by , 11:20 AM EST, February 14th, 2005

The LA Times reports that Apple Computer, Inc. and Pixar Animation Studios CEO Steve Jobs has shot back at Walt Disney Co. CEO Michael Eisner. Mr. Eisner had said Pixar's animated characters were "pretty pathetic" compared to those under development for Disney's upcoming film "Rapunzel Unbraided."

In response, Mr. Jobs said sarcastically: "Our films don't stack up to 'Atlantis,' 'Emperor's New Groove' or 'Treasure Planet.'" Those films were all created in-house at Disney, and were box office flops. Mr. Jobs also called Mr. Eisner a "loose cannon."

The comments came during Pixar's fourth-quarter financials conference call, during which Mr. Jobs insisted, both directly and indirectly, that Pixar was prepared to pursue distribution options that did not include Disney. Pixar's final feature film release with Disney, "Cars," is slated for the spring of 2006. The company's previous films have all been extremely successful at the box office, and include both "Toy Story" films, "Monsters, Inc.," "Finding Nemo," and "The Incredibles."