Doubtful.
Artist Brendan McCarthy, who recently drew a Doctor Strange/Spider-Man story for Marvel Comics, commented in an interview with Bad Librarianship that in a meeting with Disney, the idea of Pixar making a Doctor Strange film came up:
I was over in Hollywood earlier this year mooching about, and I had a meeting at Disney and the conversation drifted around to Pixar animating a Dr. Strange movie… Now, wouldn’t that be nice.
That’s it. That is all McCarthy said about a possible Pixar and Marvel Entertainment collaboration. There has been chatter among fans ever since Disney bought Marvel for $4 billion in 2009. Could Disney’s other subsidiary, Pixar, produce a film utilizing characters from the Marvel Universe? The studio has already dabbled in the superhero genre, releasing The Incredibles in 2004, considered by many to be one of the greatest superhero films ever made.
Boardroom meetings tend to jump to many different ideas. McCarthy says that their “conversation drifted around to Pixar animating a Dr. Strange movie”, but here are the facts:
- Marvel Entertainment has stayed with live-action films for their theater releases. Their animated films, up to this point, have been made for release on Blu-ray and DVD. They even released a Doctor Strange animated film for BD/DVD in 2007.
- Pixar has not yet tackled any adaptations, opting instead for original story ideas. They DID license toys from companies such as Mattel and Hasbro (Barbie, Ken, Mr. Potato Head), but that was for authenticity purposes (as well as for the gags). Children are likely to grow up with toys from one/more of these companies in their possession.
When I heard about this rumor, I did not give it much credence. The bottom line is, until Disney or Pixar announces it, I wouldn’t believe that it’s coming.
