Jobs Credited For Disney's Break-Up With McDonalds

I know this is Pixar-related, but in for a penny, in for pound, right? The L.A. Times, among many other news outlets is reporting on that Disney's decision to end its exclusive Happy Meal tie-in deal with McDonalds can be attributed to a certain iCEO.

But in a conference call last year, Pixar Animation Studios chief Steve Jobs — who is now Disney's largest shareholder in the wake of Disney's recent purchase of Pixar — signaled his ambivalence about using characters to sell fast food while promoting a film.

"There is value" in fast-food tie-ins, Jobs said then. "But there are also some concerns, as our society becomes more conscious of some of the implications of fast food."

Given the many changes that have come to Disney in the brief time since Pixar merged with the larger company, it's ironic that one of the first post-Disney Happy Meal tie-ins will be for Shrek 3 from Pixar rivals Dreamworks.

The end of the deal doesn't mean Disney and McDonald's will never work together, of course – they're just not married any more.

Still, it's been fun to watch Pixar get pulled in and immediately start changing the way Disney does business, from pulling the plug on a few projects in the animation division to cultural things like this.

(Image from Happy Toy Depot.)