Disney animation

Disney animation 
Walt Disney Animation Studios, headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California,[7] is an American animation studio that creates animated feature films, short films, and television specials for The Walt Disney Company. Founded on October 16, 1923,[1] it is a division of The Walt Disney Studios. The studio has produced 54 feature films, from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in 1937 to Big Hero 6 in 2014.[8]

Originally founded as Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio in 1923 and incorporated as Walt Disney Productions in 1929, the studio was exclusively dedicated to producing short films until it expanded into feature production in 1934. In 1983, Walt Disney Productions named its live-action film studio Walt Disney Pictures. During a corporate restructuring in 1986, Walt Disney Productions was renamed The Walt Disney Company and the animation division, renamed Walt Disney Feature Animation, became a subsidiary of its film division, The Walt Disney Studios. In 2006, Walt Disney Feature Animation took on its current name, Walt Disney Animation Studios, when it was folded under The Walt Disney Studios alongside Pixar Animation Studios, which was acquired by Disney in the same year.

For much of its existence, the studio was recognized as the premier American animation studio;[9] it developed many of the techniques, concepts, and principles that became standard practices of traditional animation.[10] The studio also pioneered the art of storyboarding, which is now a convention in both animated and live-action filmmaking.[11] The studio's catalog of animated features is among Disney's most notable assets, with the stars of its animated shorts – Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy, and Pluto – becoming recognizable figures in popular culture and mascots for The Walt Disney Company as a whole.

Walt Disney Animation Studios, today managed by Edwin Catmull and John Lasseter (who also manage Pixar), continues to produce feature films using both hand-drawn animation and computer-generated imagery (CGI). Its 55th and 56th features, Zootopia and Moana, are currently in production; the former is scheduled for release on March 4, 2016, and the latter is scheduled for release on November 23, 2016.[12][13]

Contents  [hide] 
1 History
1.1 Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio
1.2 1930s: Silly Symphonies and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
1.3 1940s: New features, strike, and World War II
1.4 1950s: Return of features, end of shorts
1.5 1960s: Walt Disney's final years
1.6 1970s: Decline in popularity
1.7 1980s: "Rock bottom" and return to prominence
1.7.1 1980–1985
1.7.2 1986–1989
1.8 1990s: Disney Renaissance
1.8.1 1990–1994: Successful releases
1.8.2 Impact of success on Disney and animation industry
1.8.3 1995–1999: Declining returns
1.9 2000–2006: Second decline
1.9.1 Early 2000s releases
1.9.2 Downsizing and conversion to computer animation
1.9.3 Corporate issues
1.10 2007–2009: Rebound
1.10.1 Disney acquisition of Pixar and revitalization under Lasseter and Catmull
1.10.2 Walt Disney Animation Studios
1.11 2010s: Resurgence
2 Studio
2.1 Management
2.2 Locations
3 Productions
3.1 Feature films
3.2 Short films
4 Collaborations
4.1 Parks and resorts
4.2 Associated productions
5 See also
6 References
7 Further reading
8 External links
History[edit]
Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio[edit]

The building on Kingswell Avenue in Los Feliz which was home to the studio from 1923 to 1926
Kansas City, Missouri, natives Walt Disney and Roy O. Disney founded the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio in Los Angeles in 1923, and got their start producing a series of silent Alice Comedies short films featuring a live-action child actress in an animated world.[14] The Alice Comedies were distributed by Margaret J. Winkler's Winkler Pictures, which later also distributed a second Disney short subject series, the all-animated Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, through Universal Pictures starting in 1927.[14][15] Upon relocating to California, the Disney brothers initially started working in their uncle Robert Disney's garage at 4406 Kingswell Avenue in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles, then in October 1923 formally launched their studio in a small office on the rear side of a real estate agency's office at 4651 Kingswell Avenue. In February 1924, the studio moved next door to office space of its own at 4649 Kingswell Avenue. In 1925, Disney put down a deposit on a new location at 2719 Hyperion Avenue in the nearby Silver Lake neighborhood, which came to be known as the Hyperion Studio to distinguish it from the studio's other locations, and in January 1926 the studio moved there and took on the name the Walt Disney Studio.[16]

Meanwhile, after the first year's worth of Oswalds, Walt Disney attempted to renew his contract with Winkler Pictures, but Charles Mintz, who had taken over Margaret Winkler's business after marrying her, wanted to force Disney to accept a lower advance payment for each Oswald short. Disney refused, and as Universal owned the rights to Oswald rather than Disney, Mintz set up his own animation studio to produce Oswald cartoons. Most of Disney's staff was hired away by Mintz to move over, once Disney's Oswald contract was done in mid-1928.[17]

Working in secret while the rest of the staff finished the remaining Oswalds on contract, Disney and his head animator Ub Iwerks led a small handful of loyal staffers in producing cartoons starring a new character named Mickey Mouse.[18] The first two Mickey Mouse cartoons, Plane Crazy and The Galloping Gaucho, were previewed in limited engagements during the summer of 1928. For the third Mickey cartoon, however, Disney produced a soundtrack, collaborating with musician Carl Stalling and businessman Pat Powers, who provided Disney with his bootlegged "Cinephone" sound-on-film process. Subsequently, the third Mickey Mouse cartoon, Steamboat Willie, became Disney's first cartoon with synchronized sound, and was a major success upon its November 1928 debut at the West 57th Theatre in New York City.[19] The Mickey Mouse series of sound cartoons, distributed by Powers through Celebrity Productions, quickly became the most popular cartoon series in the United States.[20][21] A second Disney series of sound cartoons, the Silly Symphonies, debuted in 1929 with The Skeleton Dance.[22]

1930s: Silly Symphonies and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs[edit]
In 1930, disputes over finances between Disney and Powers led to Disney's studio, reincorporated on December 16, 1929, as Walt Disney Productions, signing a new distribution contract with Columbia Pictures.[23][24] Powers in return signed away Ub Iwerks, who began producing cartoons at his own studio.[25]

Columbia distributed Disney's shorts for two years before the Disney studio entered a new distribution deal with United Artists in 1932. The same year, Disney signed a two-year exclusive deal with Technicolor to utilize its new 3-strip color film process,[26] which allowed for fuller-color reproduction where previous color film processors could not.[27] The result was the Silly Symphony Flowers and Trees, the first film commercially released in full Technicolor.[27][28] Flowers and Trees was a major success,[27][29] and all Silly Symphonies were subsequently produced in Technicolor.[30][31]

By the early 1930s, Walt Disney had realized that the success of animated films depended upon telling emotionally gripping stories that would grab the audience and not let go,[32][33] and this realization led him to create a separate "story department" with storyboard artists dedicated to story development.[34] With well-developed characters and an interesting story, the 1933 Technicolor Silly Symphony Three Little Pigs became a major box office and pop culture success,[27][35] with its theme song "Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf" becoming a popular chart hit.[36]

In 1934, Walt Disney gathered several key staff members and announced his plans to make his first feature animated film. Despite derision from most of the film industry, who dubbed the production "Disney's Folly," Disney proceeded undaunted into the production of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,[37] which would become the first animated feature in English and Technicolor. Considerable training and development went into the production of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, and the studio greatly expanded with established animators, artists from other fields, and recent college graduates joining the studio to work on the film. The training classes, supervised by the head animators such as Les Clark, Norm Ferguson, and Art Babbit and taught by Donald W. Graham, an art teacher from the nearby Chouinard Art Institute,[10][37] had begun at the studio in 1932 and were greatly expanded into orientation training and continuing education classes.[10][37] In the course of teaching the classes, Graham and the animators created or formalized many of the techniques and processes that became the key tenets and principles of traditional animation.[10] Silly Symphonies such as The Goddess of Spring (1934) and The Old Mill (1937) served as experimentation grounds for new techniques such as the animation of realistic human figures, special effects animation, the use of the multiplane camera,[38] an invention which split animation artwork layers into several planes, allowing the camera to appear to move dimensionally through an animated scene.[39]


Walt Disney introduces each of the Seven Dwarfs in a scene from the original 1937 Snow White theatrical trailer.
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs cost Disney a then-expensive sum of $1.4 million to complete (including $100,000 on story development alone), and was an unprecedented success when released in February 1938 by RKO Radio Pictures, which had assumed distribution of Disney product from United Artists in 1937. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was briefly the highest grossing film of all time before the success of Gone with the Wind two years later,[40][41] grossing over $8 million on its initial release, the equivalent of $134,033,100 in 1999 dollars.[41]

During the production of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, work had continued on the Mickey Mouse and Silly Symphonies series of shorts. Mickey Mouse switched to Technicolor in 1935, by which time the series had added several major supporting characters, among them Mickey's dog Pluto and their friends Donald Duck and Goofy. Donald, Goofy, and Pluto would all be appearing in series of their own by 1940, and the Donald Duck cartoons eclipsed the Mickey Mouse series in popularity.[42] The Silly Symphonies, which garnered seven Academy Awards, ended in 1939.[43]

1940s: New features, strike, and World War II[edit]
The success of Snow White allowed Disney to build a new, larger studio on Buena Vista Street in Burbank, where The Walt Disney Company remains headquartered to this day. Walt Disney Productions had its initial public offering on April 2, 1940, with Walt Disney as president and chairman and Roy Disney as CEO.[44]

The studio launched into the production of new animated features, the first of which was Pinocchio, released in February 1940. Pinocchio was not initially a box office success.[45] The box office returns from the film's initial release were both below Snow White's unprecedented success and below studio expectations.[45][46] Of the film's $2.289 million cost – twice of Snow White – Disney only recouped $1 million by late 1940, with studio reports of the film's final original box office take varying between $1.4 million and $1.9 million.[47] However, Pinocchio was a critical success, winning the Academy Award for Best Original Song and Best Original Score, making it the first film of the studio to win not only either Oscar, but both at the same time.[48]


Walt Disney acts out a storyboarded scene in The Sorcerer's Apprentice, a segment of Fantasia (1940), for its on-screen stars, host Deems Taylor and conductor Leopold Stokowski.
Fantasia, an experimental film produced to an accompanying orchestral arrangement conducted by Leopold Stokowski, was released in November 1940 by Disney itself in a series of limited-seating roadshow engagements. The film cost $2 million to produce, and although the film earned $1.4 million in its roadshow engagements,[49] the high cost ($85,000 per theater)[49] of installing Fantasound placed Fantasia at an even greater loss than Pinocchio.[50] RKO assumed distribution of Fantasia in 1941,[51] later reissuing it in severely edited versions over the years.[52][53] Despite its financial failure, Fantasia was the subject of two Academy Honorary Awards on February 26, 1942 – one for the development of the innovative Fantasound system used to create the film's stereoscopic soundtrack, and the other for Stokowski and his contributions to the film.[54]

Much of the character animation on these productions and all subsequent features until the late 1970s was supervised by a brain-trust of animators Walt Disney dubbed the "Nine Old Men," many of whom also served as directors and later producers on the Disney features: Frank Thomas, Ollie Johnston, Woolie Reitherman, Les Clark, Ward Kimball, Eric Larson, John Lounsbery, Milt Kahl, and Marc Davis.[55] Other head animators at Disney during this period included Norm Ferguson, Bill Tytla, and Fred Moore. The development of the feature animation department created a caste system at the Disney studio: lesser animators (and feature animators in-between assignments) were assigned to work on the short subjects, while animators higher in status such as the Nine Old Men worked on the features. Concern over Walt Disney accepting credit for the artists' work as well as debates over compensation led to many of the newer and lower-ranked animators seeking to unionize the Disney studio.[56]

A bitter union strike ended in mid-1941, which was resolved without the angered Walt Disney's involvement in July and August of that year.[56] As Walt Disney Productions was being set up as a union shop,[56] Walt Disney and several studio employees were sent by the US government on a Good Neighbor policy trip to Central and South America.[57] The Disney strike and its aftermath led to an exodus of several animation professionals from the studio, from top-level animators such as Art Babbitt and Bill Tytla, to artists better known for their work outside the Disney studio such as Frank Tashlin, Maurice Noble, Walt Kelly, Bill Meléndez, and John Hubley.[56] Hubley, with several other Disney strikers, went on to found the United Productions of America studio, Disney's key animation rival in the 1950s.[56]

Dumbo, in production during the midst of the animators' strike, premiered in October 1941, and proved to be a financial success. The simple film only cost $950,000 to produce, half the cost of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, less than a third of the cost of Pinocchio, and two-fifths of the cost of Fantasia. Dumbo eventually grossed $1.6 million during its original release.[58] In August 1942, Bambi was released, and as with Pinocchio and Fantasia, did not perform well at the box office. Out of its $1.7 million budget, it only grossed $1.64 million.[59]

Production of full-length animated features was temporarily suspended after the release of Bambi. Given the financial failures of some of the recent features and World War II cutting off much of the overseas cinema market, the studio's financiers at the Bank of America would only loan the studio working capital if it temporarily restricted itself to shorts production.[60] Then in-production features such as Peter Pan, Alice in Wonderland, and Lady and the Tramp were therefore put on hold until after the war.[60] Other issues affecting the studio at the time included the drafting of several Disney animators to fight in World War II, and the necessity for the studio to focus on producing wartime content for the U.S. Army, particularly military training and civilian propaganda films. From 1942 to 1943, 95 percent of the studio's animation output was for the military.[61] During the war, Disney produced the live-action/animated military propaganda feature Victory Through Air Power (1943),[62] and a series of Latin culture-themed shorts resulting from the 1941 Good Neighbor trip were compiled into two features, Saludos Amigos (1942) and The Three Caballeros (1944).[62]

Saludos and Caballeros set the template for several other 1940s Disney releases of "package films": low-budgeted films composed of animated short subjects with animated or live-action bridging material.[63][64] These films were Make Mine Music (1946), Fun and Fancy Free (1947), Melody Time (1948), and The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949). The studio also produced two features, Song of the South (1946) and So Dear to My Heart (1948), which used more expansive live-action stories which still included animated sequences and sequences combining live-action and animated characters. Shorts production continued during this period as well, with Donald Duck, Goofy, and Pluto cartoons being the main output accompanied by cartoons starring Mickey Mouse, Figaro, and in the 1950s, Chip 'n Dale and Humphrey the Bear.[65]

In addition, Disney began reissuing the previous features, beginning with re-releases of Snow White in 1944,[66] Pinocchio in 1945, and Fantasia in 1946.[67] This led to a tradition of reissuing the Disney films every seven years, which lasted into the 1990s before being translated into the studio's handling of home video releases.[66]

1950s: Return of features, end of shorts[edit]

The original Animation Building at the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California, the headquarters of the animation department from 1940 to 1984.
In 1948, Disney returned to the production of full-length features with Cinderella, a full-length film based on the fairy tale by Charles Perrault. At a cost of nearly $3,000,000, the future of the studio depended upon the success of this film.[68] Upon its release in 1950, Cinderella proved to be a box office success, with the profits from the film's release allowing Disney to carry on producing animated features throughout the 1950s.[69] Following its success, production on the in-limbo features Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, and Lady and the Tramp was resumed. In addition, an ambitious new project, an adaptation of the fairy tale "Sleeping Beauty" set to Tchaikovsky's classic score, was begun but took much of the rest of the decade to complete.[70]

Alice in Wonderland, released in 1951, met with a lukewarm response at the box office and was a sharp critical disappointment in its initial release.[71] Peter Pan, released in 1953, was, on the other hand, a commercial success and the highest-grossing film of the year. In 1955, Lady and the Tramp was released to higher box office success than any other Disney feature from the studio since Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,[72] earning an estimated $7.5 million in rentals at the North American box office in 1955.[73] Lady is significant as Disney's first widescreen animated feature, produced in the CinemaScope process,[72] and was the first Disney animated feature to be released by Disney's own distribution company, Buena Vista Distribution.[74]

By the mid-1950s, with Walt Disney's attention primarily set on new endeavour such as live-action films, television, and the Disneyland theme park,[55] production of the animated films was left primarily in the hands of the "Nine Old Men" trust of head animators and directors. This led to several delays in approvals during the production of Disney's Sleeping Beauty,[55] which was finally released in 1959. At $6 million,[75] it was Disney's most expensive film to date, produced in a heavily stylized art style devised by artist Eyvind Earle[75] and presented in large-format Super Technirama 70 with six-track stereophonic sound.[75] However, the film's large production costs and underperformance at the box office resulted in the studio posting its first annual loss in a decade for fiscal year 1960,[76] leading to massive layoffs throughout the studio.[77]

By the end of the decade, the Disney short subjects were no longer being produced on a regular basis, with many of the shorts divisions' personnel either leaving the company or begin reassigned to work on Disney television programs such as The Mickey Mouse Club and Disneyland. While the Disney shorts had dominated the Academy Award for Best Short Subject (Cartoons) during the 1930s, its reign over the award had been ended by MGM's Tom and Jerry cartoons, Warner Bros' Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies, and the works of United Productions of America (UPA), whose flat art style and stylized animation techniques were lauded as more modern alternatives to the older Disney style.[78] During the 1950s, only one Disney short, the stylized Toot, Whistle, Plunk and Boom, won the Best Short Subject (Cartoons) Oscar.[79]

The Mickey Mouse, Pluto, and Goofy shorts had all ceased regular production by 1953, with Donald Duck and Humphrey continuing and converting to widescreen CinemaScope before also being discontinued in 1956. Disney shorts would only be produced on a sporadic basis from this point on,[65] with notable later shorts including It's Tough to Be a Bird (1969),[80] Runaway Brain (1995, starring Mickey Mouse),[81] and Paperman (2012).[82]

1960s: Walt Disney's final years[edit]
Despite the 1959 layoffs and competition for Walt Disney's attention from the company's grown live-action film, TV, and theme park departments, production continued on feature animation productions at a reduced level.[70] In 1961, the studio released One Hundred and One Dalmatians, an animated feature which popularized the use of xerography during the process of inking and painting traditional animation cels.[83] Using xerography, animation drawings could be photo-chemically transferred rather than traced from paper drawings to the clear acetate sheets ("cels") used in final animation production.[83] The resulting art style – a scratchier line which revealed the construction lines in the animators' drawings – typified Disney films into the 1980s.[83] The film was a success, being the tenth highest grossing film of 1961 with rentals of $6.4 million.[84]

The Disney animation training program started at the studio before the development of Snow White in 1932 eventually led to Walt Disney helping found the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts).[85] This university, formed via the merger of Chouinard Art Institute and the Los Angeles Conservatory of Music, included a Disney-developed animation program of study among its degree offerings. CalArts became the alma mater of many of the animators who would work at Disney and other animation studios from the 1970s to the present.[85]

The Sword in the Stone was released in 1963, and was the sixth highest grossing film of the year in North America with estimated rentals of $4.75 million.[86] A featurette adaptation of one of A. A. Milne's Winnie-the-Pooh stories, Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree, was released in 1966,[87] to be followed by several other Pooh featurettes over the years and a full-length compilation feature, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, which was released in 1977.[87]

Walt Disney died in December 1966, ten months before the studio's next film, The Jungle Book, was completed and released.[88] The film was a success,[89] finishing 1967 as the fourth highest-grossing movie of the year.[90]

1970s: Decline in popularity[edit]
Following Walt Disney's passing, Woolie Reitherman continued as both producer and director of the features.[91][92] The studio began the 1970s with the release of The Aristocats, the last film project to be approved by Walt Disney himself.[92] In 1971, Roy O. Disney, the studio co-founder, died and Walt Disney Productions was left in the hands of Donn Tatum and Card Walker, who alternated as chairman and CEO in overlapping terms for the rest of the decade.[93] The next feature, Robin Hood (1973), was produced with a significantly reduced budget and animation repurposed from previous features.[91] Both The Aristocats and Robin Hood were minor box office and critical successes.[91][92]

The Rescuers, released in 1977, was a success exceeding the achievements of the previous two Disney features.[92] Receiving broad critical acclaim, commercial returns, and an Academy Award nomination, it ended up being the third highest grossing film in 1977 and the most successful and acclaimed Disney animated film since The Jungle Book.[91][92] The film was reissued in 1983, accompanied by a new Disney featurette, Mickey's Christmas Carol.[94]

The production of The Rescuers signaled the beginning of a changing of the guard process in the personnel at the Disney animation studio:[92] as veterans such as Milt Kahl and Les Clark retired, they were gradually replaced by new talents such as Don Bluth, Ron Clements, John Musker, and Glen Keane.[92][95] The new animators, culled from the animation program at CalArts and trained by Eric Larson, Frank Thomas, Ollie Johnston, and Woolie Reitherman[92][95] got their first chances to prove themselves as a group with the animated sequences in Disney's live-action/animated hybrid feature Pete's Dragon (1977),[96] the animation for which was directed by Don Bluth.[91] In September 1979, dissatisfied with what they felt was a stagnation in the development of the art of animation at Disney,[97] Bluth and several of the other new guard animators quit to start their own studio, Don Bluth Productions,[97] which became Disney's chief competitor in the animation field during the 1980s.[95]

1980s: "Rock bottom" and return to prominence[edit]
1980–1985[edit]

Roy E. Disney (Chairman, 1985–2003), nephew of Walt Disney, was a key figure in restructuring the animation department following the reorganization of the Disney company in 1984
Delayed half a year by the defection of the Bluth group,[95] The Fox and the Hound was released in 1981 after four years in production. The film was considered a financial success by the studio, and development continued on The Black Cauldron, a long-gestating adaptation of the Chronicles of Prydain series of novels by Lloyd Alexander[95] produced in Super Technirama 70.

The Black Cauldron was intended to expand the appeal of Disney animated films to older audiences and to showcase the talents of the new generation of Disney animators from CalArts. Besides Keane, Musker, and Clements, this new group of artists included other promising animators such as Andreas Deja, Mike Gabriel, John Lasseter, and Tim Burton. Lasseter was fired from Disney in 1983 for pushing the studio to explore computer animation production,[98][99] but went on to become the creative head of Pixar, a pioneering computer animation studio that would begin a close association with Disney in the late 1980s.[98][100][101] Similarly, Burton was fired in 1984 after producing a live-action short shelved by the studio, Frankenweenie, then went on to become a high-profile producer and director of live-action and stop motion animated features for Disney and other studios. Some of Burton's high-profile projects for Disney would include the stop-motion The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), a live-action adaptation of Alice in Wonderland (2010), and a stop-motion feature remake of Frankenweenie (2012).[102][103]

Ron Miller, Walt Disney's son-in-law, became president of Walt Disney Productions in 1980 and CEO in 1983.[104] That year, he expanded the company's film and television production divisions, creating the Walt Disney Pictures banner under which future films from the feature animation department would be released.[104] After a series of corporate takeover attempts in 1984, Roy E. Disney, son of Roy O. and nephew of Walt, resigned from the company's board of directors and launched a campaign called "SaveDisney", successfully convincing the board to fire Miller. Roy E. Disney brought in Michael Eisner as Disney's new CEO, and Frank Wells as president.[93][105] Eisner in turn named Jeffrey Katzenberg chairman of the film division, The Walt Disney Studios.[95] Near completion when the Eisner regime took over Disney, The Black Cauldron would come to represent what would later be referred to as the "rock bottom" point for Disney animation.[95] The studio's most expensive feature to that point at $25 million, The Black Cauldron was a critical and commercial failure.[95] The film's $21 million box office gross led to a loss for the studio, putting the future of the animation division in jeopardy.[95]

Between the 1950s and 1980s, the significance of animation to Disney's bottom line was significantly reduced as the company expanded into further live-action production, television, and theme parks.[95] As new CEO, Michael Eisner strongly considered shuttering the feature animation studio and outsourcing future animation.[95] Roy E. Disney intervened, offering to head the feature animation division and turn its fortunes around,[95] while Eisner established the The Walt Disney Pictures Television Animation Group to produce lower-cost animation for television.[93] Named Chairman of feature animation by Eisner, Roy E. Disney appointed Peter Schneider president of animation to run the day-to-day operations.[95]

1986–1989[edit]
In 1986, Disney executives moved the animation division from the Disney studio lot in Burbank to a variety of warehouses, hangars, and trailers located about two miles east (3.2 kilometers) in nearby Glendale, California.[95] The animation studio's the new first feature animation was The Great Mouse Detective, begun by John Musker and Ron Clements as Basil of Baker Street after both left the Black Cauldron production name,[106] The Great Mouse Detective was enough of a critical and commercial success to instill executive confidence in the animation studio.[95] Later the same year, however, Universal Pictures and Steven Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment released Don Bluth's An American Tail, which outgrossed The Great Mouse Detective at the box office and became the highest-grossing first-issue animated film to that point.[107]

Katzenberg, Schneider, and Roy E. Disney set about changing the culture of the studio, increasing staffing and production so that a new animated feature would be released every year instead of every two to four.[95] The first of the releases on the accelerated production schedule was Oliver & Company in 1988, which featured an all-star cast including Billy Joel and Bette Midler and an emphasis on a modern pop soundtrack.[95] Oliver & Company opened in the theaters on the same day as another Bluth/Amblin/Universal animated film, The Land Before Time; however, Oliver outgrossed Time and went on to become the most successful animated feature to that date.[95]

At the same time in 1988, Disney's started entering into Australia's long standing animation industry, by purchasing Hanna-Barbera's Australian studio to start Disney Animation Australia.[108]


1400 Air Way in Glendale, California, one of several buildings used by Walt Disney Feature Animation between 1985 and 1995.
While Oliver & Company and next feature animation, The Little Mermaid, were in production, Disney collaborated with Steven Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment and master animator Richard Williams to produce Who Framed Roger Rabbit, a groundbreaking live action/animation hybrid directed by Robert Zemeckis which featured licensed animated characters from other animation studios.[109][110] Disney set up a new animation studio under Williams' supervision in London to create the cartoon characters for Roger Rabbit, with many of the artists from the California studio traveling to England to work on the film.[95][111] A significant critical and commercial success,[111] Roger Rabbit won three Academy Awards for technical achievements.[112] and was key in renewing mainstream interest in American animation.[95] Other than the film itself, the studio also produced three Roger Rabbit shorts during the late 1980s and early 1990s.[113][114]

A second satellite studio, Walt Disney Feature Animation Florida, opened in 1989 with 40 employees. Its offices were located within the Disney-MGM Studios theme park at Walt Disney World in Bay Lake, Florida, and visitors were allowed to tour the studio and observe animators at work.[115] The same year, the studio released The Little Mermaid, which became a keystone achievement in Disney's history as its largest critical and commercial success in decades. Directed by John Musker and Ron Clements, who'd been co-directors on The Great Mouse Detective, Mermaid earned $84 million at the North American box office, a record for the studio. The film was built around a score from Broadway songwriters Alan Menken and Howard Ashman, who was also a co-producer and story consultant on the film.[95] Mermaid won two Academy Awards, for Best Original Song and for Best Original Score.[116]

The Little Mermaid vigorously relaunched a profound new interest in the animation and musical film genres.[95][117] Mermaid was also the first to feature the use of Disney's Computer Animation Production System (CAPS). Developed for Disney by Pixar,[95] which had grown into a commercial computer animation and technology development company, CAPS would become significant in allowing future Disney films to more seamlessly integrate computer-generated imagery and achieve higher production values with digital ink and paint and compositing techniques.[95] The Little Mermaid was the first of a series of blockbusters that would be released over the next decade by Walt Disney Feature Animation, a period later designated by the term Disney Renaissance.[118]

1990s: Disney Renaissance[edit]
Main article: Disney Renaissance
1990–1994: Successful releases[edit]

Walt Disney Feature Animation logo from 1997 to 2006
Accompanied in theaters by the Mickey Mouse featurette The Prince and the Pauper, The Rescuers Down Under (1990) was Disney's first animated feature sequel and the studio's first film to be fully colored and composited via computer using the CAPS system.[95] However, the film did not duplicate the success of The Little Mermaid.[95] The next Disney animated feature, Beauty and the Beast, had begun production in London, but was moved back to Burbank after Disney decided to shutter the London satellite office and retool Beauty into a musical-comedy format similar to Mermaid.[95] Alan Menken and Howard Ashman were retained to write the song score, though Ashman died before production was completed.[95]

Debuting first in a work-in-progress version at the 1991 New York Film Festival before its November 1991 wide release, Beauty, directed by Kirk Wise & Gary Trousdale, was an unprecedented critical and commercial success, and would later be seen as one of the studio's best films.[119] The film earned six Academy Award nominations, including one for Best Picture, a first for an animated work, winning for Best Song and Best Original Score.[120] Its $145 million box office gross set new records, and merchandising for the film – including toys, cross-promotions, and soundtrack sales – was also lucrative.[121]

The successes of Mermaid and Beauty established the template for future Disney releases during the 1990s: a musical-comedy format with Broadway-styled songs and tentpole action sequences, buoyed by cross-promotional marketing and merchandising, all carefully designed to pull audiences of all ages and types into theatres.[121] In addition to John Musker, Ron Clements, Kirk Wise, and Gary Trousdale, the new guard of Disney artists creating these films included story artists/directors Roger Allers, Rob Minkoff, Chris Sanders, and Brenda Chapman, and lead animators Glen Keane, Andreas Deja, Eric Goldberg, Nik Ranieri, Will Finn, and many others.[121]

Aladdin, released in November 1992, continued the upward trend in Disney's animation success, earning $504 million worldwide at the box office,[122] and two more Oscars for Best Song and Best Score.[123] Featuring songs by Menken, Ashman, and Tim Rice (who replaced Ashman after his passing)[124] and starring the voice of Robin Williams,[125] Aladdin also established the trend of hiring celebrity actors and actresses to provide the voices of Disney characters,[125] which had been explored to some degree with The Jungle Book and Oliver & Company, but now became standard practice.[125]

In June 1994, Disney released The Lion King, directed by Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff. An all-animal adventure set in Africa, The Lion King featured an all-star voice cast which included James Earl Jones, Matthew Broderick, and Jeremy Irons, and songs written by Tim Rice and pop star Elton John. The Lion King earned $768 million at the worldwide box office,[126] to this date a record for a traditionally animated film,[127] earning millions more in merchandising, promotions, and record sales for its soundtrack.[121]

Impact of success on Disney and animation industry[edit]

622/610 Circle 7 Drive (the Hart-Dannon Building), another Glendale building used by Walt Disney Feature Animation during the early 1990s.
Aladdin and The Lion King had been the highest-grossing films worldwide in each of their respective release years.[128][129] With animation becoming again an increasingly important and lucrative part of Disney's business, the company began to expand its operations. The flagship California studio was split into two units and expanded,[121] and ground was broken on a new Disney Feature Animation building adjacent to the main Disney lot in Burbank, which was dedicated in 1995.[95][121] The Florida satellite, officially incorporated in 1992,[130] was expanded as well, and one of Disney's television animation studios in the Paris, France suburb of Montreuil[131] – the former Brizzi Brothers studio[131] – became Walt Disney Feature Animation Paris, where A Goofy Movie (1995) and significant parts of later Disney films were produced.[95] Also, Disney began producing lower cost direct to video sequels for its successful animated films using the services of its television animation studios under the name Disney MovieToons. The Return of Jafar (1994), a sequel to Aladdin and a pilot for the Aladdin television show spin-off, was the first of these productions.[132] Walt Disney Feature Animation was also heavily involved in the adaptations of both Beauty and the Beast in 1994 and The Lion King in 1997 into Broadway musicals.[121]

Jeffrey Katzenberg and the Disney story team were heavily involved in the development and production of Toy Story,[133] the first fully computer-animated feature ever produced.[133] Toy Story was produced for Disney by Pixar and directed by former Disney animator John Lasseter,[133] whom Peter Schneider had unsuccessfully tried to hire back after his success with Pixar shorts such as Tin Toy (1988).[95] Released in 1995, Toy Story opened to critical acclaim[133][134][135] and commercial success,[133][136] leading to Pixar signing a five-film deal with Disney, which bore critically and financially successful computer animated films such as A Bug's Life (1998), Toy Story 2 (1999), and Monsters, Inc. (2001).[137]

In addition, the successes of Aladdin and The Lion King spurred a significant increase in the number of American-produced animated features throughout the rest of the decade, with the major film studios establishing new animation divisions such as Fox Animation Studios, Turner Feature Animation, and Warner Bros. Feature Animation being formed to produce films in a Disney-esque musical-comedy format such as Anastasia (1997), Cats Don't Dance (1997), and Quest for Camelot (1998), respectively.[138]

1995–1999: Declining returns[edit]
Concerns arose internally at Disney, particularly from Roy E. Disney, about studio chief Jeffrey Katzenberg taking too much credit for the success of Disney's early-1990s releases.[95] Disney president Frank Wells was killed in a helicopter accident in 1994, and Katzenberg lobbied CEO Michael Eisner for the vacant president position. Instead, tensions between Katzenberg, Eisner, and Disney resulted in Katzenberg being forced to resign from the company that October,[95][139] with Joe Roth taking his place.[139] He went on to become one of the founders of DreamWorks SKG, whose's animation division became Disney's key rival in feature animation[121][140] with both computer animated films (Antz, 1998) and traditionally animated films (The Prince of Egypt, 1998).[138]

In contrast to the early 1990s productions, the mid-1990s Disney animated features presented a trend of diminishing returns. Pocahontas, released in summer 1995, was a critical and commercial disappointment compared to its predecessors,[140] earning $346 million worldwide[141] while still winning two Academy Awards for its music by Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz.[142] The next film, The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996), the first of the films partially produced at the Paris studio,[131][143] performed better critically but grossed only $325 million worldwide.[144] The following summer, Hercules, grossed only $252 million worldwide, but performed badly critically and was responsible for beginning the decline of traditional animated films.[145] The declining box office success became doubly concerning inside the studio as wage competition from DreamWorks had significantly increased the studio's overhead,[105][121] with production costs increasing from $79 million in total costs (production, marketing, and overhead) for The Lion King in 1994 to $179 million for Hercules three years later.[140] Moreover, Disney depended upon the popularity of its new features in order to develop merchandising, theme park attractions, direct-to-video sequels, and television programming in its other divisions.[121] The production schedule was scaled back,[140] and a larger number of creative executives were hired to more closely supervise production, a move that was not popular among the animation staff.[121][146][147]

Mulan (1998), the first film produced primarily at the Florida studio,[148] earned $305 million in worldwide box office. The next summer's Tarzan, directed by Kevin Lima, had a high production cost of $150 million,[140] but earned $448 million at the box office.[149] The Tarzan song score by pop star Phil Collins resulted in significant record sales and an Academy Award for Best Song.[150]

In October 1999, Dream Quest Images, a special effects studio previously purchased by The Walt Disney Company in April 1996 to replace Buena Vista Visual Effects,[151] was merged with the computer-graphics operation of Walt Disney Feature Animation to form a division called The Secret Lab.[152] The Secret Lab produced one feature film, 2000's Dinosaur, which featured CGI prehistoric creatures against filmed live-action backgrounds.[153] The $128 million production earned $349 million worldwide, below studio expectations,[153] and the Secret Lab was closed in 2001.[154]

2000–2006: Second decline[edit]
Early 2000s releases[edit]
Peter Schneider left his post as Fantasia 2000, a sequel to the 1940 film that had been a pet-project of Roy E. Disney's since 1990,[155][156] was released on January 1, 2000. Produced in pieces when artists were available between productions,[155] Fantasia 2000 was the first animated feature produced for and released in IMAX format.[157] A standard theatrical release followed in June, but the film's $90 million worldwide box office total against its $90 million production cost[156] resulted in it losing $100 million for the studio.[156][158] president of Walt Disney Feature Animation in 1999 to become president of The Walt Disney Studios under Joe Roth.[159] Thomas Schumacher, who had been Schneider's vice president of animation for several years, became the new president of Walt Disney Feature Animation.[159] By this time, competition from other studios had driven animators' incomes to all-time highs,[121] making traditionally animated features even more costly to produce.[140] Schumacher was tasked with cutting costs, and massive layoffs began to cut salaries and bring the studio's staff – which peaked at 2,200 people in 1999 – down to approximately 1,200 employees.[160][161]

That December saw the release of The Emperor's New Groove, which had originally been a musical epic called Kingdom of the Sun before being revised mid-production into a smaller comedy,[162][163] New Groove earned $169 million worldwide when released in December 2000,[164] though it was well reviewed and performed better on video.[165][166] Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001), an attempt to break the Disney formula by moving into action-adventure, received mixed reviews and earned $186 million worldwide against production costs of $120 million.[160][167][168]

Downsizing and conversion to computer animation[edit]
By 2001, the notable successes of computer-animated films from Pixar and DreamWorks such as Monsters, Inc. and Shrek, respectively, against Disney's lesser returns for The Emperor's New Groove and Atlantis led to a growing perception that hand-drawn animation was becoming outdated and falling out of fashion.[121][169][170] In March 2002, just after the successful release of Blue Sky Studios' computer-animated feature Ice Age,[121] Disney laid off most of the employees at the Feature Animation studio in Burbank, downsizing it to one unit and beginning plans to move into fully computer animated films.[121][171] A handful of employees were offered positions doing computer animation. Morale plunged to a low not seen since the start of the studio's ten-year exile to Glendale in 1985.[121][172] The Paris studio was also closed in 2002.[173]

The Burbank studio's remaining hand-drawn productions, Treasure Planet (2002) and Home on the Range (2004), continued production. Treasure Planet was a retelling of Treasure Island in space that was a pet project of writer-directors Ron Clements & John Musker. It received generally positive reviews and an IMAX release but was financially unsuccessful upon release,[172] resulting in a $74 million writedown for The Walt Disney Company in fiscal year 2003.[172] The Burbank studio's 2D departments closed at the end of 2002 following completion of Home on the Range,[121][174] a long-in-production feature originally known as Sweating Bullets.[175]

Meanwhile, hand-drawn feature animation production continued at the Feature Animation Florida studio,[171] where the films could be produced at lower costs.[171] Lilo & Stitch, an offbeat comedy written and directed by Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois,[170] became the studio's first bonafide hit since Tarzan upon its summer 2002 release,[176] earning $279 million worldwide against a $80 million production budget.[177]

Most of the 1990s Disney features had been spun off into direct-to-video sequels, television series, or both,[132] produced by the Disney Television Animation unit. Beginning with Return to Never Land, a 2002 sequel to 1953's Peter Pan, Disney began releasing lower-budgeted sequels to earlier films, originally intended for video premieres, in theaters,[132] a process derided by some of the Disney animation staff[121] and fans of the Disney films.[178]

In 2003, Tom Schumacher was appointed president of Buena Vista Theatrical Group, Disney's stageplay and musical theater arm,[4] and David Stainton, formerly a senior vice president at Walt Disney Feature Animation and later president of Walt Disney Television Animation, was appointed as his replacement. Stainton continued to oversee Disney's direct-to-video division, DisneyToon Studios, which had been part of the television animation department,[4] though transferred at this time to Walt Disney Feature Animation management.[6]

Under Stainton, the Florida studio completed Brother Bear (2003), which did not perform as well as Lilo & Stitch critically or financially.[176] Disney announced the closing of the Florida studio on January 12, 2004,[121][176] with the then in-progress feature My Peoples left unfinished when the studio closed two months later.[146][170][173][174] Upon the unsuccessful April 2004 release of Home on the Range,[175] Disney, led by executive Bob Lambert,[179] officially announced its conversion of Walt Disney Feature Animation into a fully CGI studio – a process begun two years prior[169][180] – now with a staff of 600 people[169] and began selling off all of its traditional animation equipment.[121]

Corporate issues[edit]
Just after Brother Bear‍ '​s November 2003 release, Feature Animation chairman Roy E. Disney had resigned from The Walt Disney Company, launching with business partner Stanley Gold a second external "SaveDisney" campaign similar to the one that had forced Ron Miller out in 1984, this time to force out Michael Eisner.[178] Two of their arguing points against Eisner included his handling of Feature Animation and the souring of the studio's relationship with Pixar[169]

Talks between Michael Eisner and Pixar CEO Steve Jobs over renewal terms for the highly lucrative Pixar-Disney distribution deal broke down in January 2004.[169][181] Jobs in particular disagreed with Eisner's insistence that sequels such as the then in-development Toy Story 3 would not count against the number of films required in the studio's new deal.[181] To that end, Disney announced the launching of Circle 7 Animation, a division of Feature Animation which would produce sequels to the Pixar films, while Pixar began shopping for a new distribution deal.[181]

In 2005, Disney released its first fully computer-animated feature, Chicken Little. The film was a moderate success in the box office, earning $315 million worldwide,[182] but not well-reviewed.[183] Later that year, after two years of Roy E. Disney's "SaveDisney" campaign, Michael Eisner announced that he would resign and named Bob Iger, then president of The Walt Disney Company, his successor as chairman and CEO.[178]

2007–2009: Rebound[edit]
Disney acquisition of Pixar and revitalization under Lasseter and Catmull[edit]

John Lasseter (Chief Creative Officer, left) and Edwin Catmull (President, right) came to Disney following its acquisition of Pixar and dedicated themselves to revitalizing Walt Disney Animation Studios after the studio's unsuccessful early 2000s period.
With Iger in place as the new CEO of Disney, Steve Jobs resumed negotiations for Pixar with Disney.[184] On January 24, 2006, Disney announced that it would be acquiring Pixar for $7.4 billion, with the deal closing that May.[184] As part of the acquisition, Pixar executives Edwin Catmull and John Lasseter assumed control of Walt Disney Feature Animation as President and Chief Creative Officer, respectively,[185] and the Circle 7 studio launched to produce Toy Story 3 was shut down,[186][187] with most of its employees returning to Feature Animation and Toy Story 3 returning to Pixar's control.[188]

While Disney executives had originally discussed closing Feature Animation as redundant, Catmull and Lasseter refused and instead resolved to try to turn things around at the studio.[189][190] Lasseter and Catmull set about rebuilding the morale of the Feature Animation staff,[191][192] and rehired a number of its 1980s "new guard" generation of star animators who had left the studio, including Ron Clements, John Musker, Eric Goldberg,[99] Mark Henn, Andreas Deja, Bruce W. Smith, and Chris Buck.[193] To maintain the separation of Disney and Pixar despite their now common ownership and management, Catmull and Lasseter "drew a hard line" that each studio was solely responsible for its own projects and would not be allowed to borrow personnel from or lend tasks out to the other.[194][195]

Catmull and Lasseter also brought to Disney the Pixar model of a "filmmaker-driven studio" as opposed to an "executive-driven studio"; they abolished Disney's prior system of requiring directors to respond to "mandatory" notes from development executives ranking above the producers in favor of a system roughly analogous to peer review, in which non-mandatory notes come primarily from fellow producers, directors, and writers.[190][196] Most of the layers of "gatekeepers" (midlevel executives) were stripped away, and Lasseter established a routine of personally meeting weekly with filmmakers on all projects in the last year of production and delivering feedback on the spot.[197]

Walt Disney Animation Studios[edit]
Lasseter renamed Walt Disney Feature Animation to Walt Disney Animation Studios,[198] and re-positioned the studio as an animation house that produced both traditional and computer-animated projects. In order to keep costs down on hand-drawn productions, animation, design, and layout were done in-house at Disney while clean-up animation and digital ink-and-paint were farmed out to vendors and freelancers.[199]

In 2007, the studio released Meet the Robinsons, its second all-CGI film, which was not financially successful, earning $169 million worldwide.[200] That year, DisneyToon Studios was also restructured and began to operate as a separate unit under Lasseter and Catmull's control.[201] John Lasseter's direct intervention with the studio's next film, American Dog, resulted in the departure of director Chris Sanders,[202] who went on to become a director at DreamWorks Animation.[203] The film was retooled by new directors Byron Howard and Chris Williams as Bolt (2008), which had the best critical reception of any Disney animated feature since Lilo & Stitch,[204] and became a moderate financial success.[205]

The Princess and the Frog, directed by Ron Clements & John Musker, was the studio's first hand-drawn animated film in five years. A return to the musical-comedy format of the 1990s with songs by Randy Newman,[206] the film was released in 2009 to a positive reception and was also nominated for three Academy Awards, including two for Best Song.[207] The box office performance of The Princess and the Frog – a total of $267 million earned worldwide against a $105 million production budget – was seen as an underperformance;[205] the "Princess" aspect of the title was blamed, resulting in future Disney films then in production about princesses being given neutral titles: Rapunzel became Tangled and The Snow Queen became Frozen.[191][208][209][210] In 2014, however, Disney animator Tom Sito compared the film's box office performance to that of The Great Mouse Detective (1986), which was a step up from the theatrical run of the 1985 box office bomb The Black Cauldron.[211] In 2009, WDAS also produced the computer-animated Prep & Landing television special for the Disney-owned ABC television network.[212]

2010s: Resurgence[edit]
After The Princess and the Frog, the studio released Tangled, a musical CGI adaptation of the Brothers Grimm's Rapunzel tale with songs by Alan Menken and Glenn Slater. In active development since 2002 under Glen Keane,[180] Tangled, directed by Byron Howard and Nathan Greno, was released in November 2010 and became a significant critical and commercial success,[213][214] and was nominated for several accolades. The film earned $591 million in worldwide box office revenue, becoming the studio's third most successful release to date.[215]

The hand-drawn feature Winnie the Pooh, a new feature film based on the A.A. Milne characters, followed in 2011 and to positive reviews but underwhelming box office. Winnie the Pooh remains to date the studio's most recent hand-drawn feature.[216] Wreck-It Ralph, directed by Rich Moore, was released in 2012, to critical acclaim and commercial success. A comedy-adventure about a video-game villain who redeems himself as a hero, it won numerous awards, including the Annie, Critics' Choice, and Kids' Choice Awards for Best Animated Feature Film and received Golden Globe and Academy Award nominations.[217] The film earned $471 million in worldwide box office revenue.[218][219][220] In addition, the studio won its first Academy Award for a short film in forty-four years with Paperman.[221] Directed by John Kahrs, Paperman utilized new software developed in house at the studio called Meander, which merges hand-drawn and computer animation techniques within the same character to create a unique "hybrid." According to Producer Kristina Reed, the studio is continuing to develop the technique for future projects,[222] including an animated feature.[216]

In 2013, the studio laid off nine of its hand-drawn animators, including Nik Ranieri and Ruben Aquino,[223] leading to speculation on animation blogs that the studio was abandoning traditional animation, an idea that the studio dismissed.[224] That same year, Frozen, a CGI musical film inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's The Snow Queen, was released to widespread acclaim and became a blockbuster hit. Directed by Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee with songs by the Broadway team of Robert Lopez & Kristen Anderson-Lopez,[225] it was the first Disney animated film to earn over $1 billion in worldwide box office revenue and is currently the highest-grossing animated film of all time, surpassing Pixar's Toy Story 3.[217][225][226] Frozen also became the first film from Walt Disney Animation Studios to win the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature (a category started in 2001), as well as the first feature-length motion picture from the studio to win an Academy Award since Tarzan and the first to win multiple Academy Awards since Pocahontas.[227] It was released in theaters with Get a Horse!, a new Mickey Mouse cartoon combining black-and-white hand-drawn animation and full-color CGI animation.[228] The studio's next feature, Big Hero 6, a CGI comedy-adventure film inspired by Marvel's Big Hero 6 comics, was released on November 7, 2014.[229] The film was accompanied in theaters by the animated short Feast, which won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film.[230][231] Big Hero 6 received critical acclaim and was the highest-grossing animated film of 2014, and it also won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.[232][233][234][235]

Studio[edit]
Management[edit]
Walt Disney Animation Studios is currently managed by Edwin Catmull (President, Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios), John Lasseter (Chief Creative Officer) and Andrew Millstein (President).[3][185][236] Since 2006, while continuing to live in the San Francisco Bay Area (where they manage Pixar), Catmull and Lasseter have regularly commuted to Burbank every week to spend at least two days (usually Tuesdays and Wednesdays) at Disney Animation.[237] They initially appointed Millstein as general manager and executive vice president to handle day-to-day business operations on their behalf. Millstein was promoted to the title of president in November 2014, along with his counterpart at Pixar, general manager Jim Morris.[3] Both Millstein and Morris continue to report to Catmull, who retains the title of president of both studios.[3]

Former presidents of the studio include David Stainton (January 2003 – January 2006), Thomas Schumacher (January 2000 – December 2002) and Peter Schneider (1985 – December 1999).[5]

Other Disney executives who also exercised much influence within the studio were Roy E. Disney (1985–2003, Chairman, Walt Disney Feature Animation), Jeffrey Katzenberg (1984–94, Chairman, The Walt Disney Studios), Michael Eisner (1984–2005, CEO, The Walt Disney Company), and Frank Wells (1984–94, President and COO, The Walt Disney Company). Following Roy Disney's passing in 2009, the WDAS headquarters in Burbank was re-dedicated as The Roy E. Disney Animation Building in May 2010.[238]

Locations[edit]

The south side of the Roy E. Disney Animation Building, as seen from the public park that separates it from the Ventura Freeway.
Since 1995, Walt Disney Animation Studios has been headquartered in the Roy E. Disney Animation Building in Burbank, California, across Riverside Drive from The Walt Disney Studios, where the original Animation building (now housing corporate offices) is located. The Disney Animation Building's lobby is capped by a large version of the famous hat from the Sorcerer's Apprentice segment of Fantasia, and the building is informally called the "hat building" for that reason.[239] Disney Animation shares its site with ABC Studios, whose building is located immediately to the west.[240]

From 1985 to 1995, Disney Animation previously operated out of the Air Way complex, a cluster of old hangars, office buildings, and trailers[95] in the Grand Central Business Centre, an industrial park on the site of the former Grand Central Airport[241] about two miles (3.2 km) east in the city of Glendale. Today, the DisneyToon Studios unit is currently based in Glendale. Disney Animation's archive, formerly known as "the morgue" (based on an analogy to a morgue file) and today known as the Animation Research Library,[242] is also located in Glendale.[243] Unlike the Burbank buildings, DisneyToon Studios and the ARL are located in nondescript office buildings near Disney's Grand Central Creative Campus. The 12,000-square-foot ARL is home to over 64 million items of animation artwork going back to 1924; because of its importance to the company, it requires visitors to agree to not disclose its exact location within Glendale.[243]

Previously, feature animation satellite studios were located around the world in Montreuil, Seine-Saint-Denis, France (a suburb of Paris),[131] and in Bay Lake, Florida (near Orlando, at Disney's Hollywood Studios, one of the four theme parks at Walt Disney World).[170] The Paris studio was shut down in 2002,[173] while the Florida studio was shut down in 2004.[173] The Florida building survives as a show and tour called The Magic of Disney Animation.[244]

In November 2014, Disney Animation commenced a 16-month "upgrade" of the Roy E. Disney Animation Building,[245] in order to fix what Catmull has called its "dungeon-like" interior.[246] Disney refused to disclose the renovation's cost, but did reveal it will include the installation of a spacious two-story internal atrium (similar to the atrium at Pixar's Steve Jobs Building).[247] Ironically, this means the studio's employees have been temporarily exiled again from Burbank into the closest available Disney-controlled studio space – the DisneyToon Studios building in the industrial park in Glendale and the old Imagineering warehouse in North Hollywood under the western approach to Bob Hope Airport. Disney director Don Hall analogized the studio's relocation to the end of The Empire Strikes Back, where "you know they're going to get back together."[247]





This list of theatrical animated feature films consists of animated films produced and/or released by The Walt Disney Studios, the film division of The Walt Disney Company.

Currently, the The Walt Disney Studios releases films from Disney-owned and non-Disney owned animation studios. Most films listed below are from Walt Disney Animation Studios which began as the animation division of Walt Disney Productions, producing animated short films since 1923. The studio produced its first feature-length animated film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in 1937 and as of 2014 has produced a total of 54 feature films.[st 1] Beginning with Toy Story in 1995, The Walt Disney Studios also released animated films by Pixar Animation Studios, which became a wholly owned subsidiary in 2006.[1][2]

Other studio units have also released films theatrically, namely Walt Disney Television Animation (now DisneyToon Studios) and the studio's distribution unit, which acquires film rights from outside animation studios to release films under the Walt Disney Pictures, Touchstone Pictures, or previously owned Miramax film labels.[citation needed] In 1996, The Walt Disney Studios signed a deal with Tokuma Shoten for distribution rights to the theatrical works of Studio Ghibli world-wide (excluding Asia except for Japan and Taiwan and excluding Grave of the Fireflies which was not published by Tokuma), including what then was the most recent film, Princess Mononoke. The deal later grew to include DVD rights and newer Ghibli movies; the English language Disney release of Spirited Away won the 2002 Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. Studio Ghibli remains wholly independent of Disney and maintains strict creative control over the handling of the foreign language localization Disney produces.[3] All of the theatrical Ghibli back catalog originally included in the deal have since been released to DVD in North America (except Only Yesterday) and several other countries. Other studios globally have released films through Walt Disney Pictures which maintains distribution rights in certain territories.

This is a list of films from Walt Disney Animation Studios, an American animation studio headquartered in Burbank, California,[1] and formerly known as Walt Disney Feature Animation, Walt Disney Productions and Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, which creates animated feature films for The Walt Disney Company. The studio has produced 54 feature films, beginning with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs(1937), and most recently with Big Hero 6 (2014).[2] Their 55th feature, Zootopia, is currently in production and is scheduled for release on March 4, 2016.[3] Three features are also in development, with Moana being set for release on November 23, 2016,[3] and Giants,[4] an untitled film in 2018,[5] and a sequel toFrozen.[6]

Contents  [hide] 

1 Films

1.1 Released

1.2 Upcoming

1.2.1 Moana

1.2.2 Giants

1.2.3 Frozen 2

2 Associated productions

3 Reception

3.1 Box office grosses and critical reception

3.2 Academy Award wins and nominations

4 See also

5 Notes

6 References

7 External links

Films[edit]

Films by decade:

1930s/40s  · 1950s  · 1960s  · 1970s  · 1980s  · 1990s  · 2000s  · 2010s  · Upcoming

Released[edit]

# Film Original release date

1 Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs December 21, 1937

Directors: David Hand (Supervising Director), Perce Pearce, William Cottrell, Larry Morey, Wilfred Jackson and Ben Sharpsteen

Written by: Ted Sears, Richard Creedon, Otto Englander, Dick Rickard, Earl Hurd, Merrill De Maris, Dorothy Ann Blank and Webb Smith

Based on: "Snow White" (German fairy tale, 1812) by Brothers Grimm[7]

Producer: Walt Disney

Release: January 1938 (Limited);[8] February 4, 1938 (Wide release)

2 Pinocchio February 7, 1940

Directors: Ben Sharpsteen (Supervising Director), Hamilton Luske (Supervising Director), William "Bill" Roberts, Norman Ferguson, Jack Kinney, Wilfred Jackson and T. Hee

Written by: Ted Sears, Otto Englander, Webb Smith, William Cottrell, Joseph Sabo, Erdman Penner and Aurelius Battaglia

Based on: The Adventures of Pinocchio (Italian novel, 1883) by Carlo Collodi[9]

Producer: Walt Disney

Release: February 9, 1940 (Wide release)

3 Fantasia November 13, 1940

Directors/Written by: See full credits

Based on: The Sorcerer's Apprentice segment based on "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" (German poem, 1797) by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Producer: Walt Disney

Release: January 29, 1941 (Roadshow); January 8, 1942 (Wide release)

Notes:[note 1][note 2]

4 Dumbo October 23, 1941

Directors: Ben Sharpsteen (Supervising Director), Norman Ferguson, Wilfred Jackson, William "Bill" Roberts, Jack Kinney and Samuel Armstrong

Written by: Joe Grant, Dick Huemer and Otto Englander

Based on: Dumbo, the Flying Elephant (American Roll-A-Book, 1939) by Helen Aberson[10][11][12]

Producer: Walt Disney

5 Bambi August 13, 1942

Directors: David Hand (Supervising Director), James Algar, William "Bill" Roberts, Norman Wright, Samuel Armstrong, Paul Satterfield and Graham Heid

Written by: Perce Pearce, Larry Morey, Vernon Stallings, Melvin Shaw, Carl Fallberg, Chuck Couch and Ralph Wright

Based on: Bambi, A Life in the Woods (Austrian novel, 1923) by Felix Salten[13]

Producer: Walt Disney

Release: August 21, 1942 (Wide release)

6 Saludos Amigos February 6, 1943

Directors: William "Bill" Roberts, Jack Kinney, Hamilton Luske and Wilfred Jackson

Written by: Homer Brightman, Ralph Wright, Roy Williams, Harold Reeves, Richard Huemer and Joe Grant

Producer: Walt Disney

Release: August 24, 1942 (Premiere)

Notes:[note 1][note 2]

7 The Three Caballeros February 3, 1945

Supervising Director: Norman Ferguson

Sequence Directors: Clyde Geronimi, Jack Kinney and William "Bill" Roberts

Story/Screenplay: Homer Brightman, Ernest Terrazas, Ted Sears, Bill Peet, Ralph Wright, Elmer Plummer, Roy Williams, William Cottrell, Del Connell and James Bodrero

Producer: Walt Disney

Premiere: December 21, 1944

Notes:[note 1][note 2]

8 Make Mine Music April 20, 1946

Directors: Jack Kinney, Clyde Geronimi, Hamilton Luske, Robert Cormack and Joshua Meador

Story/Screenplay: Homer Brightman, Dick Huemer, Dick Kinney, John Walbridge, Tom Oreb, Dick Shaw, Eric Gurney, Sylvia Holland, T. Hee, Erdman Penner, Dick Kelsey, James Bodrero, Roy Williams, Cap Palmer, Jesse Marsh and Erwin Graham

Based on: Peter and the Wolf segment based on "Peter and the Wolf" (Russian fairy tale, 1936) by Sergei Prokofiev

Producer: Walt Disney

Wide release: August 15, 1946

Notes:[note 1]

9 Fun and Fancy Free September 27, 1947

Directors: Jack Kinney, William "Bill" Roberts and Hamilton Luske

Story/Screenplay: Homer Brightman, Harry Reeves, Ted Sears, Lance Nolley, Eldon Dedini and Tom Oreb

Based on: Bongo segment based on Little Bear Bongo (American short story, 1936) by Sinclair Lewis;[14] Mickey and the Beanstalk segment based on Jack and the Beanstalk(British fairy tale)

Producer: Walt Disney

Notes:[note 1][note 2]

10 Melody Time May 27, 1948

Directors: Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson, Hamilton Luske and Jack Kinney

Story/Screenplay: Winston Hibler, Erdman Penner, Harry Reeves, Homer Brightman, Ken Anderson, Ted Sears, Joe Rinaldi, William Cottrell, Art Scott, Jesse Marsh, Bob Mooreand John Walbridge

Based on: The Legend of Johnny Appleseed segment based on the life of John Chapman (1774–1845); Little Toot segment based on Little Toot (American children's story, 1939) by Hardie Gramatky;[15] Trees segment based on Trees by Alfred Joyce Kilmer with the music master Oscar Rasbach; Pecos Bill segment based on "Pecos Bill" (Americanfakelore) by folklore consultant Carl Carmer

Producer: Walt Disney

Notes:[note 1][note 2]

11 The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad October 5, 1949

Directors: Jack Kinney, Clyde Geronimi and James Algar

Story/Screenplay: Erdman Penner, Winston Hibler, Joe Rinaldi, Ted Sears, Homer Brightman and Harry Reeves

Based on: Adventures of Mr. Toad segment based on parts of The Wind in the Willows (British novel, 1908) by Kenneth Grahame;[16] Ichabod Crane segment based on "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" (American story, 1820) by Washington Irving[16]

Producer: Walt Disney

Notes:[note 1]

12 Cinderella February 15, 1950

Directors: Wilfred Jackson, Hamilton Luske and Clyde Geronimi

Story/Screenplay: William Peed, Erdman Penner, Ted Sears, Winston Hibler, Homer Brightman, Harry Reeves, Ken Anderson and Joe Rinaldi

Based on: "Cinderella" (French fairy tale, 1697) by Charles Perrault[17]

Producer: Walt Disney

13 Alice in Wonderland July 28, 1951

Directors: Clyde Geronimi, Hamilton Luske and Wilfred Jackson

Story/Screenplay: Winston Hibler, Ted Sears, Bill Peet, Erdman Penner, Joe Rinaldi, Milt Banta, William Cottrell, Dick Kelsey, Joe Grant, Dick Huemer, Del Connell, Tom Oreb and John Walbridge

Based on: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass (British novels, 1865–71) by Lewis Carroll[18]

Producer: Walt Disney

Premiere: July 26, 1951

14 Peter Pan February 5, 1953

Directors: Hamilton Luske, Clyde Geronimi and Wilfred Jackson

Story/Screenplay: Ted Sears, Erdman Penner, Bill Peet, Winston Hibler, Joe Rinaldi, Milt Banta, Ralph Wright and William Cottrell

Based on: Peter Pan (British play, 1904) and Peter and Wendy (British novel, 1911) by J. M. Barrie[19]

Producer: Walt Disney

15 Lady and the Tramp June 22, 1955

Directors: Hamilton Luske, Clyde Geronimi and Wilfred Jackson

Story/Screenplay: Erdman Penner, Joe Rinaldi, Ralph Wright and Don DaGradi

Based on: "Happy Dan, the Whistling Dog" (American story, 1924) by Ward Greene[20][21]

Producer: Walt Disney

Premiere: June 16, 1955

Notes:[note 3]

16 Sleeping Beauty January 29, 1959

Supervising Director: Clyde Geronimi

Sequence Directors: Eric Larson, Wolfgang Reitherman and Les Clark

Story/Screenplay: Erdman Penner, Joe Rinaldi, Winston Hibler, Bill Peet, Ted Sears, Ralph Wright and Milt Banta

Based on: "Sleeping Beauty" (French fairy tale, 1697) by Charles Perrault and "Little Briar Rose" (German fairy tale, 1812) by Brothers Grimm[22]

Producer: Walt Disney

Theatrical short: Grand Canyon

Notes:[note 4]

17 One Hundred and One Dalmatians January 25, 1961

Directors: Wolfgang Reitherman, Hamilton Luske and Clyde Geronimi

Story/Screenplay: Bill Peet

Based on: The Hundred and One Dalmatians (British novel, 1956) by Dodie Smith[23]

Producer: Walt Disney

18 The Sword in the Stone December 25, 1963

Director: Wolfgang Reitherman

Story/Screenplay: Bill Peet

Based on: The Sword in the Stone (British novel, 1938) by T. H. White[24]

Producer: Walt Disney

Theatrical short: Lonesome Ghosts

19 The Jungle Book October 18, 1967

Director: Wolfgang Reitherman

Story/Screenplay: Larry Clemmons, Ralph Wright, Ken Anderson and Vance Gerry

Inspired by: The Jungle Book and The Second Jungle Book (British stories, 1894–95) by Rudyard Kipling[25]

Producer: Walt Disney

Theatrical short: Scrooge McDuck and Money

20 The Aristocats December 24, 1970

Director: Wolfgang Reitherman

Story/Screenplay: Larry Clemmons, Vance Gerry, Ken Anderson, Frank Thomas, Eric Cleworth, Julius Svendsen and Ralph Wright

Producers: Wolfgang Reitherman and Winston Hibler

21 Robin Hood November 8, 1973

Director: Wolfgang Reitherman

Story/Screenplay: Larry Clemmons, Ken Anderson, Vance Gerry, Frank Thomas, Eric Cleworth, Julius Svendsen and Dave Michener

Based on: "Robin Hood" (British legend)

Producer: Wolfgang Reitherman

22 The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh March 11, 1977

Directors: Wolfgang Reitherman and John Lounsbery

Story/Screenplay: Larry Clemmons, Ralph Wright, Vance Gerry, Xavier Atencio, Ken Anderson, Julius Svendsen, Ted Berman, Eric Cleworth and Winston Hibler

Based on: Winnie-the-Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner (British storybooks, 1926–28) by A. A. Milne[26]

Producer: Wolfgang Reitherman

Notes:[note 1][note 2]

23 The Rescuers June 22, 1977

Directors: Wolfgang Reitherman, John Lounsbery and Art Stevens

Story/Screenplay: Larry Clemmons, Ken Anderson, Frank Thomas, Vance Gerry, David Michener, Ted Berman, Fred Lucky, Burny Mattinson and Dick Sebast

Based on: The Rescuers and Miss Bianca (British novels, 1959–62) by Margery Sharp[27]

Producer: Wolfgang Reitherman

Theatrical short: Mickey's Christmas Carol (1983 re-release)

24 The Fox and the Hound July 10, 1981

Directors: Art Stevens, Ted Berman and Richard Rich

Story/Screenplay: Larry Clemmons, Ted Berman, David Michener, Peter Young, Burny Mattinson, Steve Hulett, Earl Kress and Vance Gerry

Based on: The Fox and the Hound (American novel, 1967) by Daniel P. Mannix[28]

Producers: Wolfgang Reitherman and Art Stevens

25 The Black Cauldron July 24, 1985

Directors: Ted Berman and Richard Rich

Story/Screenplay: David Jonas, Al Wilson, Vance Gerry, Roy Morita, Ted Berman, Peter Young, Richard Rich, Art Stevens and Joe Hale

Based on: The Chronicles of Prydain (American novels, 1964–68) by Lloyd Alexander[29]

Producer: Joe Hale

Notes:[note 4]

26 The Great Mouse Detective July 2, 1986

Directors: Ron Clements, John Musker, David Michener and Burny Mattinson

Story/Screenplay: Peter Young, Vance Gerry, Steve Hulett, Ron Clements, John Musker, Bruce M. Morris, Matthew O'Callaghan, Burny Mattinson, David Michener and Melvin Shaw

Based on: Basil of Baker Street (American children's books, 1958–82) by Eve Titus[30]

Producer: Burny Mattinson

27 Oliver & Company November 18, 1988

Director: George Scribner

Story: Vance Gerry, Mike Gabriel, Roger Allers, Joe Ranft, Gary Trousdale, Jim Mitchell, Kevin Lima, Chris Bailey, Michael Cedeno, Kirk Wise, Peter Young, David Michener and Leon Joosen

Screenplay: Jim Cox, Timothy J. Disney and James Mangold

Inspired by: Oliver Twist (British novel, 1838) by Charles Dickens[31]

Production Manager: Kathleen Gavin

Premiere: November 13, 1988

28 The Little Mermaid November 17, 1989

Directors: Ron Clements and John Musker

Story/Screenplay: Ron Clements and John Musker

Inspired by: "The Little Mermaid" (Danish fairy tale, 1837) by Hans Christian Andersen[32]

Producers: Howard Ashman and John Musker

Home entertainment short: The Little Matchgirl (2006 DVD release)

Premiere: November 14, 1989

29 The Rescuers Down Under November 16, 1990

Directors: Hendel Butoy and Mike Gabriel

Story: Joe Ranft (story supervisor)

Screenplay: Jim Cox, Karey Kirkpatrick, Byron Simpson and Joe Ranft

Producer: Thomas Schumacher

Theatrical short: The Prince and the Pauper

30 Beauty and the Beast November 22, 1991

Directors: Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise

Story: Roger Allers (story supervisor), Brenda Chapman, Chris Sanders, Burny Mattinson, Kevin Harkey, Brian Pimental, Bruce Woodside, Joe Ranft, Tom Ellery, Kelly Asbury and Robert Lence

Screenplay: Linda Woolverton

Based on: "Beauty and the Beast" (French fairy tale, 1756) by Jeanne-Marie Le Prince de Beaumont[33]

Producer: Don Hahn

Theatrical short: Tangled Ever After (2012 3D re-release)

Premiere: November 13, 1991

Notes:[note 5][note 6]

31 Aladdin November 25, 1992

Directors: Ron Clements and John Musker

Story: Ed Gombert (story supervisor), Burny Mattinson, Roger Allers, Daan Jippes, Kevin Harkey, Sue C. Nichols, Francis Glebas, Darrell Rooney, Larry Leker, James Fujii, Kirk Hanson, Kevin Lima, Rebecca Rees, David S. Smith, Chris Sanders, Brian Pimental and Patrick A. Ventura

Screenplay: Ron Clements, John Musker, Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio

Based on: "Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp" (Arabian fairy tale)

Producers: Ron Clements and John Musker

Co-Producers: Donald W. Ernst and Amy Pell

Premiere: November 11, 1992

32 The Lion King June 24, 1994

Directors: Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff

Story: Brenda Chapman (story supervisor), Burny Mattinson, Barry Johnson, Lorna Cook, Thom Enriquez, Andy Gaskill, Gary Trousdale, Jim Capobianco, Kevin Harkey, Jorgen Klubien, Chris Sanders, Tom Sito, Larry Leker, Joe Ranft, Rick Maki, Ed Gombert, Francis Glebas, and Mark Kausler

Screenplay: Irene Mecchi, Jonathan Roberts, and Linda Woolverton

Inspired by: Hamlet (British play, 1601) by William Shakespeare

Producer: Don Hahn

Premiere: June 15, 1994

Notes:[note 5][note 6]

33 Pocahontas June 23, 1995

Directors: Mike Gabriel and Eric Goldberg

Story: Tom Sito (story supervisor), Glen Keane, Joe Grant, Ralph Zondag, Burny Mattinson, Ed Gombert, Kaan Kalyon, Francis Glebas, Rob Gibbs, Bruce Morris, Todd Kurosawa, Duncan Marjoribanks and Chris Buck

Screenplay: Carl Binder, Susannah Grant and Philip LaZebnik

Based on: life and legend of Pocahontas (1595–1617)

Producer: James Pentecost

Premiere: June 16, 1995

34 The Hunchback of Notre Dame June 21, 1996

Directors: Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise

Story: Will Finn (story supervisor), Tab Murphy, Kevin Harkey, Gaftan Brizzi, Paul Brizzi, Edward Gombert, Brenda Chapman, Jeff Snow, Jim Capobianco, Denis Rich, Burny Mattinson, John Sanford, Kelly Wightman, James Funi, Geefwee Boedoe, Floyd Norman, Francis Glebas, Kirk Hanson, Christine Blum and Sue C. Nichols

Screenplay: Tab Murphy, Irene Mecchi, Bob Tzudiker, Noni White and Jonathan Roberts

Based on: Notre Dame de Paris (French novel, 1831) by Victor Hugo[34]

Producer: Don Hahn

Co-Producer: Roy Conli

Premiere: June 19, 1996

35 Hercules June 27, 1997

Directors: Ron Clements and John Musker

Story: Barry Johnson (story supervisor), Kaan Kalyon, Kelly Wightman, Randy Cartwright, John Ramirez, Jeff Snow, Vance Gerry, Kirk Hanson, Tamara Lusher, Francis Glebas, Mark Kennedy, Bruce Morris, Don Dougherty and Thom Enriquez

Screenplay: Ron Clements, John Musker, Donald McEnery, Bob Shaw and Irene Mecchi

Based on: "Hercules" (Greek myth)

Producers: Alice Dewey, Ron Clements and John Musker

Premiere: June 14, 1997

36 Mulan June 19, 1998

Directors: Barry Cook and Tony Bancroft

Story: Chris Sanders (story supervisor), Dean DeBlois (co-head of story), John Sanford, Chris Williams, Tim Hodge, Julius Aguimatang, Burny Mattinson, Lorna Cook, Barry Johnson, Thom Enriquez, Ed Gombert, Joe Grant and Floyd Norman

Screenplay: Rita Hsiao, Chris Sanders, Philip LaZebnik, Raymond Singer and Eugenia Bostwick-Singer

Based on: "Hua Mulan" (Chinese legend)

Producer: Pam Coats

Premiere: June 5, 1998

37 Tarzan June 18, 1999

Directors: Chris Buck and Kevin Lima

Story: Brian Pimental (story supervisor), Stephen J. Anderson, Mark Kennedy, Carole Holliday, Gaëtan Brizzi, Paul Brizzi, Don Dougherty, Ed Gombert, Randy Haycock, Don Hall, Kevin Harkey, Glen Keane, Burny Mattinson, Frank Nissen, John Norton, Jeff Snow, Michael Surrey, Chris Ure, Mark Walton, Stevie Wermers, Kelly Wightman and John Ramirez

Screenplay: Tab Murphy, Bob Tzudiker and Noni White

Based on: Tarzan of the Apes (American novel, 1914) by Edgar Rice Burroughs[35]

Producer: Bonnie Arnold

Premiere: June 12, 1999

38 Fantasia 2000 December 17, 1999

Directors/Story/Screenplay: See full credits

Based on: The Steadfast Tin Soldier segment based on "The Steadfast Tin Soldier" (Danish fairy tale, 1838) by Hans Christian Andersen[36]

Producer: Donald W. Ernst

IMAX release: January 1, 2000; Wide release: June 16, 2000

Premiere: December 17, 1999

Notes:[note 1][note 2][note 5]

39 Dinosaur May 19, 2000

Directors: Ralph Zondag and Eric Leighton

Story: Thom Enriquez, John Harrison, Robert Nelson Jacobs and Ralph Zondag

Screenplay: John Harrison and Robert Nelson Jacobs, from a earlier version by Walon Green

Producer: Pam Marsden

Co-Producer: Baker Bloodworth

Notes:[note 2]

40 The Emperor's New Groove December 15, 2000

Director: Mark Dindal

Story: Chris Williams and Mark Dindal

Screenplay: David Reynolds

Producer: Randy Fullmer

Premiere: December 10, 2000

41 Atlantis: The Lost Empire June 15, 2001

Directors: Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise

Story: Kirk Wise, Gary Trousdale, Joss Whedon, Bryce Zabel, Jackie Zabel and Tab Murphy

Screenplay: Tab Murphy

Producer: Don Hahn

Premiere: June 3, 2001

42 Lilo & Stitch June 21, 2002

Directors: Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois

Story/Screenplay: Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois

Producer: Clark Spencer

Premiere: June 16, 2002

43 Treasure Planet November 27, 2002

Directors: Ron Clements and John Musker

Story: Ron Clements, John Musker, Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio

Screenplay: Ron Clements, John Musker and Rob Edwards

Based on: Treasure Island (Scottish novel, 1883) by Robert Louis Stevenson[37] and Treasure Island in Outer Space (Italian TV mini-series, 1987) by Renato Castellani[38]

Producers: Ron Clements, John Musker and Roy Conli

Premiere: November 17, 2002

44 Brother Bear November 1, 2003

Directors: Aaron Blaise and Robert Walker

Story/Screenplay: Tab Murphy, Lorne Cameron, David Hoselton, Steve Bencich and Ron J. Friedman

Producers: Igor Khait and Chuck Williams

Premiere: October 24, 2003

45 Home on the Range April 2, 2004

Directors: Will Finn and John Sanford

Story/Screenplay: Will Finn and John Sanford

Producer: Alice Dewey

Home entertainment short: A Dairy Tale

Premiere: March 21, 2004

46 Chicken Little November 4, 2005

Director: Mark Dindal

Story: Mark Dindal and Mark Kennedy

Screenplay: Steve Bencich, Ron J. Friedman and Ron Anderson

Inspired by: "Henny Penny" (traditional folk tale)

Producer: Randy Fullmer

Premiere: October 30, 2005

Notes:[note 6]

47 Meet the Robinsons March 30, 2007

Director: Stephen J. Anderson

Story: Don Hall (head of story)

Screenplay: Jon A. Bernstein, Michelle Spritz and Nathan Greno

Based on: A Day with Wilbur Robinson (American picture book, 1990) by William Joyce[39]

Producer: Dorothy McKim

Theatrical shorts: Working for Peanuts (in 3D) and Boat Builders (in 2D)

Notes:[note 6]

48 Bolt November 21, 2008

Directors: Chris Williams and Byron Howard

Story: Nathan Greno (head of story)

Screenplay: Dan Fogelman and Chris Williams

Producer: Clark Spencer

Theatrical short: Pixar's Tokyo Mater

Home entertainment short: Super Rhino

Notes:[note 6]

49 The Princess and the Frog December 11, 2009

Directors: Ron Clements and John Musker

Story: Ron Clements, John Musker, Greg Erb and Jason Oremland

Screenplay: Ron Clements, John Musker and Rob Edwards

Based on: The Frog Prince (German fairy tale, 1812) by Brothers Grimm, and The Frog Princess (American novel, 2002) by E. D. Baker[40]

Producer: Peter Del Vecho

Premiere: November 25, 2009; Wide release: December 11, 2009

50 Tangled November 24, 2010

Directors: Nathan Greno and Byron Howard

Story: Mark Kennedy (head of story)

Screenplay: Dan Fogelman

Based on: "Rapunzel" (German fairy tale, 1812) by Brothers Grimm[41]

Producer: Roy Conli

Premiere: November 14, 2010; Wide release: November 24, 2010

Notes:[note 6]

51 Winnie the Pooh July 15, 2011

Directors: Stephen J. Anderson and Don Hall

Story/Screenplay: Stephen J. Anderson, Don Hall, Clio Chiang, Don Dougherty, Kendelle Hoyer, Brian Kesinger, Nicole Mitchell and Jeremy Spears

Based on: Winnie-the-Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner (British storybooks, 1926–28) by A. A. Milne[42]

Producers: Peter Del Vecho and Clark Spencer

Theatrical short: The Ballad of Nessie

Premiere: July 10, 2011; Wide release: July 15, 2011

Notes:[note 2]

52 Wreck-It Ralph November 2, 2012

Director: Rich Moore

Story: Rich Moore, Phil Johnston and Jim Reardon

Screenplay: Phil Johnston and Jennifer Lee

Producer: Clark Spencer

Theatrical short: Paperman

Premiere: October 29, 2012; Wide release: November 2, 2012

Notes:[note 6]

53 Frozen November 27, 2013

Directors: Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee

Story: Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee and Shane Morris

Screenplay: Jennifer Lee

Inspired by: "The Snow Queen" (Danish fairy tale, 1845) by Hans Christian Andersen[43]

Producer: Peter Del Vecho

Theatrical short: Get a Horse!

Premiere: November 19, 2013; Wide release: November 27, 2013

Notes:[note 6]

54 Big Hero 6 November 7, 2014

Directors: Don Hall and Chris Williams

Story: Joe Mateo and Paul Briggs (heads of story)

Screenplay: Robert L. Baird, Dan Gerson and Jordan Roberts

Inspired by: "Big Hero 6" (American comic book, 1998–present) by Steven T. Seagle and Duncan Rouleau[44]

Producer: Roy Conli

Theatrical short: Feast

Premiere: October 23, 2014; Wide release: November 7, 2014

Notes:[note 6]

Upcoming[edit]

# Film Release date

55 Zootopia[3] March 4, 2016

Directors: Byron Howard, Rich Moore and Jared Bush

Screenplay: Jared Bush

Producer: Clark Spencer

56 Moana[3] November 23, 2016

Directors: Ron Clements and John Musker

57 Giants March 9, 2018

Director: Nathan Greno

Inspired by: "Jack and the Beanstalk" (British fairy tale)

58 Frozen 2[45] TBA

Directors: Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee

Producer: Peter Del Vecho

Moana[edit]

Ron Clements and John Musker are working on a computer-animated musical film, Moana, set in Polynesia.[46] The film is scheduled to be released on November 23, 2016.[3] It is described as a "mythic adventure set around 2000 years ago and across a series of islands in the South Pacific."[47] The main character is to be Moana Waialiki, a teenage[3] sea-voyaging enthusiast and the only daughter of a chief in a long line of navigators.[47] When her family needs her help, she sets off on an epic journey to find a fabled island.[47][48]During her journey, she teams up with her hero, demigod Maui, and encounters enormous sea creatures, underworlds, demigods and spirits taken from Polynesian mythology.[47][48] The music for the film is to be composed by Mark Mancina[49] and arranged by Dave Metzger.[50] On December 2, 2014, Dwayne Johnson was reportedly in talks to voice the demigod Maui in the film,[51] and was confirmed the next day to be cast in the role and Johnson revealed on Twitter that the film will be a musical.[52][53]

After directing The Princess and the Frog, Clements and Musker started working on an adaptation of Terry Pratchett's Mort,[54] but rights problems prevented them from continuing with the project.[55] To avoid similar problems, they pitched three new ideas, and in 2011 started developing the film based on an original idea.[55]

Moana will be Clements and Musker's first computer-animated film.[46] Although initially rumoured to be made in the hand-drawn/computer-animated technique introduced with Disney's short film Paperman, Musker said that it is "far too early to apply the Paperman hybrid technique to a feature. The Meander digital in-betweening interface still has a host of production issues (including color) that need to be perfected."[46] According to Bleeding Cool, the film will feature a new, painterly style of CG.[54]

Giants[edit]

Nathan Greno (Tangled) is working on Giants, a computer-animated film, loosely based on the fairy tale Jack and the Beanstalk.[56] It will be released on March 9, 2018.[4][5]

Frozen 2[edit]

On March 12, 2015, Disney announced that a sequel to Frozen is in development, and that co-directors Jennifer Lee and Chris Buck and producer Peter Del Vecho would be returning. A release date has not been announced.[45]

Associated productions[edit]

# Title Release date Studio

1 The Reluctant Dragon June 20, 1941 Walt Disney Productions

2 Victory Through Air Power July 17, 1943

3 Song of the South November 12, 1946

4 So Dear to My Heart November 29, 1948

5 Mary Poppins August 27, 1964

6 Bedknobs and Broomsticks October 7, 1971

7 Pete's Dragon November 3, 1977

8 Condorman June 22, 1981

9 Who Framed Roger Rabbit June 22, 1988 Touchstone Pictures and Amblin Entertainment

10 Enchanted November 21, 2007 Walt Disney Pictures

Reception[edit]

Box office grosses and critical reception[edit]

Note: Only the films released since 1985 have their budgets and grosses listed at the moment.[57]

Film Release date Opening Budget Domestic Worldwide RT MC

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs December 21, 1937 $1,488,423 $3,500,000 $7,846,000 98% N/A

Pinocchio February 7, 1940 $1,000,000 $2,289,000 $1,423,046.78 $1,423,046.78 100% N/A

Fantasia November 13, 1940 $960,000 $2,280,000 $1,300,000 $1,300,000 96% N/A

Dumbo October 23, 1941 $950,000 $1,600,000 97% N/A

Bambi August 13, 1942 $1,700,000 $1,640,000 91% N/A

Saludos Amigos February 6, 1943 80% N/A

The Three Caballeros February 3, 1945 87% N/A

Make Mine Music April 20, 1946 67% N/A

Fun and Fancy Free September 27, 1947 67% N/A

Melody Time May 27, 1948 88% N/A

The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad October 5, 1949 92% N/A

Cinderella February 15, 1950 $2,900,000 $85,000,000 97% N/A

Alice in Wonderland July 28, 1951 $3,000,000 $2,400,000 77% N/A

Peter Pan February 5, 1953 $4,000,000 $87,404,651 75% N/A

Lady and the Tramp June 22, 1955 $4,000,000 $93,602,326 89% N/A

Sleeping Beauty January 29, 1959 $6,000,000 $51,600,000 91% N/A

One Hundred and One Dalmatians January 25, 1961 $4,000,000 $144,880,014 $215,880,014 97% N/A

The Sword in the Stone December 25, 1963 $4,000,000 $22,182,353 71% N/A

The Jungle Book October 18, 1967 $4,000,000 $141,843,612 $205,843,612 85% N/A

The Aristocats December 24, 1970 $4,000,000 $55,675,257 66% N/A

Robin Hood November 8, 1973 $1,500,000 $32,056,467 52% N/A

The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh March 11, 1977 92% N/A

The Rescuers June 22, 1977 $1,200,000 $71,215,869 83% N/A

The Fox and the Hound July 10, 1981 $12,000,000 $63,456,988 69% N/A

The Black Cauldron July 24, 1985 $4,180,110 $25,000,000 $21,288,692 55% N/A

The Great Mouse Detective July 2, 1986 $3,220,225 $14,000,000 $38,625,550 81% N/A

Oliver & Company November 18, 1988 $4,022,752 $74,151,346 43% N/A

The Little Mermaid November 17, 1989 $6,031,914 $40,000,000 $111,543,479 $211,343,479 92% N/A

The Rescuers Down Under November 16, 1990 $3,499,819 N/A $27,931,461 $47,431,461 68% N/A

Beauty and the Beast November 22, 1991 $9,624,149 $25,000,000 $218,967,620 $424,967,620 93% N/A

Aladdin November 25, 1992 $19,289,073 $28,000,000 $217,350,219 $504,050,219 94% N/A

The Lion King June 24, 1994 $40,888,194 $45,000,000 $422,783,777 $987,483,777 90% 83

Pocahontas June 23, 1995 $29,531,619 $55,000,000 $141,579,773 $346,079,773 56% 58

The Hunchback of Notre Dame June 21, 1996 $21,037,414 $100,000,000 $100,138,851 $325,338,851 73% N/A

Hercules June 27, 1997 $21,454,451 $85,000,000 $99,112,101 $252,712,101 84% N/A

Mulan June 19, 1998 $22,745,143 $90,000,000 $120,620,254 $304,320,254 86% 71

Tarzan June 18, 1999 $34,221,968 $130,000,000 $171,091,819 $448,191,819 88% 79

Fantasia 2000 December 17, 1999 $2,911,485 $80,000,000 $60,655,420 $90,874,570 82% 59

Dinosaur May 19, 2000 $38,854,851 $127,500,000 $137,748,063 $349,822,765 65% 56

The Emperor's New Groove December 15, 2000 $9,812,302 $100,000,000 $89,302,687 $169,327,687 85% 70

Atlantis: The Lost Empire June 15, 2001 $20,342,105 $120,000,000 $84,056,472 $186,053,725 49% 52

Lilo & Stitch June 21, 2002 $35,260,212 $80,000,000 $145,794,338 $273,144,151 86% 73

Treasure Planet November 27, 2002 $12,083,248 $140,000,000 $38,176,783 $109,578,115 68% 60

Brother Bear November 1, 2003 $19,404,492 N/A $85,336,277 $250,397,798 38% 48

Home on the Range April 2, 2004 $13,880,771 $110,000,000 $50,030,461 $103,951,461 54% 50

Chicken Little November 4, 2005 $40,049,778 $150,000,000 $135,386,665 $314,432,837 36% 48

Meet the Robinsons March 30, 2007 $25,123,781 N/A $97,822,171 $169,333,034 66% 61

Bolt November 21, 2008 $26,223,128 $150,000,000 $114,053,579 $309,979,994 88% 67

The Princess and the Frog December 11, 2009 $24,208,916 $105,000,000 $104,400,899 $267,045,765 85% 73

Tangled November 24, 2010 $48,767,052 $260,000,000 $200,821,936 $591,794,936 90% 71

Winnie the Pooh July 15, 2011 $7,857,076 $30,000,000 $26,692,846 $33,152,846 90% 74

Wreck-It Ralph November 2, 2012 $49,038,712 $165,000,000 $189,422,889 $471,222,889 86% 72

Frozen November 27, 2013 $67,391,326 $150,000,000 $400,738,009 $1,274,219,009 89% 74

Big Hero 6 November 7, 2014 $56,215,889 $165,000,000 $222,412,064 $652,012,064 89% 74

Academy Award wins and nominations[edit]

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)

MUSIC (Scoring) Walt Disney Studio Music Department, Leigh Harline, head of department (Score by Frank Churchill, Leigh Harline and Paul J. Smith) Nominated

SPECIAL AWARD To Walt Disney for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, recognized as a significant screen innovation which has charmed millions and pioneered a great new entertainment field for the motion picture cartoon. Noticeable for the fact that Walt Disney was given a special Oscar trophy with seven smaller Oscars aside. Won

Pinocchio (1940)

MUSIC (Original Score) Leigh Harline, Paul J. Smith, Ned Washington Won

MUSIC (Song) "When You Wish Upon a Star," Music by Leigh Harline; Lyrics by Ned Washington

Fantasia (1940)

SPECIAL AWARD To Walt Disney, William Garity, John N. A. Hawkins and the RCA Manufacturing Company for their outstanding contribution to the advancement of the use of sound in motion pictures through the production of Fantasia. Won

To Leopold Stokowski and his associates for their unique achievement in the creation of a new form of visualized music in Walt Disney's production, Fantasia, thereby widening the scope of the motion picture as entertainment and as an art form.

Dumbo (1941)

MUSIC (Scoring of a Musical Picture) Frank Churchill, Oliver Wallace Won

MUSIC (Song) "Baby Mine," Music by Frank Churchill; Lyrics by Ned Washington Nominated

Bambi (1942)

MUSIC (Music Score of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture) Frank Churchill, Edward H. Plumb Nominated

MUSIC (Song) "Love Is a Song," Music by Frank Churchill; Lyrics by Larry Morey

SOUND RECORDING Walt Disney Studio Sound Department, Sam Slyfield, Sound Director

Saludos Amigos (1943)

MUSIC (Scoring of a Musical Picture) Charles Wolcott, Edward H. Plumb, Paul J. Smith Nominated

MUSIC (Song) "Saludos Amigos," Music by Charles Wolcott; Lyrics by Ned Washington

SOUND RECORDING Walt Disney Studio Sound Department, C. O. Slyfield, Sound Director

The Three Caballeros (1945)

MUSIC (Scoring of a Musical Picture) Charles Wolcott, Edward Plumb, Paul J. Smith Nominated

SOUND RECORDING Walt Disney Studio Sound Department, C. O. Slyfield, Sound Director

Cinderella (1950)

MUSIC (Scoring of a Musical Picture) Oliver Wallace, Paul J. Smith Nominated

MUSIC (Song) "Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo," Music and Lyrics by Mack David, Al Hoffman and Jerry Livingston

SOUND RECORDING Walt Disney Studio Sound Department, C. O. Slyfield, Sound Director

Alice in Wonderland (1951)

MUSIC (Scoring of a Musical Picture) Oliver Wallace Nominated

Sleeping Beauty (1959)

MUSIC (Scoring of a Musical Picture) George Bruns Nominated

The Sword in the Stone (1963)

MUSIC (Score of a Music – Adaptation or Treatment) George Bruns Nominated

The Jungle Book (1967)

MUSIC (Song) "The Bare Necessities," Music and Lyrics by Terry Gilkyson Nominated

Robin Hood (1973)

MUSIC (Song) "Love," Music by George Bruns; Lyrics by Floyd Huddleston Nominated

The Rescuers (1977)

MUSIC (Original Song) "Someone's Waiting for You," Music by Sammy Fain; Lyrics by Carol Connors and Ayn Robbins Nominated

The Little Mermaid (1989)

MUSIC (Original Score) Alan Menken Won

MUSIC (Original Song) "Under the Sea," Music by Alan Menken; Lyrics by Howard Ashman

"Kiss the Girl," Music by Alan Menken; Lyrics by Howard Ashman Nominated

Beauty and the Beast (1991)

MUSIC (Original Score) Alan Menken Won

MUSIC (Original Song) "Beauty and the Beast," Music by Alan Menken; Lyrics by Howard Ashman

"Be Our Guest," Music by Alan Menken; Lyrics by Howard Ashman Nominated

"Belle," Music by Alan Menken; Lyrics by Howard Ashman

BEST PICTURE Don Hahn, Producer

SOUND Terry Porter, Mel Metcalfe, David J. Hudson, Doc Kane

Aladdin (1992)

MUSIC (Original Score) Alan Menken Won

MUSIC (Original Song) "A Whole New World," Music by Alan Menken; Lyrics by Tim Rice

"Friend Like Me," Music by Alan Menken; Lyrics by Howard Ashman Nominated

SOUND Terry Porter, Mel Metcalfe, David J. Hudson, Doc Kane

SOUND EFFECTS EDITING Mark Mangini

The Lion King (1994)

MUSIC (Original Score) Hans Zimmer Won

MUSIC (Original Song) "Can You Feel the Love Tonight," Music by Elton John; Lyrics by Tim Rice

"Circle of Life," Music by Elton John; Lyrics by Tim Rice Nominated

"Hakuna Matata," Music by Elton John; Lyrics by Tim Rice

Pocahontas (1995)

MUSIC (Original Musical or Comedy Score) Music by Alan Menken; Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz; Orchestral Score by Alan Menken Won

MUSIC (Original Song) "Colors of the Wind," Music by Alan Menken; Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz

The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996)

MUSIC (Original Musical or Comedy Score) Music by Alan Menken; Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz; Orchestral Score by Alan Menken Nominated

Hercules (1997)

MUSIC (Original Song) "Go the Distance," Music by Alan Menken; Lyric by David Zippel Nominated

Mulan (1998)

MUSIC (Original Musical or Comedy Score) Music by Matthew Wilder; Lyrics by David Zippel; Orchestral Score by Jerry Goldsmith Nominated

Tarzan (1999)

MUSIC (Original Song) "You'll Be In My Heart," Music and Lyrics by Phil Collins Won

The Emperor's New Groove (2000)

MUSIC (Original Song) "My Funny Friend and Me," Music by Sting and David Hartley; Lyrics by Sting Nominated

Lilo & Stitch (2002)

ANIMATED FEATURE FILM Chris Sanders Nominated

Treasure Planet (2002)

ANIMATED FEATURE FILM Ron Clements Nominated

Brother Bear (2003)

ANIMATED FEATURE FILM Aaron Blaise and Robert Walker Nominated

Bolt (2008)

ANIMATED FEATURE FILM Chris Williams and Byron Howard Nominated

The Princess and the Frog (2009)

ANIMATED FEATURE FILM Ron Clements and John Musker Nominated

MUSIC (Original Song) "Almost There," Music and Lyrics by Randy Newman

"Down in New Orleans," Music and Lyrics by Randy Newman

Tangled (2010)

MUSIC (Original Song) "I See the Light," Music by Alan Menken; Lyrics by Glenn Slater Nominated

Wreck-It Ralph (2012)

ANIMATED FEATURE FILM Rich Moore Nominated

Frozen (2013)

ANIMATED FEATURE FILM Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee and Peter Del Vecho Won

MUSIC (Original Song) "Let It Go," Music by Robert Lopez; Lyrics by Kristen Anderson-Lopez

Big Hero 6 (2014)

ANIMATED FEATURE FILM Don Hall, Chris Williams and Roy Conli Won

Disney's Art of Animation Resort is a resort within Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. It is located where construction on the unfinished half of Disney's Pop Century Resort was started, but later abandoned after the September 11 attacks.

The resort is the first to be built in the complex in over seven years and the fifth to be placed in the value-priced category, along with Disney's All-Star Sports Resort, the All-Star Music Resort, the All-Star Movies Resort, and Disney's Pop Century Resort. Family suites opened on May 31, 2012, and standard rooms opened on September 15, 2012.[1]

Overview[edit]

An incomplete Pop Century Legendary Years building can be seen across the Hourglass Lake. The Generation Gap Bridge would have connected both halves of the resort.

Originally, the land the Art of Animation Resort occupies was planned to be part of Disney's Pop Century Resort as part of the "Legendary Years" section. Several buildings were constructed for these plans, some even to the point of adding decorative details. While one half of Pop Century (the "Classic Years") opened in 2003, the other half was left abandoned following the tourism halt after the September 11 attacks on the United States.[2]

Disney started to prepare the land for the resort in January 2010, and construction began in the summer of that year.[3] At the time of this announcement on May 12, 2010, Disney did not say how much construction is expecting to cost, but it was mentioned that approximately 800 jobs would be produced.[2]

When the "Legendary Years" buildings were first being made, a bridge named the Generation Gap Bridge was constructed to connect both parts of Pop Century and made them accessible to each other. The bridge connects Pop Century to the Finding Nemo section of the Art of Animation Resort.

Theming[edit]

The resort is designed "with families in mind." It features four of Disney's popular character themes: Cars, Finding Nemo, The Lion King, and The Little Mermaid. Much like the other Disney Value Resorts, giant versions of various items are built around the hotel on each of the ten wings, such as a 35-foot (11 m) model of King Triton. In total, there are 1,984 rooms. of which 1,120 are family suites capable of housing up to six people, featuring living rooms and bedrooms. The remaining 864 sport the standard value layout.[3][4] The resort has a total of ten buildings, as well as three themed pools.

Finding Nemo: The Finding Nemo section of the resort is themed with the ocean setting featured in the film, with underwater plant and animal decorations throughout the buildings. This is the first area of the resort, which opened on May 31, 2012.

Cars: The Cars section of the resort is themed like the Cozy Cone Motel that has featured in the film. Resort buildings are themed with the movie's characters, including Lightning McQueen, Sally, Mater, and Luigi and Guido. The second section of the resort opened on June 18, 2012.

The Lion King: The Lion King section of the resort features a "natural" setting, such as that found in the wild. The third section of the resort opened its doors on August 10, 2012.

The Little Mermaid: The Little Mermaid section of the resort is themed with 600 cutout objects on resort balconies. "Under the Sea" decorations are incorporated throughout the section.[5] This section of the resort has exterior walkways, where the other sections have enclosed interior walkways between the rooms. (This section uses a couple of buildings that were originally built for Pop Century's "Legendary Years" section before construction halted, which left them unfinished for years.) It opened on September 15, 2012 as the fourth and final section of the resort.

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