Pixar Animation Studios Inc. chief Steve Jobs blasted his former film partner, The Walt Disney Co., on Wednesday saying recent Disney animated films had bombed at the box office and questioned Disney chief Michael Eisner's movie sense.

Disney fired back in its own statement late in the afternoon saying it was saddened by Jobs' statements, which it called a mischaracterization of their relationship.

Late last week, the pair of animated movie giants -- Pixar and Disney -- ended talks on renewing a long-running film pact that yielded a string of five movie hits dating back to 1995's "Toy Story" and peaking at last year's $850 million global box office wonder "Finding Nemo."

In a conference call with financial analysts and reporters, Jobs said he walked away from the negotiating table because Disney would not agree to give Pixar full ownership of "Incredibles" and "Cars," the last two movies in the companies' current contract.

In an attempt to anticipate investor concerns, Pixar Chief Financial Officer Ann Mather asked Jobs several key questions, including whether losing Disney's marketing prowess would hurt Pixar's future films. Jobs said he did not think so.
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