Disney acquired Pixar in a deal completed in 2006.
The Walt Disney Company announced an agreement to acquire Pixar in January 2006, and the transaction was completed in May 2006. The all-stock deal was valued at approximately $7.4 billion. Pixar became a wholly owned Disney subsidiary while continuing to operate as a distinct animation studio.
The partnership between Disney and Pixar began before the acquisition. Disney distributed Pixar’s films, including Toy Story, A Bug’s Life, and Finding Nemo, under a co-production and distribution arrangement. After the deal, Pixar leaders Ed Catmull and John Lasseter took important creative and organizational roles within Disney Animation.
Pixar itself began as the computer graphics division of Lucasfilm before becoming an independent company in 1986, with Steve Jobs as a major investor. It is therefore incorrect to say Disney founded Pixar; Disney acquired the already established studio.