Walt Disney Feature Animation Florida

Walt Disney Feature Animation Florida

Company type	Subsidiary
Industry	Animation
Founded	May 1989 (1989-05)
Defunct	2004 (2004)
Headquarters	Orlando, Florida , United States
Area served	Worldwide
Key people	Max Howard (founder), Andrew Millstein (senior VP and general manager), David Stainton (president)
Products	Animated feature films and shorts (e.g., Mulan, Lilo & Stitch, Brother Bear)
Parent	Walt Disney Feature Animation / Walt Disney Studios

Walt Disney Feature Animation Florida functioned as a branch of Walt Disney Feature Animation from 1989 until 2004. Situated on the backlot of Disney-MGM Studios, it provided guests the opportunity to watch animators at work via the The Magic of Disney Animation exhibit. The studio was chiefly responsible for animating Mulan (1998), Lilo & Stitch (2002), and Brother Bear (2003).

History

In 1988, Max Howard was tasked with launching Disney’s animation studio in Florida, which commenced operations in May 1989 with an initial staff of 40. The facility initially concentrated on producing shorts and featurettes but expanded swiftly, employing 70 animators by 1990, including seasoned supervising animator Mark Henn. Early work featured the Roller Coaster Rabbit short (1990) and contributions to The Rescuers Down Under (1990) alongside its related featurette, The Prince and the Pauper. The Florida division continued to assist in various Disney animated films. It was officially incorporated on October 7, 1992.

On April 22, 1998, the studio relocated to a new $70 million complex within Disney MGM Studios. Its debut feature film was Mulan, released in June 1998. The corporate entity was dissolved on September 30, 1999. In 2001, Andrew Millstein assumed the role of senior vice president and general manager after transferring from The Secret Lab.

January 2003 saw a corporate restructuring that merged theatrical and animation divisions to better utilize resources and emphasize franchise growth; Feature Animation was integrated under Walt Disney Studios. After completing Brother Bear, the studio reduced its workforce by laying off 50 animators in June 2003. The Florida division's project A Few Good Ghosts (also called My Peoples) was canceled in November 2003. On January 12, 2004, President David Stainton declared the studio’s shutdown.

Following the closure, numerous animators either transferred to the main Disney studio or remained in Orlando to join competing companies or establish new ventures. Eddie Pittman and fifteen former staff members founded Legacy Animation Studios. Animators Travis Blaise, Todd Gilbert, and Matt Gunther launched Magnetic Entertainment. Additionally, former employees created Project Firefly on Universal Studios Florida’s backlot, producing Curious George (2006) for Universal and direct-to-video titles for DisneyToon Studios. Andrew Millstein later headed Circle Seven Animation, Florida’s successor studio focused on Pixar sequel productions.

Filmography

As Primary Producer

Release date	Title	Details
June 15, 1990	Roller Coaster Rabbit	Premiered alongside Dick Tracy
July 17, 1992	Off His Rockers	Accompanied Honey, I Blew Up the Kid
March 12, 1993	Trail Mix-Up	Released with A Far Off Place
June 19, 1998	Mulan
October 30, 1999	Mickey Mouse Works	Episode: How to Haunt a House
October 30, 2000	John Henry
June 21, 2002	Lilo & Stitch
November 1, 2003	Brother Bear

As Animation Support

Release date	Title	Details
November 17, 1989	The Little Mermaid	Handled ink and paint; co-produced with Walt Disney Feature Animation
November 16, 1990	The Prince and the Pauper	10-minute short; co-produced with Walt Disney Feature Animation
	The Rescuers Down Under	10-minute segment; co-produced with Walt Disney Feature Animation
November 22, 1991	Beauty and the Beast	Contributed approximately 10 minutes including portions of Belle and "Be Our Guest"; co-produced with Walt Disney Feature Animation
November 25, 1992	Aladdin	Provided about 10 minutes plus partial animation of Princess Jasmine; co-produced with Walt Disney Feature Animation
June 24, 1994	The Lion King	"I Just Can't Wait to Be King" sequence (~22 minutes); co-produced with Walt Disney Feature Animation
June 23, 1995	Pocahontas	18-minute contribution; co-produced with Walt Disney Feature Animation
June 21, 1996	The Hunchback of Notre Dame	"4-minute segment; collaboration with Walt Disney Feature Animation and Walt Disney Feature Animation France"
June 27, 1997	Hercules	"Provided about 10 minutes; co-production with Walt Disney Feature Animation and Walt Disney Feature Animation France"
June 18, 1999	Tarzan	"Co-produced alongside Walt Disney Feature Animation and Walt Disney Feature Animation France"
January 1, 2000	Fantasia 2000	"Firebird Suite -1919 Version" segment; produced with Walt Disney Feature Animation and Walt Disney Feature Animation France
December 15, 2000	The Emperor's New Groove	Co-production involving Walt Disney Feature Animation and Walt Disney Feature Animation France
June 15, 2001	Atlantis: The Lost Empire	Produced jointly with Walt Disney Feature Animation and Walt Disney Feature Animation France
November 27, 2002	Treasure Planet	Co-produced with Walt Disney Feature Animation and Walt Disney Feature Animation France

External links

• Walt Disney Feature Animation Florida