Disney acquired Pixar in 2006 for about $7.4 billion in an all-stock transaction.
The deal united Disney’s global distribution and marketing power with Pixar’s computer-animation technology and creative team. Pixar co-founder Steve Jobs became Disney’s largest individual shareholder and joined Disney’s board after the transaction. Pixar chief executive Ed Catmull and chief creative officer John Lasseter also took important creative leadership roles at Disney Animation.
Pixar and Disney had already worked together on successful films including Toy Story, A Bug’s Life, Monsters, Inc., Finding Nemo, and The Incredibles. A common mix-up is to describe the transaction as Disney buying an unrelated rival: Pixar was already a major Disney film partner, but it remained an independent company until the acquisition. The deal was announced in January 2006 and completed later that year, preserving Pixar’s Emeryville, California, studio identity.