Disneytoon Studios facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Disneytoon Studios

Disneytoon Studios headquarters in Glendale
Formerly	Disney MovieToons (1990–2003) Disney Video Premieres (1994–2003)
Former type	Division
Industry	Motion pictures
Genre	Animation direct-to-video
Fate	Closed
Founded	April 1, 1990; 35 years ago (1990-04-01)
Founder	The Walt Disney Company
Defunct	June 28, 2018; 6 years ago (2018-06-28)
Headquarters	Disney Grand Central Creative Campus, Glendale, California , United States
Area served	Worldwide
Key people	Ed Catmull (President, Disney Animation Studios) Meredith Roberts (SVP and GM)
Products	Animated films
Owner	Walt Disney Animation Studios (2003—2018) (The Walt Disney Studios) Disney Television Animation (1990—2003)
Number of employees	75 (2018)

Disneytoon Studios (DTS) was an American animation studio. It was first known as Disney MovieToons and later Walt Disney Video Premieres. This studio made animated movies that usually went straight to video. Sometimes, they also released films in theaters.

Disneytoon Studios was part of Walt Disney Animation Studios. Both were divisions of The Walt Disney Studios, which is part of The Walt Disney Company. The studio made 44 feature films. Their first movie was DuckTales the Movie: Treasure of the Lost Lamp in 1990. Their last film was Tinker Bell and the Legend of the NeverBeast in 2015.

History of Disneytoon Studios

Starting as Disney MovieToons

The Disney MovieToons logo from DuckTales the Movie

Disney MovieToons started making movies in 1990. Their first film was DuckTales the Movie: Treasure of the Lost Lamp. This movie was animated by Walt Disney Animation France.

In 1993, Sharon Morrill joined Disney Television Animation. She later became very important to the studio.

Making Direct-to-Video Sequels

Disney began making movies that went straight to video. These were often sequels to popular Walt Disney Feature Animation films. The first one was The Return of Jafar in 1994. It was a sequel to the 1992 film Aladdin.

The Return of Jafar was a big success. This led Disney to create a special unit for direct-to-video movies. Animation studios in Australia and Japan helped make these films.

By 1997, Sharon Morrill was promoted. She became the vice president of the direct-to-video unit. She helped this market grow for Disney.

In 1997, the studio released a short film called Redux Riding Hood. It was nominated for an Academy Award. More direct-to-video sequels followed. These included Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas (1997) and The Lion King II: Simba's Pride (1998).

Becoming Disneytoon Studios

In 2003, Disney changed how its animation studios were organized. Disney MovieToons was moved to Walt Disney Feature Animation. It was then renamed Disneytoon Studios (DTS). Sharon Morrill continued to lead the studio.

Disney closed its animation studio in Japan in 2004. Pooh's Heffalump Movie (2005) was its last work for Disneytoon. In 2005, Disney also announced the closure of Disneytoon Studios Australia. Its last film was Cinderella III: A Twist in Time (2007).

New Direction and Closure

In 2006, John Lasseter joined Disney after Disney bought Pixar. He was not a fan of Disneytoon's sequels and prequels. He believed they made the original movies less special.

Because of this, many planned sequels were canceled. These included sequels to Pinocchio, Dumbo, and The Aristocats. The studio then changed its focus. Instead of sequels, Disneytoon Studios would make spin-off movies.

In 2008, Meredith Roberts became the senior vice president and general manager of Disneytoon Studios. The studio was now officially under the Walt Disney Animation Studios banner.

In 2017, John Lasseter took a break from his role. He later announced he would leave Disney in 2018.

Disneytoon Studios officially closed on June 28, 2018. About 75 animators and staff lost their jobs. A planned third Planes movie was also canceled.

Since 2019, the old Disneytoon Studios building has been used by Disney Television Animation. Meredith Roberts, who used to manage Disneytoon Studios, became the CEO of Disney Television Animation.

Movies and Shows from Disneytoon Studios

Feature films

Before 2002, many Disneytoon films cost less than $15 million to make. They often earned over $100 million in sales and rentals.

Television specials

Short films

See also

• List of Disney home entertainment