Disney Close Down DisneyToon Studios

[ZariusTwo]

The days of Fairies and planes have just flown by

On the heels of Pete Docter and Jennifer Lee succeeding John Lasseter as chief creative officers at Pixar and Disney, Disney will now close its third animation studio, the Glendale-based Disneytoon Studios, effective immediately.

Disneytoon was best known for the “Disney Fairies” home entertainment and “Planes” theatrical franchises under Lasseter’s leadership, with Meredith Roberts serving as senior vice president and general manager since 2008. There will be layoffs of 75 animators and staff, and it is unclear if any will be transitioned to either Disney or Pixar.

“After much consideration, we have made the decision to end production activity and close Disneytoon Studios,” said a Disney spokesperson. The move had been in the works and is unrelated to the promotions of Docter and Lee. An untitled feature about the future of aviation from Klay Hall (“Planes”) and Bobs Gannaway (“Planes: Fire & Rescue”) was removed from the theatrical release schedule for March 2019, and is no longer in development.

https://www.indiewire.com/2018/06/disneytoon-studios-shuts-down-disney-glendale-1201979736/

[drgon78]

That is a shame, I actually really liked the Disney Faeries animated movies. Too bad they never made any Tinkerbell movies that let her meet Peter Pan or show some of the other things found in Neverland like mermaids.

[NinjaPug]

I figured this studio would be a big contributor to Disney's streaming service

[oldmanwinters]

I figured this studio would be a big contributor to Disney's streaming service

Yeah, studios always need somebody to church out high quantity episodic shows on a reduced budget. Or at least that's what I thought.

[ranger_scout]

This really shouldn't come as a surprise because they haven't released a film since Tinker Bell and the Legend of the NeverBeast. For me, their work on both A Goofy Movie and An Extremely Goofy Movie was probably their main highlight. I don't think a third film will ever happen. However, the people at Walt Disney Animation Studios could probably do it anyway.

May years before Gnomeo and Juliet was released, The Lion King II: Simba's Pride was probably the first film inspired by William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet to have a happy ending. The Lion King 1 1/2 also had a neat twist by having the story told from Timon and Pumba's point of view. Plus, we got to see their backstories.

The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning created a major continuity error from the 90's TV series. In the TV show, Ariel first met Flounder when they were both very young. That movie, however, shows their first meeting when Ariel is practically 16. It was nice to briefly see who Ariel's mother, Queen Athena, was and whatever happened to her. Jodi Benson should obviously play her in the upcoming live-action adaptation of the original. It's also funny how five years later another prequel, Monsters University, changed the way two best friends had originally met.

[Sumac]

I hate this kind of continuity errors.