Disney Shuts Down Disneytoon Studios

In the wake of John Lasseter’s exit from Pixar and Disney Animation, the House of Mouse has closed down its third animation studio, Disneytoon Studios.

IndieWire broke the news today, saying that operations at Disneytoon will cease, effective immediately. The studio was the smallest of Disney’s three animation departments by a long shot, delivering the Disney Fairies and Planes franchises.

Disneytoon was originally launched in 2004, and was responsible for many of the straight-to-DVD sequels to animated Disney hits, like Lion King 1 1/2, Mulan II, Bambi II, and Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitch. Lasseter helped lift the studio to new heights in 2008 with the launch of the Fairies franchise, and later found success with Planes in 2013.

Over the years, the market for these straight-to-DVD films dwindled significantly, and the theatrical Planes franchise wasn’t enough to keep things afloat. It made the most sense for Disneytoon to shut down.

“After much consideration, we have made the decision to end production activity and close Disneytoon Studios,” said a spokesperson from Disney.

Although the decision comes on the heels of Lasseter’s departure, and the subsequent promotion of Peter Doctor and Jennifer Lee to take his place, the move to end the studio has been in the works for some time. There will be approximately 75 layoffs of animators and staff members, thought it’s unclear as to whether or not any of them will be transitioned to Disney or Pixar.

Disneytoon had been working on a third, untitled installment in the Planes franchise, from Klay Hall (Planes) and Bobs Gannaway (Planes: Fire & Rescue). The film was initially scheduled for a theatrical release in March 2019, but has now been pulled and is no longer in development.

Are you disappointed to hear about the closing of Disneytoon Studios? Did you even know it existed? Let us know your thoughts on the matter by sounding off in the comments!