Disney announced this week that it has purchased Pixar Animation Studios. If you remember, Pixar is the creative force behind such hits as Toy Story, Finding Nemo and The Incredibles. When Steve Jobs isn't busy coming up with the latest I-Pod, he heads Pixar Studios, which was incorporated in 1985 and is headquartered in Emeryville, California. Jobs has a far bigger stake in the animation studio than he does in Apple: His roughly 50% ownership of Pixar is worth over $3.5 billion, which would make his Disney's largest individual shareholder.

Emeryville is a far cry from Hollywood. But this may be a good thing for Disney, as several of their last hand-drawn animated films have been busts. The "House of Mouse" is in dire need of a breath of fresh air. It appears that the time has passed for the success of hand-drawn films in this era of computer-based animation.

So now that Apple, Pixar, Disney and ABC are linked in the business world- what will that mean for us as consumers? Disney movies for our I-Pods? I know I Tunes already carries a few ABC shows. (Yes, I am aware it carries shows from other networks too.) I suppose we'll have to wait and see.