Walt Disney Animation Studios is opening a new facility in Vancouver, which will focus on its growing slate of long-form series work and special projects for Disney+.
The company is currently recruiting talent (Vancouver already has a robust VFX and animation community) and is expected to have an official opening in January. Additional details were not immediately available.
The first project out of the new studio will be the previously-announced Moana series, scheduled to debut on Disney+ in 2024. Osnat Shurer, the Oscar-nominated producer of the feature Moana as well as the recent Raya and the Last Dragon, is producing the series.
Meanwhile Disney is planning growth at the animation studio’s main facility in Burbank, though it didn’t immediately provide details. The Burbank studio will remain the home for feature animation projects as well as additional shorter form series such as the recently announced Baymax and Zootopia+. Story development, storyboarding and production design for all projects will also be based in Burbank.
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“Disney Animation is creating more original storytelling for Disney+, expanding into series for the first time in our history with Iwájú, Tiana, Moana, Baymax and Zootopia+,” said chief creative officer Jennifer Lee.
Amir Nasrabadi will head the Vancouver facility. He most recently served as exec vp and general manager at WildBrain Studios. Previous roles included overseeing Pixar Canada as vp/general manager as well as leadership roles with Illumination and Paramount Animation. His new role at Disney marks a return to the studio, where he previously served in finance.
Said Disney Animation president Clark Spencer: “With Burbank and Vancouver both home to some of the world’s most talented artists and technicians, we believe the storytelling and visual quality created within each location will meet the incredibly high standards we set for ourselves and audiences have come to expect from Disney Animation.”
Disney’s next animated feature, Colombia-set Encanto, includes music by Lin-Manuel Miranda and is slated to open Nov. 24.
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