Walt Disney Feature Animation Florida was a division of Walt Disney Feature Animation that operated from 1989 to 2005. Its offices were located on the backlot of the Disney-MGM Studios theme park and visitors were allowed to tour the studio in The Magic of Disney Animation attraction to observe animators at work from behind glass-paneled overhead breezeways. The division had primarily animated The Little Mermaid (1989), Beauty and the Beast (1991), Aladdin (1992), The Rescuers Down Under (1990), The Lion King (1994) Mulan (1998), Lilo & Stitch (2002) and Brother Bear (2003).
History Walt Disney Animation placed Max Howard in charge of starting up its Florida animation studio in 1988.Storyboard / The Art of Laughter, August 1991, Volume 2, Number 4. Page 7. via Chronology of the Walt Disney Company . Retrieved on October 8, 2015. Walt Disney Feature Animation Florida began operations on May 1, 1989 with 40 employees. The division was originally planned to work on featurettes and shorts that they could do on its own. 70 animators including Disney veteran supervising animator Mark Henn were hired by 1990. After doing its first work, the Roger Rabbit short, Roller Coaster Rabbit (1990), the division was enlisted to help finish The Rescuers Down Under (1990) and work on its companion featurette, The Prince and the Pauper. In the years to come, the Florida unit would continue to make contributions to several of Disney's animated features.Disney/MGM's 'The Magic of Animation' Building | Cartoon Research On October 7, 1992, the Florida unit was incorporated. On April 22, 1998, Walt Disney Feature Animation Florida moved to a new $70 million facility at the Disney-MGM Studios. source: Eyes & Ears, April 30, 1998, Volume 28, Number 18. Page 3. In June 1998, the Florida division's first feature film, Mulan, was released. The unit continued as a division with its corporate form was merged out on September 30, 1999. Andrew Millstein took charge of the division as senior vice president and general manager of production in 2001 transferring in from The Secret Lab.
In January 2003, Disney initiated a reorganization of its theatrical and animation units to improve resource usage and continued focus on new characters and franchise development. Additionally, Feature Animation was transferred under the Walt Disney Studios in January 2003. In June 2003, 50 animators were laid off after Brother Bear finished up production. The division was developing A Few Good Ghosts (also known as My Peoples) until it was canceled on November 15, 2003. On January 12, 2004, Disney Feature Animation President David Stainton announced the shut down of Walt Disney Feature Animation Florida.
Some laid-off animators were offered transfers to the main studio while most chose to stay in Orlando or were recruited to work for rival animation studios. Other animators created their own startup studios. Legacy Animation Studios was formed by Eddie Pittman along with 15 artists previously laid off from the company. Laid off animators Travis Blaise, Todd Gilbert and Matt Gunther formed their own company, Magnetic Entertainment. Some were also recruited by schools such as Digipen Institute of Technology and hiring the likes of Jazno Francoeur, Dan Daly, Antony De Fato, Peter Moherle, Pamela Mathues, Richard Morgan, Chris Poplin, Travis Blaise, Geraldine Kovats and Woody Woodman, who would each spend some time teaching at DigiPen.
Project Firefly, now Premise Entertainment,‘Drawing Magic’ at the History Center offers a look at how cinematic magic was once made in Orlando was set up on Universal Studios Florida's backlot by former employees Paulo Alvarado, Gregg Azzopardi, Dominic Carola, John Webber and Glen Gagnon, and worked on Curious George (2006) for Universal, alongside two direct to videos for DisneyToon Studios; Pooh's Heffalump Halloween Movie (2005) and Brother Bear 2 (2006), Farm Force (2005), a short/pilot as an internal project, and Disney's The Princess and the Frog (2009).Disney Orlando Animators Start Project FireflyMind Your Business: Partnering on 'Princess and the Frog' Millstein was tapped to head up Florida's replacement and Pixar sequel division, Circle Seven Animation.
Filmography As Sole Producer Release dateTitleNotes June 15, 1990Roller Coaster RabbitReleased with Dick Tracy July 17, 1992Off His RockersReleased with Honey, I Blew Up the Kid March 12, 1993Trail Mix-UpReleased with A Far Off Place June 19, 1998Mulan October 30, 1999Mickey Mouse WorksHow to Haunt a House October 30, 2000John Henry June 21, 2002Lilo & Stitch November 1, 2003Brother Bear
As Animation Service Release dateTitleNotes November 17, 1989The Little MermaidInk and paintCo-produced with Walt Disney Feature Animation November 16, 1990The Prince and the Pauper10 minutesCo-produced with Walt Disney Feature Animation The Rescuers Down Under10 minutesCo-produced with Walt Disney Feature Animation November 22, 1991Beauty and the Beast10 minutes including partial animation of Belle and the "Be Our Guest" sequence Co-produced with Walt Disney Feature Animation November 25, 1992Aladdin10 minutes and the partial animation of Princess Jasmine Co-produced with Walt Disney Feature Animation June 24, 1994The Lion King22 minutes including the "I Just Can't Wait to Be King" sequence Co-produced with Walt Disney Feature Animation June 23, 1995Pocahontas18 minutes Co-produced with Walt Disney Feature Animation June 21, 1996The Hunchback of Notre Dame4 minutesCo-produced with Walt Disney Feature Animation and Walt Disney Feature Animation France June 27, 1997Hercules10 minutesCo-produced with Walt Disney Feature Animation and Walt Disney Feature Animation France June 18, 1999TarzanCo-produced with Walt Disney Feature Animation and Walt Disney Feature Animation France January 1, 2000Fantasia 2000"Firebird Suite—1919 Version" SegmentCo-produced with Walt Disney Feature Animation and Walt Disney Feature Animation France December 15, 2000The Emperor's New GrooveCo-produced with Walt Disney Feature Animation and Walt Disney Feature Animation France June 15, 2001Atlantis: The Lost Empire Co-produced with Walt Disney Feature Animation and Walt Disney Feature Animation France September 3, 2002Mickey's House of Villains "How to Haunt a House" SegmentCo-produced with Walt Disney Television Animation, Toon City Animation, and Walt Disney Television Animation (Australia) November 27, 2002Treasure PlanetCo-produced with Walt Disney Feature Animation and Walt Disney Feature Animation France
References
External links Walt Disney Feature Animation Florida