURA SYDELL: Laura Sydell, NPR News.
The Walt Disney Company could announce as early as Tuesday that it will acquire Pixar Animation. If the deal goes through, Pixar chief Steve Jobs — the founder of Apple Computer — could become the largest shareholder of the Disney Company.