Disney to Move Animation Studios Back to Burbank Lot

The Walt Disney Co.’s prestigious animation studios, which have been situated outside its Burbank headquarters since 1986, will return to the 44-acre lot under the first phase of the studio’s planned $600-million expansion announced Tuesday.

The new 240,000-square-foot feature animation studio will accommodate about 600 artists and spearhead the company’s drive to re-establish the “college-type” atmosphere envisioned by Walt Disney, said Alan Epstein, vice president of Disney Development Co.

The animation division is now in six separate buildings in Glendale, he said.

“We’re very excited about this,” Epstein said. “This goes back to what Disney is all about. Animation is the lifeblood of the company.”

Classic Disney animated films include “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” “Pinocchio,” “Fantasia,” “Cinderella,” “The Little Mermaid,” “Sleeping Beauty,” “Dumbo” and “Bambi.”

The studio’s recent “Beauty and the Beast” became the first animated film in history to be nominated for a Best Picture Oscar and scored two 1991 Academy Awards for best song and best original score.

The studio’s expansion is still under consideration by the Burbank City Council, which must give final approval for the plan. The studio wants to build four to six sound stages, an employee center, a casting building, production facilities and a creative arts center.

The feature animation studios were moved off the Burbank lot in 1986 to make room for the growth of other Disney departments, said Peter Schneider, president of Disney Feature Animation.

“The consolidation of the artists will just make it so much easier,” Schneider said. “Also, it’s the desire of all the artists to be part of a larger group. It’s great for morale. So the process becomes easier and people become happier.”

The three-story building would be on the southwest corner of Riverside Drive and Keystone Street. Scheduled completion is by late 1994, pending City Council approval.