Ananova:

The company behind Finding Nemo, Toy Story and Monsters Inc is ending its distribution deal with Disney.

Since making Toy Story in 1995, Pixar Animation Studios has created a further four movies for Disney, generating more than £1.4 billion at the box office.

Finding Nemo has already made more than £280 million in global ticket sales, making it the most successful animated film ever.

Profits have so far been divided between the two companies, with Pixar paying Disney a distribution fee, reports the BBC.

Pixar argued that it should keep a greater share of the profits and pay a lower distribution fee but Disney refused. "After 10 months of trying to strike a deal with Disney, we're moving on," said Pixar chief executive Steve Jobs.

"We've had a great run together - one of the most successful in Hollywood history - and it's a shame that Disney won't be participating in Pixar's future successes," he said.

Pixar said it would complete the two films it is already committed to making with Disney - The Incredibles in 2004 and Cars in 2005. After that, Pixar said it "intends to retain full ownership of its future productions".