Toy Story 2

Box Office and Business Issues

Toy Story 2 made over $245,000,000 in its initial US theatrical run, far surpassing the original, and in fact, every other animated movie to that date except for The Lion King, though both were later eclipsed by another Pixar movie, Finding Nemo.

Related Topics:
The Lion King - Finding Nemo

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Toy Story 2 almost didn't make it to the theaters, however. Disney asked Pixar to make a direct-to-video sequel for the original Toy Story (like most Disney sequels). When Disney executives saw how impressive the in-work imagery for the sequel was, they decided to release it theatrically.

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Pixar and Disney had a five-film co-production deal and with Pixar's string of successes, the company looked to renegotiate a new deal that would give it a bigger cut of the box-office take. However, Disney argued that as a sequel Toy Story 2 should not count as one of the five films in the deal. This issue became a particularly sore spot for Pixar, leading to a fallout between Pixar CEO Steve Jobs and Disney CEO Michael Eisner, concluding in Pixar's 2004 announcement that it would not extend its deal with Disney and would instead seek other distribution partners.

Related Topics:
Steve Jobs - Michael Eisner

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