The Pixar Story
Read The Pixar Story and check the IELTS Reading answers. Between 2000 and 2005, under former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Michael D. Eisner, Walt Disney Company set its shareholder meetings in a series of cold-weather cities during cold-weather months. Many suspected that this had been to discour…
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Between 2000 and 2005, under former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Michael D. Eisner, Walt Disney Company set its shareholder meetings in a series of cold-weather cities during cold-weather months. Many suspected that this had been to discourage attendance by the company's increasingly restless shareholders. In 2006, however, there was no need for such measures. In October 2005, Chief Operating Officer Robert Iger had replaced Eisner as CEO. On taking charge, Iger had quickly carried out a bold stroke, negotiating a buyout of Pixar Animation Studios. Although the price was high, the acquisition proved to be overwhelmingly popular.
Vocabulary from this passage
10 words worth learning before you sit the test, each with the sentence it appears in.
- acquisition noun
The act of one company purchasing most or all of another company's shares to gain control
The acquisition of the tech startup allowed the corporation to expand its digital services.
- buyout noun
The purchase of a controlling share of a company, giving the buyer ownership of the business
A management buyout allowed the executives to take full ownership of the failing retailer.
- dictate the terms verb
To impose the conditions of an agreement on another party from a position of greater power
As the dominant supplier, the firm was able to dictate the terms of every contract.
- embrace verb
To accept a new idea, technology, or belief willingly and with enthusiasm
The industry was slow to embrace renewable energy despite the obvious environmental benefits.
- enliven verb
To make something more entertaining, interesting, or appealing to an audience
The speaker used colourful anecdotes to enliven an otherwise dry presentation on economics.
- invariably adverb
In every case or on every occasion; always and without fail
The morning train is invariably late, causing significant delays for the daily commuters.
- novelty noun
The quality of being new, original, or unusual, often losing its appeal over time
The novelty of the new video game wore thin after just a few hours of play.
- operating income noun
Profit a business earns from its regular activities before interest and tax are deducted
Strong ticket sales lifted the cinema chain's operating income by nearly a fifth last year.
- succession noun
A number of people or things sharing a specified characteristic and following one after another
A succession of cold fronts brought heavy snow to the region throughout the winter months.
- wear thin verb
To become less effective, interesting or convincing through overuse or repetition over a period of time
The comedian's familiar jokes began to wear thin after the third consecutive show.
Answers with explanations
- 1. NOT GIVEN
The claim is that Iger had a **low opinion** of Eisner. Paragraph A says only that Iger **replaced** Eisner as CEO and then negotiated the Pixar buyout. It reports no comment, criticism or attitude from Iger about his predecessor, and replacing someone does not show what the replacement thought of them. The text neither confirms nor contradicts the claim, so it is NOT GIVEN rather than TRUE or FALSE. Answer: NOT GIVEN.
- 2. TRUE
The statement says Pixar Inc. had **extremely limited financial success** early on. Paragraph B describes a tiny animation group whose films brought in **practically zero revenue**, an image computer that proved **unprofitable**, and a company that kept losing money year after year. These details match the statement closely, so it is fully supported and nothing in the paragraph contradicts it. Answer: TRUE.
- 2-3: 16.6 weeks
2: The statement says Pixar Inc. had **extremely limited financial success** early on. Paragraph B describes a tiny animation group whose films brought in **practically zero revenue**, an image computer that proved **unprofitable**, and a company that kept losing money year after year. These details match the statement closely, so it is fully supported and nothing in the paragraph contradicts it. Answer: TRUE.
3: The statement refers to **difficulties** during the production of Toy Story. Paragraph C reports that in late 1993 Disney considered ordering Pixar to **shut down production** of the Lasseter-directed film because of **issues with the script**. Problems serious enough to threaten the film's survival count as difficulties in production, so the claim is directly supported. Answer: TRUE.
- 3. TRUE
The statement refers to **difficulties** during the production of Toy Story. Paragraph C reports that in late 1993 Disney considered ordering Pixar to **shut down production** of the Lasseter-directed film because of **issues with the script**. Problems serious enough to threaten the film's survival count as difficulties in production, so the claim is directly supported. Answer: TRUE.
- 3-4: NOT GIVEN
3: The statement refers to **difficulties** during the production of Toy Story. Paragraph C reports that in late 1993 Disney considered ordering Pixar to **shut down production** of the Lasseter-directed film because of **issues with the script**. Problems serious enough to threaten the film's survival count as difficulties in production, so the claim is directly supported. Answer: TRUE.
4: The statement says Hollywood commentators were **convinced** that animated films had a **promising future** in the early 1990s. Paragraph C says the opposite: they **doubted** whether audiences would even sit through a full-length computer-animated film, and it was unclear whether the medium would be a mere novelty. Doubt directly contradicts conviction, so the answer is FALSE, not NOT GIVEN. Answer: FALSE.
- 4. FALSE
The statement says Hollywood commentators were **convinced** that animated films had a **promising future** in the early 1990s. Paragraph C says the opposite: they **doubted** whether audiences would even sit through a full-length computer-animated film, and it was unclear whether the medium would be a mere novelty. Doubt directly contradicts conviction, so the answer is FALSE, not NOT GIVEN. Answer: FALSE.
- 5. NOT GIVEN
The statement compares the popularity of **Finding Nemo** with **Toy Story**. Paragraph D names both among a **succession of beloved and commercially successful** films but ranks neither above the other and gives no audience or sales figures. A shared description does not allow a comparison to be made. The text neither supports nor contradicts the claim, so the answer is NOT GIVEN. Answer: NOT GIVEN.
- 6. FALSE
The statement says Pixar contributed **little** to Disney's film income in 2004. Paragraph D says that by then the distribution of Pixar's films made up **around 45%** of the **operating income** from Disney's film operations, so it was Disney that seemed to need Pixar. Nearly half of the income is a large share, not a small one. This contradicts the claim directly, so it is FALSE rather than NOT GIVEN. Answer: FALSE.
- 7. operator
The gap follows 'worked as a ride' and needs a singular **noun** naming his job at Disneyland. The note's wording matches the passage's talk about the **Jungle Cruise ride in Disneyland**, where Lasseter and 'his fellow **operator**' told jokes to enliven the show. Scan paragraph F, where the speech turns to his work there. The word is copied directly, fits the grammar and meets the one-word limit. Answer: operator.
- 8. confidence
The gap follows 'which increased his' and needs a noun. The note's 'increased' paraphrases the passage's 'given him': the ride job had brought him out of his shell and **given him confidence in front of people**. Look in paragraph F straight after the Disneyland sentence, where the speech describes what the **experience** did for him. The single word is copied from the text and fits both the grammar of the gap and the word limit. Answer: confidence.
- 9. disappointment
The gap follows 'suffered' and needs a noun naming a feeling, linked to the 'rejection of new technology by Disney studio'. The passage says he mentioned the **disappointment** he had felt in **trying, and failing, to get the Disney studio to embrace** the new technology, which paraphrases the rejection. Scan the end of paragraph F for the technology theme. The word is copied directly and fits the one-word limit. Answer: disappointment.
- 10. president
The gap follows 'was Pixar's' and needs a noun for his job title at the time of the **2006 shareholders' meeting**. Paragraph G begins by naming him: the sixty-one-year-old **president** of Pixar, Dr. Edwin Catmull, was **seated amongst the shareholders**. This matches the note's 'shareholder meeting', and the title is copied directly from the passage in one word. Answer: president.
- 11. listening
The gap follows 'preferred' and needs an -ing form that fits before 'to taking control of conversations'. The note's phrase paraphrases **dominating conversations**, and the passage says he was **keener on listening than talking**. 'Keener on' paraphrases preferred, so the word is copied from the text in its -ing form and stays within the one-word limit. Answer: listening.
- 12. vision
The gap follows 'did not let go of his' and needs a noun for what he held onto, linked to computer-animated films. The passage says it was Catmull who had **held to** his **vision** of fully computer-animated movies, where 'held to' paraphrases did not let go of. Scan paragraph H, which describes his role in the 3-D revolution. The word is copied directly and fits within one word. Answer: vision.
- 13. heart
The gap follows 'the' and needs a noun that can be followed by 'of Pixar'. The note says Catmull 'brought together the various teams', which paraphrases that he **assembled the technical and creative staff**. These were the people who would become the **heart** of Pixar Animation Studios. The word is lifted directly from the passage, fits the sentence grammar and respects the one-word limit. Answer: heart.