Long before Pixar became a permanent part of the Disney family, there was a brief and strange chapter where Disney tried to build its own version of Pixar from scratch, and it almost changed the future of Toy Story, Monsters, Inc., and Finding Nemo forever. That studio was called Circle 7 Animation, and if you have never heard of it, you are not alone. It only existed for about a year, but the story behind it is one of the wildest what ifs in Disney history.
Circle 7 was born out of a very public falling out between Disney CEO Michael Eisner and Pixar CEO Steve Jobs back in the mid 2000s. The two studios had a deal that gave Disney ownership of Pixar’s characters, and when they could not agree on how sequels should count toward that deal, Eisner decided Disney did not need at all. He opened a new CG animation studio in Glendale, California, on a street called Circle 7 Drive, which is where the name came from. The plan was ambitious: crank out one sequel a year to Toy Story, Monsters, Inc., and Finding Nemo, all without Pixar touching a single frame.
For a while it looked like it might actually happen. Circle 7 had a script for a Toy Story 3, directed by Bradley Raymond, along with concept artists sketching out new looks for Woody and Buzz. There was a Monsters, Inc. sequel in the works too, titled Lost in Scaradise, written by Bob Hilgenberg and Rob Muir. Even a Finding Nemo follow up was taking shape, one early draft reportedly introduced Nemo’s long lost brother, coincidentally named Remy years before Ratatouille made that name famous. Tom Hanks and John Ratzenberger were both reportedly unwilling to return for Circle 7’s version of Toy Story, which tells you a lot about how the industry felt about the project.
Then everything changed. Bob Iger took over as Disney CEO in 2005, and the story goes that watching a nighttime parade at Hong Kong Disneyland was enough to convince him Disney needed Pixar back in the family, since every character in that parade under ten years old had come from Pixar. By January 2006, Disney bought Pixar outright for 7.4 billion dollars, and Circle 7 was shut down just a few months later. Most of its employees moved over to what eventually became Walt Disney Animation Studios, and Pixar went on to make their own Toy Story 3 years later, reportedly without ever looking at Circle 7’s script. Ed Catmull later wrote that Pixar staff never blamed the Circle 7 employees themselves, since they had no say in why the studio existed in the first place. Had things gone just a little differently, an entire era of Pixar sequels might look completely unrecognizable today. Did you know about Circle 7 Animation before now, or is this the first you’re hearing of Disney’s almost Pixar replacement? Let us know in the comments!
You May Also Enjoy: Disney Layoffs Hit Pixar Hard Despite Toy Story 5’s Box Office Success
Mouse Fan Travel® an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner, has been planning and creating magical Disney vacations since 2005. Their mission is to provide premium service and expert advice to help you get the most for your vacation time and dollar. Their Disney Travel Agents operate with the highest degree of integrity and will handle your family vacation, reunion, honeymoon, corporate incentive trip or getaway, as if it were their own. They pride themselves on expertly representing and advocating for you – their client.
The next time you and your family are planning a Disney vacation, visit Mouse Fan Travel for your no obligation quote or to answer any Disney vacation questions you may have. Are you looking for a beach vacation, tour or cruise to destinations across the globe? Visit MEI-Travel for exceptional expertise with ZERO agency fees.