Walt Disney was last night poised to unveil a $7bn (£3.9bn) bid for Pixar, the animation studio behind Finding Nemo and Toy Story.
Robert Iger, who took over as Disney chief executive from Michael Eisner in October, has made restoring the firm's reputation in animation his number one priority.
According to the New York Times, Disney's board sanctioned an all-share offer for Pixar late on Monday, offering $59 for each Pixar share.
The animation company's board was expected to evaluate the deal yesterday.
An agreement would make Steve Jobs, Pixar chief executive as well as boss of computer company Apple, the largest single shareholder in Disney.
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