The Walt Disney Company The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on Octobe ...

has owned and operated several

animation studio An animation studio is a company producing animated media. The broadest such companies conceive of products to produce, own the physical equipment for production, employ operators for that equipment, and hold a major stake in the sales or rentals o ...

s since the company's founding on October 16, 1923, by Walt and

Roy Disney Roy Disney may refer to: * Roy O. Disney (1893–1971), partner and elder brother of Walt Disney * Roy E. Disney Roy Edward Disney KCSG (January 10, 1930 – December 16, 2009) was an American businessman. He was the longtime senior executive ...

as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio; the current

Walt Disney Animation Studios Walt Disney Animation Studios (WDAS), sometimes shortened to Disney Animation, is an American animation studio that creates animated features and short films for The Walt Disney Company. The studio's current production logo features a scene fr ...

Burbank, California Burbank is a city in the southeastern end of the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Located northwest of downtown Los Angeles, Burbank has a population of 107,337. The city was named after David Burbank, who ...

is the company's flagship feature animation studio and claims heritage from this original studio. Adding to the growth of the company and its motion picture studio division the Walt Disney Studios, several other animation studios were added through acquisitions and through openings of satellite studios outside the United States. These expanded the company's animation output into television,

direct-to-video Direct-to-video or straight-to-video refers to the release of a film, TV series, short or special to the public immediately on home video formats rather than an initial theatrical release or television premiere. This distribution strategy w ...

, and digital releases, in addition to its primary feature animation releases. Currently

Pixar Pixar Animation Studios (commonly known as Pixar () and stylized as P I X A R) is an American computer animation studio known for its critically and commercially successful computer animated feature films. It is based in Emeryville, Californ ...

, Lucasfilm Animation (through

Lucasfilm Lucasfilm Ltd. LLC is an American film and television production company and a subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios, which is a business segment of The Walt Disney Company. The studio is best known for creating and producing the '' Star Wars'' and ...

) and

20th Century Studios 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...

's animation division are parts of the Walt Disney Studios unit. This article does not include other animation studios whose films were released by

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, formerly known as Buena Vista Pictures Distribution, Inc. until 2007, is an American film distribution studio within the Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution division of The Walt Disney Company. It h ...

(the company's distribution unit) and not acquired by the company, nor does it count the

Laugh-O-Gram Studio The Laugh-O-Gram Studio (also called Laugh-O-Gram Studios) was a short-lived film studio located on the second floor of the McConahay Building at 1127 East 31st in Kansas City, Missouri that operated from June 28, 1921 to November 20, 1923. ...

(1921–23), Disney's first animation studio, which predated the founding of

the Walt Disney Company The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on Octobe ...

. For example, certain

Studio Ghibli is a Japanese animation studio headquartered in Koganei, Tokyo."Studio Ghibli Collection - Madman Entertainment". ''Studio Ghibli Collection - Madman Entertainment''. Retrieved 2020-12-14. It is best known for its animated feature films, and h ...

films were distributed by Disney internationally but never owned by the company. Also,

Miramax Miramax, LLC, also known as Miramax Films, is an American film and television production and distribution company founded on December 19, 1979, by brothers Harvey and Bob Weinstein, and based in Los Angeles, California. It was initially a lea ...

, an independently operating unit of the Walt Disney Studios, also purchased US rights to foreign animated movies.

Full list

Walt Disney Television

Disney Television Animation

Following the arrival of

Michael Eisner Michael Dammann Eisner (born March 7, 1942) is an American businessman and former chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of The Walt Disney Company from September 1984 to September 2005. Prior to Disney, Eisner was president of rival film s ...

,Walt Disney Pictures Television Animation Group was established on December 5, 1984. Following re-incorporation of

the Walt Disney company The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on Octobe ...

in 1986. The name of the TV animation unit was shortened to Walt Disney Television Animation. the following year in 1987. This name was used to 2011 when it was shortened to Disney Television Animation. In January 2003, Disney initiated a reorganization of its theatrical and animation units to improve resource usage and continued focus on new characters and franchise development. TV Animation was transferred to Disney Channel Worldwide. Disney MovieToons/Disney Video Premieres unit was transferred from Disney Television Animation to Disney Feature Animation.

20th Television Animation

Animation unit which was acquired as part of

Acquisition of 21st Century Fox by Disney The acquisition of 21st Century Fox by Disney was announced on December 14, 2017, and was completed on March 20, 2019. Among other key assets, the acquisition of 21st Century Fox by the Walt Disney Company included the 20th Century Fox film and ...

DIC Entertainment L.P.

With Disney's acquisition of

Capital Cities/ABC Capital Cities/ABC Inc. was an American media company. It was founded in 1985 when Capital Cities Communications purchased the much larger American Broadcasting Company. It eventually proposed a merger of equals with The Walt Disney Company and ...

in 1995 came another animated unit, DIC Entertainment L.P., a

Limited Partnership A limited partnership (LP) is a form of partnership similar to a general partnership except that while a general partnership must have at least two general partners (GPs), a limited partnership must have at least one GP and at least one limited ...

with CC/ABC and Andy Heyward. Eventually, DIC management arranged for the studio to become independent from Disney in 2001.

Greengrass Productions

Greengrass Productions Walt Disney Television, formerly American Broadcasting Companies, Capital Cities/ABC and Disney-ABC Television Group has formed a number of production companies over the years. ABC Film Syndication, or ABC Films, was ABC's syndication distributio ...

is a unit of ABC at the time CC/ABC was acquired by Disney and produced some animation.

Jetix related

Disney purchased the Fox Family/Fox Kids Worldwide franchise on October 24, 2001 for the Fox Family Channel and also received ownership of several units and assets, including

Saban Entertainment Saban Entertainment, Inc. (along with Saban International; currently operating under the legal name is BVS Entertainment, Inc.) was a worldwide-served independent American-Israeli television production company formed in 1980 by Haim Saban and ...

and Saban International. The Saban library also included the 75.7% majority stake in Fox Kids Europe N.V., the

Latin American Latin Americans ( es, Latinoamericanos; pt, Latino-americanos; ) are the citizens of Latin American countries (or people with cultural, ancestral or national origins in Latin America). Latin American countries and their diasporas are multi-e ...

Fox Kids channel,

Saban International Paris SIP Animation (known as Saban International Paris until 2002) was a French animation studio, and a former subsidiary of Saban Entertainment. By 2009, the company had produced over 390 hours of animated content. Despite the name, the company was n ...

, Saban International Services, various original Fox Kids programming, and the acquired all-original and

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Comics'' in ...

-based DePatie-Freleng Enterprises/

Marvel Productions New World Animation Ltd., formerly known as Marvel Productions, was the television and film studio subsidiary of the Marvel Entertainment Group, based in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California. It later became a subsidiary of New World Entertainmen ...

and Marvel Films Animation/New World Animation libraries. Afterwards, Saban International Paris split from Saban and became independent, with the Walt Disney Company taking in a 49% minority stake of the company and a name change to

SIP Animation SIP Animation (known as Saban International Paris until 2002) was a French animation studio, and a former subsidiary of Saban Entertainment. By 2009, the company had produced over 390 hours of animated content. Despite the name, the company was n ...

on October 1, 2002. Jetix Animation Concepts was a joint-venture between

Walt Disney Television Animation Disney Television Animation (DTVA), formerly known as Walt Disney Pictures Television Animation Group and Walt Disney Television Animation, is the television animation production arm of Disney Branded Television, a sub-division of the Disney Ge ...

and Jetix Europe N.V. for shows that broadcast for the

Jetix Jetix (stylized as JETIX) was a children's entertainment brand owned by The Walt Disney Company. The brand was for a slate of action/adventure-related programming blocks and television channels. Jetix programming mainly originated from the ...

channels. *

Jetix Animation Concepts This is a list of television programs that aired on Jetix around the world. Jetix Animation Concepts Jetix Animation Concepts was a joint-venture between Walt Disney Television Animation and Jetix Europe N.V. for producing shows that would air ...

- joint-venture between Jetix Europe N.V. and

BVS Entertainment Saban Entertainment, Inc. (along with Saban International; currently operating under the legal name is BVS Entertainment, Inc.) was a worldwide-served independent American-Israeli television production company formed in 1980 by Haim Saban and ...

**BVS International, N.V. **BVS International Services, Inc. *

Sensation Animation Saban Entertainment, Inc. (along with Saban International; currently operating under the legal name is BVS Entertainment, Inc.) was a worldwide-served independent American-Israeli television production company formed in 1980 by Haim Saban and S ...

– dubbing for the second half of ''

Digimon Tamers is a Japanese anime television series and the third television series in the '' Digimon'' franchise, produced by Toei Animation. The series takes place in a new setting separate from the preceding series, ''Digimon Adventure'' and ''Digimon ...

'' and ''

Digimon Frontier , is the fourth anime television series in the ''Digimon'' franchise, produced by Toei Animation. Unlike the previous series, the main characters can merge with ancient spirits known as "Legendary Warriors" to become Digimon themselves. The ...

''. Although, it was ceased and dissolved in 2003, Disney co-distributed the previously-undubbed four Digimon movies in 2005 and the fifth TV season in 2007. *

- 49% minority stake owned by Disney * Jetix Europe (formerly Fox Kids Europe N.V.) - 75.7% owned by Disney until 2008, full ownership afterwards. Currently dormant.

Walt Disney Studios

Walt Disney Animation Studios

Walt Disney Feature Animation Florida

Walt Disney Feature Animation Florida, a division of

Walt Disney Feature Animation Walt Disney Animation Studios (WDAS), sometimes shortened to Disney Animation, is an American animation studio that creates animated features and short films for The Walt Disney Company. The studio's current production logo features a scene fr ...

, opened in 1989 with 40 employees. Its offices were in the

backlot A backlot is an area behind or adjoining a movie studio containing permanent exterior buildings for outdoor scenes in filmmaking or television productions, or space for temporary set construction. Uses Some movie studios build a wide variety of ...

of the

Disney-MGM Studios Disney's Hollywood Studios is a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida, near Orlando. It is owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company through its Parks, Experiences and Products division. Based on a concept by ...

theme park and visitors were allowed to tour the studio to observe animators at work from behind glass-paneled overhead breezeways. The company had primarily animated ''Mulan'', ''Lilo & Stitch'', and ''Brother Bear''. Magic of Disney Animation

Walt Disney Animation placed Max Howard in charge of starting up its Florida animation studio in 1988. Walt Disney Feature Animation Florida began operations in May 1989. The division was originally planned to work on featurettes and shorts that they could do on its own. 70 animators including Disney veteran supervising animator Mark Henn were hired by 1990. After doing its first work, the Roger Rabbit short, ''

Roller Coaster Rabbit The ''Roger Rabbit'' shorts are a series of animated short films produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation from 1989 to 1993. The anthology features Roger Rabbit, the animated protagonist from '' Who Framed Roger Rabbit'', being enlisted the task ...

'', the division was enlisted to help finish ''

The Rescuers Down Under ''The Rescuers Down Under'' is a 1990 American animated adventure film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The 29th Disney animated feature film and the second movie to be produced during the Disne ...

'' and work on its companion featurette, ''

The Prince and the Pauper ''The Prince and the Pauper'' is a novel by American author Mark Twain. It was first published in 1881 in Canada, before its 1882 publication in the United States. The novel represents Twain's first attempt at historical fiction. Set in 1547 ...

''. On October 7, 1992, the Florida unit was incorporated. On April 22, 1998, Walt Disney Feature Animation Florida moved to a new $70 million facility at the

. In June 1998, the Florida division's first feature film, '' Mulan'', was released. The unit continued as a division with its corporate form was merged out on September 30, 1999. Andrew Millstein took charge of the division as senior vice president and general manager of production in 2001 transferring in from The Secret Lab. In January 2003, Disney initiated a reorganization of its theatrical and animation units to improve resource usage and continued focus on new characters and franchise development. Additionally, Feature Animation was transferred under the Walt Disney Studios in January 2003. In June 2003, 50 animators were laid off after ''Brother Bear'' finished up production. The division was developing ''A Few Good Ghosts'' (also known as ''My Peoples'') until it was canceled on November 15, 2003. On January 12, 2004, Disney Feature Animation President

David Stainton David Stainton is an American film and television executive. He was the president of Walt Disney Feature Animation from 2003 to 2006, a period during which the studio converted from a traditional animation studio to a computer animation producti ...

announced the shut down of Walt Disney Feature Animation Florida. Some laid-off animators were offered transfers to the main studio while most chose to stay in Orlando or were recruited to work for rival animation studios. Other animators created their own startup studios. Legacy Animation Studios was formed by Eddie Pittman along with 15 artists previously laid off from the company. Laid off animators Travis Blaise, Todd Gilbert and Matt Gunther formed their own company, Magnetic Entertainment. Project Firefly animation studio was set up by five former employees on

Universal Studios Florida Universal Studios Florida (also known as Universal Studios or USF) is a theme park located in Orlando, Florida. Primarily themed to movies, television and other aspects of the entertainment industry, the park opened to the public on June 7, 1990 ...

's backlot and worked on ''

Curious George Curious George is a fictional monkey who is the title character of a series of popular children's picture books written by Margret and H. A. Rey. Various media, including films and TV shows, have been based upon the original book series. Geo ...

'' for

Universal Universal is the adjective for universe. Universal may also refer to: Companies * NBCUniversal, a media and entertainment company ** Universal Animation Studios, an American Animation studio, and a subsidiary of NBCUniversal ** Universal TV, a t ...

, Three direct to videos for DisneyToon Studios. '' Mickey's House of Villains'', '' Pooh's Heffalump Halloween Movie'' and ''

Brother Bear 2 ''Brother Bear 2'' is a 2006 American animated direct-to-video musical fantasy comedy-drama film and the sequel to the animated feature ''Brother Bear'', which was released on August 29, 2006. Melissa Etheridge contributed three songs to the ...

'' and ''Farm Force'', a short/pilot as an internal project. Millstein was tapped to head up Florida's replacement and

sequel division, Circle 7 Animation.

=Projects

DisneyToon Studios

DisneyToon Studios, formerly Disney Movietoons, was an American

owned by

, responsible for producing

and occasional

theatrical Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actor, actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The p ...

films for Disney Animation Studios, a part of the Walt Disney Studios.

Disney Circle 7 Animation

Circle 7 Animation, or Disney Circle 7 Animation, was a short-lived division of Walt Disney Feature Animation specializing in

computer generated imagery Computer-generated imagery (CGI) is the use of computer graphics to create or contribute to images in art, printed media, video games, simulators, and visual effects in films, television programs, shorts, commercials, and videos. The images ...

(CGI) animation and was originally going to work on making sequels to the Disney-owned

properties, leading rivals and animators to derisively nickname the division "Pixaren't". The company released no movies during its tenure. Steve Jobs, Pixar CEO, announced in January 2004 that Pixar would not renew their agreement with Disney and would seek out other distributors for releases starting in 2006. In 2004, Disney Circle 7 Animation was formed as a CG animation studio to create sequels to the Disney-owned

properties. In late January 2006, new Disney CEO

Bob Iger Robert Allen Iger (; born February 10, 1951) is an American businessman who is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of The Walt Disney Company. He previously served as the President of ABC Television between 1994 and 1995 and the President and C ...

and Jobs agreed to have Disney purchase Pixar which led to Disney closing Circle 7.

The Secret Lab

The Secret Lab was an American special effects company that operated from 1979 to 2005, and was the result of a merger between

Dream Quest Images Dream Quest Images, later known as The Secret Lab, was an American visual effects company, co-founded in 1979 by Hoyt Yeatman, Scott Squires, Rocco Gioffre, Fred Iguchi, Tom Hollister and Bob Hollister. History After early piecemeal work on ''E ...

and

's Computer Graphics division. Dream Quest was founded in a

Santa Monica Santa Monica (; Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 U.S. Census population was 93,076. Santa Monica is a popular resort town, owing to i ...

, California garage in 1979 by

Hoyt Yeatman Hoyt Yeatman (born January 23, 1955, in San Francisco, California, United States) is an American visual effects artist and supervisor. He has worked with Jerry Bruckheimer on a number of films, including ''Armageddon'', ''Con Air'', and '' The Roc ...

Scott Squires Scott Squires (born 1956) is a visual effects supervisor and director. His first film project was ''Close Encounters of the Third Kind'', where he developed the Cloud Tank Effect. In 1979 Squires, Hoyt Yeatman, Rocco Gioffre, Fred Iguchi, Tom Ho ...

, Rocco Gioffre, Fred Iguchi, Tom Hollister and Bob Hollister. Initially, they did piecemeal work on ''

Escape from New York ''Escape from New York'' is a 1981 American science fiction film, science fiction action film co-written, co-scored and directed by John Carpenter. It stars Kurt Russell, Lee Van Cleef, Ernest Borgnine, Donald Pleasence, Isaac Hayes, Adrienne B ...

'', ''

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial ''E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial'' (or simply ''E.T.'') is a 1982 American science fiction film produced and directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Melissa Mathison. It tells the story of Elliott, a boy who befriends an extraterrestrial, d ...

'', and '' One From the Heart'' before moving to

Culver City Culver City is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 40,779. Founded in 1917 as a "whites only" sundown town, it is now an ethnically diverse city with what was called the "third-most ...

. DQ Films, the company's television commercial production division, remained in Santa Monica. In 1987, DQI model-making operations moved into a

Simi Valley Simi Valley (; Chumash: ''Shimiyi'') is a city in the valley of the same name in the southeast region of Ventura County, California, United States. Simi Valley is from Downtown Los Angeles, making it part of the Greater Los Angeles Area. The ...

industrial park with most of the company following them later on. Their work on ''

The Abyss ''The Abyss'' is a 1989 American science fiction film written and directed by James Cameron and starring Ed Harris, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, and Michael Biehn. When an American submarine sinks in the Caribbean, a US search and recovery tea ...

'' and '' Total Recall'' each earned the company an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

purchased the company in April 1996 and subsequently moved it to

. DQI was purchased to replace Buena Vista Visual Effects. Soon after 1997, Andrew Millstein was appointed general manager of the company. In October 1999, Dream Quest Images merged with Walt Disney Feature Animation's computer graphics division to form The Secret Lab, with Millstein continuing as general manager and vice president. The DQI and WDFA units were moved into a new location at Disney's Northside facility on Thornton Avenue just east of the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport, Lockheed Corp.'s former Skunk Works Building 90 until it was renovated for WDFA's headquarters in 1995. DQI's physical production facilities remained in Simi Valley. The Secret Lab produced one CG animated motion picture, ''

Dinosaur Dinosaurs are a diverse group of reptiles of the clade Dinosauria. They first appeared during the Triassic period, between 243 and 233.23 million years ago (mya), although the exact origin and timing of the evolution of dinosaurs is t ...

'', in 2000. After ''Dinosaur'', the Lab and WDFA began working on ''Wildlife'', which was canceled that September. The Lab being passed over for Disney work (and general industry decline) led to the unit being closed in 2005. The Secret Lab's last work with Disney was for the

Touchstone Pictures Touchstone Pictures, Inc. was an American film production label of Walt Disney Studios, founded and owned by The Walt Disney Company. Feature films released under the Touchstone label were produced and financed by Walt Disney Studios, and featu ...

/ Spyglass Entertainment film '' Reign of Fire'' and the

Castle Rock Entertainment Castle Rock Entertainment is an American film and television production company founded in 1987 by Martin Shafer, director Rob Reiner, Andrew Scheinman, Glenn Padnick and Alan Horn. It is a label of Warner Bros. Entertainment, itself a subsidia ...

/ Warner Bros. comedy ''

Kangaroo Jack ''Kangaroo Jack'' is a 2003 buddy comedy film produced by Castle Rock Entertainment and Jerry Bruckheimer Films, distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, directed by David McNally with a screenplay by Steve Bing and Scott Rosenberg from a story ...

''. An artist at The Secret Lab purportedly confided to Harry Knowles of ''

Ain't It Cool News Ain't It Cool News (AICN) is an entertainment news website founded by Harry Knowles and run by his sister Dannie Knowles since September 2017, dedicated to news, rumors, and reviews of upcoming and current films, television, and comic book proje ...

'' that the studio was shut down by Disney when it proved to be too expensive. ;VFXography * ''

Con Air ''Con Air'' is a 1997 American action thriller film directed by Simon West and starring Nicolas Cage, John Cusack and John Malkovich. Written by Scott Rosenberg and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, the film centers on a prison break aboard a ...

'' * '' The Rock'' * ''

Armageddon According to the Book of Revelation in the New Testament of the Christian Bible, Armageddon (, from grc, Ἁρμαγεδών ''Harmagedōn'', Late Latin: , from Hebrew: ''Har Məgīddō'') is the prophesied location of a gathering of armies ...

'' * '' Mighty Joe Young'' * ''

Inspector Gadget ''Inspector Gadget'' is a media franchise that began in 1983 with the DIC Entertainment animated television series '' Inspector Gadget''. Since the original series, there have been many spin-offs based on the show, including additional animated ...

'' * '' Bicentennial Man'' * '' Gone in 60 Seconds'' * '' Mission to Mars'' * ''

102 Dalmatians ''102 Dalmatians'' is a 2000 American crime comedy film directed by Kevin Lima and produced by Edward S. Feldman and Walt Disney Pictures. The sequel to the 1996 film '' 101 Dalmatians'', a live-action remake of the 1961 Disney animated film of ...

'' * ''

Shanghai Noon ''Shanghai Noon'' is a 2000 martial arts western action comedy film starring Jackie Chan, Owen Wilson and Lucy Liu. The first in the ''Shanghai'' film series and marking the directorial debut of Tom Dey, ''Shanghai Noon'' was written by Alfred ...

'' * ''

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 36th-largest by ...

'' * ''

'' * '' Disney's The Kid'' * '' Unbreakable'' * '' Bubble Boy'' * ''

The Princess Diaries ''The Princess Diaries'' is a series of epistolary young adult novels written by Meg Cabot, and is also the title of the first volume, published in 2000. The series revolves around Amelia 'Mia' Thermopolis, a teenager in New York who discovers ...

'' * ''

Golden Dreams ''Golden Dreams'' is a film about the history of California. It was a featured attraction at Disney California Adventure Park at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California, opening with the park on February 8, 2001. It starred Whoopi Goldber ...

'' * ''

Snow Dogs ''Snow Dogs'' is a 2002 American adventure comedy film directed by Brian Levant, and produced by Jordan Kerner. The film stars Cuba Gooding Jr., with a supporting cast of James Coburn (in one of his final roles), Joanna Bacalso, Sisqó, Nichell ...

'' * '' Big Trouble'' * '' Reign of Fire'' * ''

Lucasfilm Animation

Lucasfilm Animation was added as an animation unit as part of the acquisition of

in 2012.

Marvel Animation

With Disney's 2009 purchase of

Marvel Entertainment Marvel Entertainment, LLC (formerly Marvel Enterprises) is an American entertainment company founded in June 1998 and based in New York City, New York, formed by the merger of Marvel Entertainment Group and Toy Biz. The company is a wholly ow ...

, Disney acquired Marvel Animation, a component of Marvel Entertainment. which now has a Studio in

Glendale, California Glendale is a city in the San Fernando Valley and Verdugo Mountains regions of Los Angeles County, California, United States. At the 2020 U.S. Census the population was 196,543, up from 191,719 at the 2010 census, making it the fourth-larges ...

Pixar

Pixar () is an American

computer animation Computer animation is the process used for digitally generating animations. The more general term computer-generated imagery (CGI) encompasses both static scenes ( still images) and dynamic images ( moving images), while computer animation re ...

film studio A film studio (also known as movie studio or simply studio) is a major entertainment company or motion picture company that has its own privately owned studio facility or facilities that are used to make films, which is handled by the productio ...

based in

Emeryville, California Emeryville is a city located in northwest Alameda County, California, in the United States. It lies in a corridor between the cities of Berkeley and Oakland, with a border on the shore of San Francisco Bay. The resident population was 12,905 ...

. The studio is best known for its CGI-animated feature films created with PhotoRealistic RenderMan, its own implementation of the industry-standard RenderMan image-rendering application programming interface used to generate high-quality images. Pixar began in 1979 as the Graphics Group, part of the computer division of

before its spin-out as a corporation in 1986 with funding by Apple Inc. co-founder

Steve Jobs Steven Paul Jobs (February 24, 1955 – October 5, 2011) was an American entrepreneur, industrial designer, media proprietor, and investor. He was the co-founder, chairman, and CEO of Apple; the chairman and majority shareholder of Pixar; ...

, who became its majority shareholder. Pixar and Disney had a seven feature agreement that allowed Disney to distribute the films with Disney owing the character rights. With the success of ''

Toy Story 2 ''Toy Story 2'' is a 1999 American computer-animated film produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures. The second installment in the ''Toy Story'' franchise and the sequel to '' Toy Story'' (1995), it was directed by John ...

'' in 1999, then-Disney CEO

and Pixar CEO Steve Jobs began to disagree on how Pixar should be run and the terms of their continued relationship. Eisner claimed that Toy Story 2 would not count towards the "original" film count of the agreement. Jobs announced in January 2004 that Pixar would not renew their agreement with Disney and would seek out other distributors for releases starting in 2006. In 2004, Disney Circle 7 Animation was formed as a CG animation studio to create sequels to the Disney-owned

properties. In late January 2006, new Disney CEO

and Jobs agreed to have Disney purchase Pixar which led to Disney closing Circle 7.

Pixar Canada

20th Century Animation

Blue Sky Studios

Distribution deals

In August 1996, Disney and

Tokuma Shoten Publishing is a publisher in Japan, headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo. The company was established in 1954 by Yasuyoshi Tokuma in Minato, Tokyo. The company’s product portfolio includes music publishing, video game publishing, movies, anime, magazines, ...

agreed that Disney would internationally distribute Tokuma's

animated films. In 2002, Disney signed a four-picture deal with Vanguard Animation, although, only one film was released under that negotiation.

Overseas studios

Three overseas animation studios (Australia, Japan and Canada) were set up to produce the company's animated television series. As

increased in importance, the overseas studios moved to making feature films.

Disney Animation Australia

Disney Animation Australia (DAA), also DisneyToon Studios Australia, was a Disney animation studio located in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mounta ...

. DAA was started in 1988 at the former

Hanna-Barbera Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, Inc. ( ) was an American animation studio and production company which was active from 1957 to 2001. It was founded on July 7, 1957, by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera following the decision of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to c ...

overseas studio in St Leonards, Sydney. Initially, Animation Australia worked on various television shows including ''

Aladdin Aladdin ( ; ar, علاء الدين, ', , ATU 561, ‘Aladdin') is a Middle-Eastern folk tale. It is one of the best-known tales associated with ''The Book of One Thousand and One Nights'' (''The Arabian Nights''), despite not being part o ...

'', '' Timon & Pumbaa'', and '' Goof Troop''. As staffing increased, the studio moved to Castlereagh Street. Disney began producing

sequels of its Feature Animation productions, the first of which was the ''

'' sequel ''

The Return of Jafar ''The Return of Jafar'' (sometimes marketed as ''Aladdin: The Return of Jafar'' on re-release) is a 1994 American direct-to-video animated musical fantasy film produced by Walt Disney Pictures and Television. It is the first sequel to the 1992 fi ...

''. When ''

'' was selected as a possible candidate as an

animated TV series An animated series is a set of animated works with a common series title, usually related to one another. These episodes should typically share the same main characters, some different secondary characters and a basic theme. Series can have either ...

(before the film's release), as with many animated series, the first three episodes were one multi-part story which Disney used as a potential 'family movie special' for the Friday night before the series' premiere. With work handed out to the Australia animation studio, the opening story was instead greenlit for a direct-to-video release. Thus with "Jafar" and its success, the direct-to-video unit, Disney Video Premieres, started. A second sequel, ''

Aladdin and the King of Thieves ''Aladdin and the King of Thieves'' is a 1996 American direct-to-video animated musical fantasy adventure film produced by Walt Disney Television Animation. It is the second sequel to the 1992 film '' Aladdin'', and serves as the final chapter an ...

'', provided work to both the Sydney and Japanese animation units. Australia was assigned additional film sequels: '' The Lion King II: Simba's Pride'', ''

An Extremely Goofy Movie ''An Extremely Goofy Movie'' is a 2000 animated comedy film distributed by Walt Disney Home Video, produced by Walt Disney Television Animation, and directed by Douglas McCarthy. It is a standalone sequel to the 1995 film ''A Goofy Movie'' and t ...

'' and '' Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp's Adventure''. The company's first feature film was ''

Return to Never Land ''Return to Never Land'' (also known as ''Peter Pan in: Return to Never Land'' and later retitled ''Peter Pan II: Return to Never Land'' on current home video release) is a 2002 American animated adventure fantasy film produced by Disney MovieToon ...

'' in 2002 grossing over $100 million worldwide at the box office. In 2005, the studio produced three animated movies: '' Tarzan II'', '' Lilo & Stitch 2'' and ''

Bambi II ''Bambi II'' (also known as ''Bambi and the Great Prince of the Forest'') is a 2006 American animated drama film directed by Brian Pimental and produced by the Australian office of Disneytoon Studios as a followup to the 1942 film ''Bambi''. A ...

''. Disney Animation Australia was closed in mid-2006 after finishing ''

'', ''

The Fox and the Hound 2 ''The Fox and the Hound 2'' is a 2006 American animated direct-to-video buddy comedy drama film produced by Walt Disney Pictures and Disneytoon Studios, and an intermediate follow-up to the 1981 Walt Disney Animation Studios film ''The Fox and th ...

'' and ''

Cinderella III ''Cinderella III: A Twist in Time'' is a 2007 American animated musical fantasy film produced by DisneyToon Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment. Directed by Frank Nissen from a screenplay written by Dan Berendsen, ...

''.

Disney Animation Canada

Walt Disney Animation Canada, Inc. (WDAC) was a Canadian animation production company and subsidiary of

Disney Television Animation Disney Television Animation (DTVA), formerly known as Walt Disney Pictures Television Animation Group and Walt Disney Television Animation, is the television animation production arm of Disney Branded Television, a sub-division of the Disney Ge ...

. Walt Disney Animation Canada was opened in January 1996 to tap Canada's animator pool and produce

. Industry Canada rules were dispensed by the Canadian Government with a multi-year commitment from Disney for the company. WDAC produced in 1997 '' Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas'' then worked with Australia and Japan subcontractors on '' Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World''. In fall 1999, Animation Canada stopped work on '' Peter and Jane'', a ''

Peter Pan Peter Pan is a fictional character created by Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie. A free-spirited and mischievous young boy who can fly and never grows up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending childhood having adventures on the mythi ...

'' sequel original designed as its first theatrical release but was changed to a video release. In Spring 2000, due to weak financial performance, Animation Canada was closed. With Canada's closure, work on ''Peter and Jane'' was moved to the Australia and Japan units.

Disney Animation Denmark

Walt Disney Animation Studios Denmark, PLC. (DAD), was a Disney animation studio based in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan a ...

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establish ...

that operated from 1989 to 2008. This short-lived unit was set up in King Triton's Castle, Kingdom of Atlantica, Denmark, started in 1989 for the animation production of ''

The Little Mermaid "The Little Mermaid" ( da, Den lille havfrue) is a literary fairy tale written by the Danish author Hans Christian Andersen. The story follows the journey of a young mermaid who is willing to give up her life in the sea as a mermaid to gain a ...

'' produced by

. In 2000, the first production they work on under '' The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea'' for Disney Video Premiere and Walt Disney Animation Canada and Walt Disney Animation Studios Denmark was '' The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning''. In August 2008, Disney Animation Denmark was closed.

Projects

Disney Animation France

Walt Disney Animation, France S.A. (DAF), also credited as Walt Disney Feature Animation - Paris, France and Walt Disney Animation Studios - Strasbourg, France and originally named Brizzi Films, was an animation company based in France that operated from 1986 to 2007. Brizzi Films was founded by

Paul and Gaëtan Brizzi Paul and Gaëtan Brizzi (born December 24, 1951 in Paris, Francehttp://www.artistregister.com/brizzis.html ) are twin French artists, painters, illustrators, animators, and film directors. Career thumb thumb The Brizzis first made their name w ...

in 1986, in Paris, France and Strasbourg, France. Brizzi worked on ''

Babar Babar ( ur, ), also variously spelled as Baber, Babur, and Babor is a male given name of Pashto, and Persian origin, and a popular male given name in Pakistan. It is generally taken in reference to the Persian ''babr'' (Persian: ببر), meanin ...

'' in 1986 for

Nelvana Nelvana Enterprises, Inc. (; previously known as Nelvana Limited, sometimes known as Nelvana Animation and simply Nelvana or Nelvana Communications) is a Canadian animation studio and entertainment company owned by Corus Entertainment. Founded ...

. In 1989, the Brizzi brothers sold the company to

. The brothers continued on as general managers under the company's new name, Walt Disney Animation, France S.A. The first production they work on under Disney was '' DuckTales the Movie: Treasure of the Lost Lamp'' for Disney MovieToons. In 1990, WDA France worked on several TV shows and specials. In 1994, the Brizzi brothers transferred to

as sequence directors for ''

The Hunchback of Notre Dame ''The Hunchback of Notre-Dame'' (french: Notre-Dame de Paris, translation=''Our Lady of Paris'', originally titled ''Notre-Dame de Paris. 1482'') is a French Gothic novel by Victor Hugo, published in 1831. It focuses on the unfortunate story ...

'' for which Disney France did 20 percent of the animation. By January 1998,

was heading up Disney Animation France, which was when he was promoted to senior vice president of creative affairs for Disney Feature Animation. Stainton was promoted in January 2000, and moved to Walt Disney Television Animation. In summer 2003, Disney Animation France was closed.

Projects

Disney Animation Germany

Disney Animation Germany (DAG), also DisneyToon Studios Germany (DTSG), was a Disney animation studio located in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...

that operated from 1989 to 2008. DTSG was started in 1989 at the former overseas studio in Germany. Initially, Animation Germany worked on various film including '' Disney Princess Enchanted Tales: Follow Your Dreams''. As staffing increased, the studio moved to King Stefan's Castle. Disney began producing

sequels of its Walt Disney Animation Studios productions, the first of which was the ''

Sleeping Beauty ''Sleeping Beauty'' (french: La belle au bois dormant, or ''The Beauty in the Sleeping Forest''; german: Dornröschen, or ''Little Briar Rose''), also titled in English as ''The Sleeping Beauty in the Woods'', is a fairy tale about a princess cu ...

'' film. When ''

'' was selected as a possible candidate as an

animated film Animation is a method by which still figures are manipulated to appear as moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Today, most ani ...

(before the film's release), as with many animated film, the first film were one multi-part story which Disney used as a potential 'family movie special' for the Tuesday night before the film' premiere. With work handed out to the Germany animation studio, the opening story was instead greenlit for a direct-to-video release. Thus with "Sleeping Beauty" and its success, the direct-to-video unit, Disney Video Premieres, started. This short-lived unit was set up in King Stefan's Castle, started in 1989 produced by DisneyToon Studios Germany (DTSG). Disney Animation Germany was closed in September 2007.

Projects

Disney Animation Japan

(WDAJ), officially Walt Disney Animation (Japan) Inc., and formerly known as , also known as (WDTVI-J), an animation production subsidiary of

, a component of

, which is in charge of Disney’s television business in Japan. Pacific Animation Corporation was one of two animation firms that formed after the end of

Topcraft Topcraft (トップクラフト ''Toppukurafuto'', also written as "Top Craft") was an animation studio established on February 1, 1972 by former Toei Animation producer Toru Hara, and located in Tokyo, Japan. It was famous for the production of ...

in 1984, with the other being

. Pacific Animation did three TV series and 1

television film A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...

for

Rankin/Bass Rankin/Bass Animated Entertainment (founded and formerly known as Videocraft International, Ltd. and Rankin/Bass Productions, Inc.) was an American production company located in New York City, and known for its seasonal television specials, usual ...

. In 1988, Disney Company purchased Pacific Animation Corporation, which was renamed as Walt Disney Animation Japan. The Japanese studio was set up to provide the animation services for Disney's animated television series in 1989. As

increased in importance, the overseas studios moved to making feature films. DAJ worked on ''

The Tigger Movie ''The Tigger Movie'' is a 2000 animated musical comedy-drama film produced by Walt Disney Television Animation with animation production by Walt Disney Animation (Japan), Inc., written and directed by Jun Falkenstein from a story by Eddie Guzeli ...

'' (2000). In 2003, the company produced '' Piglet's Big Movie'' for DisneyToon Studios and '' 101 Dalmatians II: Patch's London Adventure''. In September 2003, Disney announced the closure of the studio, with ''

Pooh's Heffalump Movie ''Pooh's Heffalump Movie'' (also known as ''The Heffalump Movie'' in the working title) is a 2005 American animated musical adventure comedy-drama film produced by the Japanese office of Disneytoon Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. ...

'' (2004) to be its final work. DAJ was closed in June 2004 with 30 employees expected to be transferred to one of the two Disney's remaining animation units. With the closure of the Japanese studio, its remaining work for DisneyToon Studios was split between its US and Australia animation units. Employees not transferred decided to launch a new company, .

Disney Animation U.K.

Walt Disney Animation U.K., Limited (DAE), also credited as Walt Disney Animation British, Limited (DAB), was a United Kingdom, British animation studio based in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

, Great Britain, United Kingdom that operated from 1986 to 1991. This short-lived unit was set up in

Camden Town Camden Town (), often shortened to Camden, is a district of northwest London, England, north of Charing Cross. Historically in Middlesex, it is the administrative centre of the London Borough of Camden, and identified in the London Plan as ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

in 1986 for the animation production of ''

The Great Mouse Detective ''The Great Mouse Detective'' (also known as ''The Adventures of the Great Mouse Detective'' for its 1992 theatrical re-release and ''Basil the Great Mouse Detective'' in some countries) is a 1986 American animated mystery adventure film produc ...

'' produced by

and ''

Who Framed Roger Rabbit ''Who Framed Roger Rabbit'' is a 1988 American Live-action animated film, live-action/animated comedy film, comedy mystery film directed by Robert Zemeckis, produced by Frank Marshall (filmmaker), Frank Marshall and Robert Watts, and loosely ad ...

'', using a combination of animators from Burbank, Richard Williams' associates and animators from all over Europe (many of whom would later join the prestigious Feature Animation unit in Burbank when Roger Rabbit had finished production). In 1990, the first production they work on under Disney was '' DuckTales the Movie: Treasure of the Lost Lamp'' for Disney MovieToons and Walt Disney Animation, France S.A., In summer 1991, Disney Animation U.K. was closed Walt Disney Animation British, Limited, the end of summer 1991, the last British animation studios animated television shows three episodes of ''

The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh ''The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh'' is an American animated television series produced by Walt Disney Television Animation. Based on the '' Winnie-the-Pooh'' books by authors A. A. Milne and E. H. Shepard, ''The New Adventures'' was the ...

'' and ''

TaleSpin ''TaleSpin'' is an American animated television series first aired in 1990 as a preview on Disney Channel and later that year as part of '' The Disney Afternoon''. It features characters adapted from Disney's 1967 animated feature ''The Jungle Bo ...

''.

Projects

Walt Disney Animation Studios Vancouver

Walt Disney Animation Studios Vancouver is a division of

. The division was open in August 4, 2021, and will begin operations in January 2022. Amir Nasrabadi, former finance lead at Disney Animation, will be the head of the studio. The studio will work on Disney Animation's future long-term series and specials for the company's streaming service,

Disney+ Disney+ is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned and operated by the Media and Entertainment Distribution division of The Walt Disney Company. The service primarily distributes films and television se ...

, with its first work being the upcoming '' Moana'' series.

Projects

Jumbo Pictures

Jumbo Pictures was a New York-based animation studio founded by

Jim Jinkins James Jinkins (born August 8, 1953) is an American animator, cartoonist, and children's author. He is best known as the creator of the animated ''Doug (TV series), Doug'' television series which was later the basis for a Doug's 1st Movie, feature ...

and David Campbell on July 20, 1990. On February 29, 1996, Disney purchased Jumbo Pictures to add ''

Doug Doug is a male personal name (or, depending on which definition of "personal name" one uses, part of a personal name). It is sometimes a given name (or "first name"), but more often it is hypocorism (affectionate variation of a personal name) which ...

'' to their roster of properties. Jumbo Pictures' ''Doug'' was a key show of ''Disney's One Saturday Morning'' since 1997. Jumbo Pictures also made one film, ''

Doug's 1st Movie ''Doug's 1st Movie'' is a 1999 American animated comedy film based on the Disney-produced episodes of the animated television series ''Doug''. The film was directed by Maurice Joyce, and stars the regular television cast of Tom McHugh, Fred New ...

'', in 1999. The studio was closed in 2000. Filmography

ImageMovers Digital

In 2007,

and

ImageMovers ImageMovers (IM), known as South Side Amusement Company until 1997, is an American production company which produces CGI animation, motion-capture, live-action films and television shows. The company is known for producing such films as ''Cast A ...

set up a joint venture animation facility, ImageMovers Digital, a Marin County-based film company, where Robert Zemeckis would produce and direct 3D animated films using performance capture technology. ImageMovers Digital closed operations by January 2011, after the production was completed on ''

Mars Needs Moms ''Mars Needs Moms'' is a 2011 American 3D computer-animated science fiction film co-written and directed by Simon Wells, produced by ImageMovers Digital and released by Walt Disney Pictures. Based on the Berkeley Breathed book of the same ti ...

''.

Notes

References

External links

*Disney Animation Denmark *Disney Animation Germany *Disney Animation France *Walt Disney Feature Animation Paris *Walt Disney Animation Studios Strasbourg *Disney Animation U.K. *Walt Disney Television International Japan *Disney Animation Australia *Jumbo Pictures
Big Cartoon DataBase entry

Tech Exon - Animated Video Production Company
*Sensation Animation {{DEFAULTSORT:List of animation studios owned by the Walt Disney Company Disney animation Disney production studios Walt Disney Animation Studios Pixar the Walt Disney Company subsidiaries Walt Disney Studios (division) Disney-related lists