Walt Disney Animation Studios

Walt Disney Animation Studios is an American animation studio headquartered in Burbank, California. It was started on October 16, 1923 under the name, Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio. In 1929, it was renamed Walt Disney Productions. On February 2, 1986, after Disney had moved into making mostly live-action movies, it was re-established as Walt Disney Feature Animation, taking on its current name in 2007. It has been known for making animated feature movies in association with Walt Disney Pictures.

Walt Disney Animation Studios

The studio's headquarters at the Roy E. Disney Animation Building in Burbank in 2007
Formerly	Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio (1923–26) Walt Disney Studio (1926–29) Walt Disney Productions (1929–86) Walt Disney Feature Animation (1986–2007)
Company type	Division
Industry	Motion pictures Animation
Predecessor	Laugh-O-Gram Studio
Founded	October 16, 1923 (1923-10-16) (first incarnation) February 6, 1986 (1986-02-06) (second incarnation)
Founders	Walt Disney Roy O. Disney
Defunct	February 6, 1986 (1986-02-06) (first incarnation)
Fate	Split into 2 divisions (first incarnation)
Headquarters	2100 West Riverside Drive, Burbank, California , U.S.
Key people	Clark Spencer (president) Jennifer Lee (CCO)
Products	Animated films Animated series
Owner	The Walt Disney Company
Parent	Walt Disney Studios
Website	disneyanimation.com
Footnotes / references

Locations

Walt Disney Animation Studios is headquartered in the Sorcerer's Hat building which was completed in 1995. It is in Burbank, California close to Walt Disney Studios. The Walt Disney Studios where its original animated studio was located. Satellite studios were around the world in locations like Paris, France, Tokyo, Japan and even at Disney's Hollywood Studios, one of the four theme parks in Walt Disney World, Florida. They were all closed down by 2004 and December 24, 2022 because the 2D movies which the satellite studios made were unsuccessful what

Characters

List of Disney characters

Filmography

This list includes the movies made by Walt Disney Animation Studios; originally Walt Disney Productions (1937–1985) and Walt Disney Feature Animation (1986–2007).

Released movies

Movie	U.S. release date	Directed by	Written by	Based on/Inspired by	Produced by	Composed by
as Walt Disney Productions
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs	December 21, 1937	Supervising direction by : David Hand Sequence direction by : William Cottrell, Wilfred Jackson, Larry Morey, Perce Pearce & Ben Sharpsteen	Dorothy Ann Blank, Richard Creedon, Merrill De Maris, Otto Englander, Earl Hurd, Dick Rickard, Ted Sears & Webb Smith	"Snow White" by Brothers Grimm	Walt Disney	Frank Churchill, Paul Smith & Leigh Harline
Pinocchio	February 7, 1940	Supervising direction by : Hamilton Luske & Ben Sharpsteen Sequence direction by : Norman Ferguson, Jack Kinney, Wilfred Jackson, T. Hee & Bill Roberts	Aurelius Battaglia, Billy Cottrell, Otto Englander, Erdman Penner, Joseph Sabo, Ted Sears & Webb Smith	The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi		Leigh Harline & Paul Smith
Fantasia	November 13, 1940	See credits	Joe Grant & Dick Huemer	"The Sorcerer's Apprentice" by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe inter alia	Walt Disney & Ben Sharpsteen	Leopold Stokowski
Dumbo	October 23, 1941	Supervising Director: Ben Sharpsteen Sequence Directors: Samuel Armstrong, Norman Ferguson Wilfred Jackson Jack Kinney Bill Roberts		Dumbo, the Flying Elephant by Helen Aberson and Harold Pearl	Walt Disney	Frank Churchill and Oliver Wallace
Bambi	August 13, 1942	Supervising Director: David Hand Sequence Directors: James Algar Samuel Armstrong Graham Heid Bill Roberts Paul Satterfield Norman Wright	Chuck Couch, Carl Fallberg, Larry Morey, Mel Shaw, Vernon Stallings & Ralph Wright	Bambi, a Life in the Woods by Felix Salten		Frank Churchill and Edward H. Plumb
Saludos Amigos	February 6, 1943	Norm Ferguson Wilfred Jackson Jack Kinney Hamilton Luske Bill Roberts	Homer Brightman, Joe Grant, Dick Huemer, Harold Reeves, Roy Williams & Ralph Wright	original		Paul Smith and Edward H. Plumb
The Three Caballeros	February 3, 1945	Supervising Director: Norm Ferguson Sequence Directors: Clyde Geronimi Jack Kinney Bill Roberts Harold Young	James Bodrero, Homer Brightman, Del Connell, Billy Cottrell, Bill Peet, Elmer Plummer, Ted Sears, Ernest Terrazas, Roy Williams & Ralph Wright			Edward H. Plumb, Paul Smith and Charles Wolcott
Make Mine Music	April 20, 1946	Clyde Geronimi Jack Kinney Hamilton Luske Joshua Meador Robert Cormack	James Bodrero, Homer Brightman, Erwin Graham, Eric Gurney, T. Hee, Sylvia Holland, Dick Huemer, Dick Kelsey, Dick Kinney, Jesse Marsh, Tom Oreb, Cap Palmer, Erdman Penner, Dick Shaw, John Walbridge & Roy Williams	"Casey at the Bat" by Ernest Thayer & Peter and the Wolf by Sergei Prokofiev inter alia		Eliot Daniel, Ken Darby, Charles Wolcott, Oliver Wallace and Edward H. Plumb
Fun and Fancy Free	September 27, 1947	Jack Kinney Hamilton Luske William Morgan Bill Roberts	Homer Brightman, Eldon Dedini, Lance Nolley, Tom Oreb, Harry Reeves & Ted Sears	"Little Bear Bongo" by Sinclair Lewis & "Jack and the Beanstalk" by Benjamin Tabart		Oliver Wallace, Paul Smith, Eliot Daniel and Charles Wolcott
Melody Time	May 27, 1948	Clyde Geronimi Wilfred Jackson Jack Kinney Hamilton Luske	Ken Anderson, Homer Brightman, Billy Cottrell, Winston Hibler, Jesse Marsh, Bob Moore, Erdman Penner, Harry Reeves, Joe Rinaldi, Ted Sears, Art Scott & John Walbridge	The life of Johnny Appleseed, Little Toot by Hardie Gramatky, "Trees" by Joyce Kilmer & Pecos Bill		Eliot Daniel, Paul Smith and Ken Darby
The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad	October 5, 1949	James Algar Clyde Geronimi Jack Kinney	Homer Brightman, Winston Hibler, Erdman Penner, Harry Reeves, Joe Rinaldi & Ted Sears	The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" by Washington Irving		Oliver Wallace
Cinderella	February 15, 1950	Clyde Geronimi Wilfred Jackson Hamilton Luske	Ken Anderson, Homer Brightman, Winston Hibler, Bill Peet, Erdman Penner, Harry Reeves, Joe Rinaldi & Ted Sears	"Cinderella" by Charles Perrault
Alice in Wonderland	July 28, 1951		Milt Banta, Del Connell, Billy Cottrell, Joe Grant, Winston Hibler, Dick Huemer, Dick Kelsey, Tom Oreb, Bill Peet, Erdman Penner, Joe Rinaldi, Ted Sears & John Walbridge	Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll
Peter Pan	February 5, 1953		Milt Banta, Billy Cottrell, Winston Hibler, Bill Peet, Erdman Penner, Joe Rinaldi, Ted Sears & Ralph Wright	Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie
Lady and the Tramp	June 22, 1955		Don DaGradi Erdman Penner Joe Rinaldi Ralph Wright	Happy Dan, the Cynical Dog & Lady and the Tramp: The Story of Two Dogs by Ward Greene
Sleeping Beauty	January 29, 1959	Supervising Director: Clyde Geronimi Sequence Directors: Les Clark Eric Larson Wolfgang Reitherman	Erdman Penner, Joe Rinaldi, Winston Hibler, Bill Peet, Ted Sears, Ralph Wright & Milt Banta	"Sleeping Beauty" by Charles Perrault, "Little Briar Rose" by Brothers Grimm & The Sleeping Beauty by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky		George Bruns
One Hundred and One Dalmatians	January 25, 1961	Clyde Geronimi Hamilton Luske Wolfgang Reitherman	Bill Peet	The Hundred and One Dalmatians by Dodie Smith
The Sword in the Stone	December 25, 1963	Wolfgang Reitherman		The Sword in the Stone by T. H. White
The Jungle Book	October 18, 1967		Ken Anderson, Larry Clemmons, Vance Gerry & Ralph Wright	the Mowgli stories from The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling
The Aristocats	December 24, 1970		Ken Anderson, Larry Clemmons, Eric Cleworth, Vance Gerry, Julius Svendsen, Frank Thomas & Ralph Wright	original	Winston Hibler & Reitherman
Robin Hood	November 8, 1973		Ken Anderson, Larry Clemmons, Eric Cleworth, Vance Gerry, Dave Michener, Julius Svendsen & Frank Thomas	The legend of Robin Hood	Reitherman
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh	March 11, 1977	John Lounsbery Wolfgang Reitherman	Ken Anderson, X Atencio, Ted Berman, Larry Clemmons, Eric Cleworth, Vance Gerry, Winston Hibler, Julius Svendsen & Ralph Wright	Winnie-the-Pooh book series by A. A. Milne	Walt Disney & Reitherman	Buddy Baker
The Rescuers	June 22, 1977	John Lounsbery Wolfgang Reitherman Art Stevens	Ken Anderson, Ted Berman, Larry Clemmons, Vance Gerry, Fred Lucky, Burny Mattinson, David Michener, Dick Sebast & Frank Thomas	The Rescuers book series by Margery Sharp	Reitherman and Ron W. Miller	Artie Butler
The Fox and the Hound	July 10, 1981	Ted Berman Richard Rich Art Stevens	Berman, Larry Clemmons, Vance Gerry, Steve Hulett, Earl Kress, Burny Mattinson, David Michener & Peter Young	The Fox and the Hound by Daniel P. Mannix	Ron W. Miller, Wolfgang Reitherman & Stevens	Buddy Baker
The Black Cauldron	July 24, 1985	Ted Berman Richard Rich	Berman, Vance Gerry, Joe Hale, David Jonas, Roy Morita, Rich, Art Stevens, Al Wilson & Peter Young	The Chronicles of Prydain book series by Lloyd Alexander	Joe Hale & Ron W. Miller	Elmer Bernstein
as Walt Disney Feature Animation
The Great Mouse Detective	July 2, 1986	Ron Clements Burny Mattinson David Michener John Musker	Clements, Vance Gerry, Steve Hulett, Mattinson, Michener, Bruce M. Morris, Musker, Matthew O'Callaghan, Melvin Shaw & Peter Young	Basil of Baker Street book series by Eve Titus	Mattinson	Henry Mancini
Oliver & Company	November 18, 1988	George Scribner	Jim Cox, Timothy J. Disney & James Mangold	Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens	Kathleen Gavin (uncredited)	J. A. C. Redford
The Little Mermaid	November 17, 1989	John Musker Ron Clements		"The Little Mermaid" by Hans Christian Andersen	Howard Ashman & Musker	Alan Menken
The Rescuers Down Under	November 16, 1990	Hendel Butoy Mike Gabriel	Jim Cox, Karey Kirkpatrick, Byron Sampson & Joe Ranft	The Rescuers book series by Margery Sharp	Thomas Schumacher	Bruce Broughton
Beauty and the Beast	November 22, 1991	Gary Trousdale Kirk Wise	Linda Woolverton	"Beauty and the Beast" by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont	Don Hahn	Alan Menken
Aladdin	November 25, 1992	John Musker Ron Clements	Clements, Musker, Ted Elliott & Terry Rossio	"Aladdin and the Magic Lamp" from One Thousand and One Nights	Musker & Clements
The Lion King	June 24, 1994	Roger Allers Rob Minkoff	Irene Mecchi, Jonathan Roberts & Linda Woolverton	original (loosely inspired by Hamlet by William Shakespeare)	Don Hahn	Hans Zimmer
Pocahontas	June 23, 1995	Mike Gabriel Eric Goldberg	Carl Binder, Susannah Grant & Philip LaZebnik	The lives of Pocahontas and John Smith	James Pentecost	Alan Menken
The Hunchback of Notre Dame	June 21, 1996	Gary Trousdale Kirk Wise	Screenplay: Tab Murphy, Irene Mecchi, Bob Tzudiker, Noni White & Jonathan Roberts Story: Murphy	Notre Dame de Paris by Victor Hugo	Don Hahn
Hercules	June 27, 1997	John Musker Ron Clements	Clements, Musker, Donald McEnery, Bob Shaw & Irene Mecchi	The Greek myth of Heracles	Alice Dewey, Musker & Clements
Mulan	June 19, 1998	Barry Cook Tony Bancroft	Screenplay: Rita Hsiao, Chris Sanders, Philip LaZebnik, Raymond Singer & Eugenia Bostwick-Singer Story: Robert D. San Souci	Ballad of Mulan by Guo Maoqian	Pam Coats	Jerry Goldsmith
Tarzan	June 18, 1999	Kevin Lima Chris Buck	Tab Murphy, Bob Tzudiker & Noni White	Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs	Bonnie Arnold	Mark Mancina
Fantasia 2000	January 1, 2000	Don Hahn Eric Goldberg Francis Glebas Hendel Butoy James Algar Pixote Hunt The Brizzi Brothers	Screenplay: David Reynolds, Don Dougherty, Hahn, Goldberg, Irene Mecchi and The Brizzi Brothers Story: Carl Fallberg, Dougherty, Goldberg, James Capobianco, James Fujii, Kirk Hanson, Pat Ventura, Perce Pearce, Rob Gibbs, Ron Meurin, Stevie Wermers, Terry Naughton, Todd Kurosawa and The Brizzi Brothers	"The Steadfast Tin Soldier" by Hans Christian Andersen and "Noah's Ark"	Donald W. Ernst and Roy E. Disney	James Levine
Dinosaur	May 19, 2000	Eric Leighton Ralph Zondag	Screenplay: John Hanson, Robert Nelson Jacobs and Walon Green Story: Hanson, Zondag, Jacobs, Thom Enriquez and Green	original	Pam Marsden	James Newton Howard
The Emperor's New Groove	December 15, 2000	Mark Dindal	Screenplay: David Reynolds Story: Chris Williams & Dindal	original	Randy Fullmer	John Debney
Atlantis: The Lost Empire	June 15, 2001	Gary Trousdale Kirk Wise	Screenplay: Tab Murphy Story: Wise, Trousdale, Joss Whedon, Bryce, Jackie Zabel & Murphy	The legend of Atlantis	Don Hahn	James Newton Howard
Lilo & Stitch	June 21, 2002	Chris Sanders Dean DeBlois		original	Clark Spencer	Alan Silvestri
Treasure Planet	November 27, 2002	John Musker Ron Clements	Screenplay: Clements, Musker & Rob Edwards Story: Clements, Musker, Ted Elliott & Terry Rossio	Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson	Roy Conli, Musker & Clements	James Newton Howard
Brother Bear	November 1, 2003	Aaron Blaise Robert Walker	Tab Murphy, Lorne Cameron, David Hoselton, Steve Bencich & Ron J. Friedman	original	Chuck Williams	Mark Mancina
Home on the Range	April 2, 2004	Will Finn John Sanford	Screenplay: Finn & Sanford Story: Finn, Sanford, Michael LaBash, Sam Levine, Mark Kennedy & Robert Lence		Alice Dewey Goldstone	Alan Menken
Chicken Little	November 4, 2005	Mark Dindal	Screenplay: Steve Bencich, Ron J. Friedman & Ron Anderson Story: Dindal & Mark Kennedy	"Henny Penny"	Randy Fullmer	John Debney
as Walt Disney Animation Studios
Meet the Robinsons	March 30, 2007	Stephen J. Anderson	Jon A. Bernstein, Michelle Spritz, Don Hall, Nathan Greno, Aurian Redson, Joe Mateo & Anderson	A Day with Wilbur Robinson by William Joyce	Dorothy McKim	Danny Elfman
Bolt	November 21, 2008	Chris Williams Byron Howard	Dan Fogelman & Williams	original	Clark Spencer	John Powell
The Princess and the Frog	December 11, 2009	John Musker Ron Clements	Screenplay: Clements, Musker & Rob Edwards Story: Clements, Musker, Greg Erb, & Jason Oremland	The Frog Princess by E. D. Baker & "The Frog Prince" by Brothers Grimm	Peter Del Vecho	Randy Newman
Tangled	November 24, 2010	Nathan Greno Byron Howard	Dan Fogelman	"Rapunzel" by Brothers Grimm	Roy Conli	Alan Menken
Winnie the Pooh	July 15, 2011	Stephen J. Anderson Don Hall	Anderson, Clio Chiang, Don Dougherty, Hall, Kendelle Hoyer, Brian Kesinger, Nicole Mitchell & Jeremy Spears	—	Peter Del Vecho & Clark Spencer	Henry Jackman
Wreck-It Ralph	November 2, 2012	Rich Moore	Screenplay: Phil Johnston & Jennifer Lee Story: Moore, Johnston & Jim Reardon	original	Clark Spencer
Frozen	November 27, 2013	Chris Buck Jennifer Lee	Screenplay: Lee Story: Buck, Lee & Shane Morris	original (loosely inspired by "The Snow Queen" by Hans Christian Andersen)	Peter Del Vecho	Christophe Beck
Big Hero 6	November 7, 2014	Don Hall Chris Williams	Robert L. Baird, Dan Gerson & Jordan Roberts	Big Hero 6 by Man of Action	Roy Conli	Henry Jackman
Zootopia	March 4, 2016	Byron Howard Rich Moore Co-director: Jared Bush	Screenplay: Bush & Phil Johnston Story: Howard, Moore, Bush, Jim Reardon, Josie Trinidad, Johnston & Jennifer Lee	original	Clark Spencer	Michael Giacchino
Moana	November 23, 2016	John Musker Ron Clements Co-directors: Chris Williams Don Hall	Screenplay: Jared Bush Story: Clements, Musker, Williams, Hall, Pamela Ribon, Aaron & Jordan Kandell	original (inspired by the Hawaiian myth of Māui)	Osnat Shurer	Mark Mancina
Ralph Breaks the Internet	November 21, 2018	Rich Moore Phil Johnston	Screenplay: Johnston & Pamela Ribon Story: Moore, Johnston, Jim Reardon, Ribon & Josie Trinidad	—	Clark Spencer	Henry Jackman
Frozen II	November 22, 2019	Chris Buck Jennifer Lee	Screenplay: Lee Story: Buck, Lee, Marc E. Smith, Kristen Anderson-Lopez & Robert Lopez		Peter Del Vecho	Christophe Beck
Raya and the Last Dragon	March 5, 2021	Don Hall Carlos López Estrada Co-directors: Paul Briggs John Ripa	Screenplay: Qui Nguyen & Adele Lim Story: Briggs, Hall, Lim, López Estrada, Kiel Murray, Nguyen, Ripa & Dean Wellins	original (inspired by Nāga Southeast Asian mythology)	Osnat Shurer & Peter Del Vecho	James Newton Howard
Encanto	November 24, 2021	Jared Bush Byron Howard Co-director: Charise Castro Smith	Screenplay: Smith & Bush Story: Bush, Howard, Smith, Jason Hand, Nancy Kruse & Lin-Manuel Miranda	original	Yvett Merino & Clark Spencer	Germaine Franco
Strange World	November 23, 2022	Don Hall Co-director: Qui Nguyen	Nguyen		Roy Conli	Henry Jackman
Wish	November 22, 2023	Chris Buck Fawn Veerasunthorn	Screenplay: Jennifer Lee & Allison Moore Story: Lee, Buck, Veerasunthorn & Moore		Peter Del Vecho & Juan Pablo Reyes	David Metzger

Upcoming films

See also: Upcoming Disney theatrical animated features

Film	Release date	Directed by	Written by	Based on/Inspired by	Produced by	Composed by
Moana 2	November 27, 2024	David G. Derrick Jr.		—	Osnat Shurer	Mark Mancina
Zootopia 2	November 26, 2025	Jared Bush Co-director: Josie Trinidad	Jared Bush		Brad Simonsen	TBA

Achievements

The animation studio is noted for creating a number of now-standard innovations in the animation industry, including:

• The multiplane camera (for Snow White, but first used in the Academy-award winning short "The Old Mill")
• The realistic animation of special effects and human characters (for Snow White)
• Advanced composition processes to combine live-action and animated elements using color film (for The Three Caballeros)
• The use of xerography in animation to transfer drawings to cels as opposed to ink-tracing (developed for 101 Dalmatians, but first tested in a few scenes in Sleeping Beauty and first fully used in the Academy-award nominated short Goliath II)
• The use of all-digital methods for painting, compositing, and recording animated features using the CAPS (Computer Animation Production System)

Among its significant achievements are:

• The first animated feature in Technicolor (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs)
• The first major motion picture in stereophonic sound (Fantasia), otherwise known as Fantasound.
• The first animated feature in CinemaScope (Lady and the Tramp)
• The first large format animated movie (the 70 mm Sleeping Beauty)
• The first Disney animated feature to use computer-generated imagery (The Black Cauldron)
• The first Disney animated feature making heavy use of CGI computer animation (Oliver & Company)
• The first Disney animated feature to use digital coloring (The Little Mermaid, which introduced Disney's CAPS process)
• The first feature movie to be shot using a 100% digital process (The Rescuers Down Under, CAPS)
• The first animated feature to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture, and the only nominee for Best Picture to be traditionally-animated (Beauty and the Beast)
• The first Disney animated feature to gross $200 million, and the highest-grossing movie of 1992 (Aladdin)
• The highest grossing traditionally-animated (or hand-drawn) movie of all time (The Lion King)
• The largest movie premiere with over 100,000 viewers (Pocahontas)
• The most expensive animated movie ever made costing $260 million (Tangled)
• The highest number of original characters ever created for an animated movie (188 characters) (Wreck-It Ralph)

Documentary movies about Disney animation

• A Trip Through the Walt Disney Studios (1937, short)
• The Reluctant Dragon (1941, a staged "mockumentary")
• Frank and Ollie (1995)
• Dream On Silly Dreamer (2005)
• Waking Sleeping Beauty (2010)

Related pages

• The Walt Disney Company
• Disney's Nine Old Men
• Pixar
• Blue Sky Studios
• 20th Century Animation
• Disney Television Animation

References

Notes