Walt Disney Animation Studios

Walt Disney Animation Studios
Formerly
  • Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio (1923–1925)
  • Walt Disney Studio (1926–1928)
  • Walt Disney Productions (1929–1985)
  • Walt Disney Feature Animation (1986–2005)
Company typeDivision
Industry
PredecessorLaugh-O-Gram Studio
FoundedOctober 16, 1923; 101 years ago (1923-10-16) (as Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio)
Founders
Headquarters2100 West Riverside Drive,
Burbank, California
,
U.S.
Key people
Products
ParentWalt Disney Studios
Websitedisneyanimation.com
Footnotes / references
[1][2][3][4][5]
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Walt Disney Animation Studios (WDAS),[6] 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 from its first synchronized sound cartoon, Steamboat Willie (1928). Founded on October 16, 1923, by brothers Walt Disney and Roy O. Disney after the closure of Laugh-O-Gram Studio,[1] it is the longest-running animation studio in the world. It is currently organized as a division of Walt Disney Studios and is headquartered at the Roy E. Disney Animation Building at the Walt Disney Studios lot in Burbank, California.[7] Since its foundation, the studio has produced 62 feature films, from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) to Wish (2023),[8] and hundreds of short films.

Founded as Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio (DBCS) in 1923, renamed Walt Disney Studio (WDS) in 1926 and incorporated as Walt Disney Productions (WDP) in 1929, the studio was dedicated to producing short films until it entered feature production in 1934, resulting in 1937's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, one of the first full-length animated feature films and the first U.S.-based one. In 1986, during a large corporate restructuring, Walt Disney Productions, which had grown from a single animation studio into an international media conglomerate, was renamed The Walt Disney Company and the animation studio became Walt Disney Feature Animation (WDFA) in order to differentiate it from the company's other divisions. Its current name was adopted in 2006 after Pixar Animation Studios was acquired by Disney.

For many people, Disney Animation is synonymous with animation, for "in no other medium has a single company's practices been able to dominate aesthetic norms" to such an overwhelming extent.[9] The studio was recognized as the premier American animation studio for much of its existence[10] and was "for many decades the undisputed world leader in animated features";[11] it developed many of the techniques, concepts and principles that became standard practices of traditional animation.[12] The studio also pioneered the art of storyboarding, which is now a standard technique used in both animated and live-action filmmaking, as well as television shows and video games.[13] The studio's catalog of animated features is among Disney's most notable assets, with the stars of its animated shorts—Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Daisy Duck, Goofy, and Pluto—becoming recognizable figures in popular culture and mascots for the Walt Disney Company as a whole.

Three of the studio's films—Frozen (2013), Zootopia (2016), and Frozen II (2019)—are all among the 50 highest-grossing films of all time, with the latter becoming the third-highest-grossing animated feature film of all time. It also had the highest-grossing worldwide opening of all time for an animated feature film up until the release of Nintendo and Illumination's The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023).

By 2013, the studio had no hand-drawn animated features in development as a result of their 3D computer animated films performing better at the box office, and had laid off a large portion of their hand-drawn animators.[14][15] However, the studio stated in 2019 and 2023 that they are open to proposals from filmmakers for future hand-drawn feature projects.[16][17] In addition, in April 2022, Eric Goldberg, one of the studio's hand-drawn animators who has been working with the studio since 1992 and had also worked on a few projects with 20th Century Fox (currently known as 20th Century Studios), confirmed plans within the Disney studio to once again return to hand-drawn animation.[18]

  1. ^ a b "The Walt Disney Studios". The Walt Disney Company. Archived from the original on November 5, 2015. Retrieved July 7, 2013.
  2. ^ "Contact". Walt Disney Animation Studios. Retrieved August 3, 2014.
  3. ^ Ryan, Faughnder (August 9, 2019). "Disney shuffles animation and Blue Sky studio ranks after Fox acquisition". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 9, 2019.
  4. ^ Lang, Brent (August 9, 2019). "Disney Taps Andrew Millstein, Clark Spencer for Top Animation Posts". Variety. Retrieved August 9, 2019.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference corpStainton was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ "Our Studio". Walt Disney Animation Studios. Walt Disney. Retrieved November 24, 2017. Combining masterful artistry...
  7. ^ "Walt Disney Animation Studios – Our studio". Walt Disney Animation Studios. Retrieved July 7, 2013.
  8. ^ "New iPad App Goes Behind the Scenes of Disney's Animated Features". The Hollywood Reporter. August 8, 2013. Retrieved August 6, 2014.
  9. ^ Furniss, Maureen (2007). Art in Motion, Animation Aesthetics (2014 print-on-demand ed., based on 2007 revised ed.). New Barnet: John Libbey Publishing. p. 107. ISBN 9780861966639. JSTOR j.ctt2005zgm.9. OCLC 1224213919.
  10. ^ Cavalier, Stephen (2011). The World History of Animation. Berkeley: University of California Press. pp. 14–16. ISBN 9780520261129. OCLC 668191570.
  11. ^ Cavalier, Stephen (2011). The World History of Animation. Berkeley: University of California Press. p. 78. ISBN 9780520261129. OCLC 668191570.
  12. ^ Barrier 1999, pp. 84–86, 144–151.
  13. ^ Tumminello, Wendy (2005). Exploring Storyboarding. Clifton Park, NY: Thomson Delmar Learning. p. 20. ISBN 978-1-4018-2715-1.
  14. ^ Lussier, Germain (March 6, 2013). "Walt Disney Company Currently Not Developing Any Hand-Drawn Animated Features". /Film. Retrieved January 25, 2020.
  15. ^ Amidi, Amid (April 11, 2013). "BREAKING: Disney Just Gutted Their Hand-Drawn Animation Division [UPDATED]". Cartoon Brew. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
  16. ^ Pearson, Ben (September 30, 2019). "Walt Disney Animation Isn't Opposed to Hand-Drawn Features, Jennifer Lee Talks About Making Changes After John Lasseter's Exit [Interview]". /Film. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
  17. ^ Bate, Josh (November 20, 2023). "Disney Could Return to 2D Animation, Says Wish Director". CBR. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
  18. ^ "Disney Animator Says Studio Will Bring Back 2D Hand-Drawn Animation - WDW News Today". April 27, 2022.