Walt Disney Animation is opening up a new Canadian studio in Vancouver, British Columbia, the company announced in a press release.
The Canadian studio will produce “long-form series work and special projects.” Its first project was already announced at their Investor Day event from this past December, that being the Moana series set to debut in 2024. It will be helmed by Moana and Raya and the Last Dragon producer, Osnat Shurer.
The company’s Burbank animation studio, meanwhile, will continue to focus on feature films and shorter projects which include the Big Hero 6 spinoff, Baymax and Zootopia+. The California studio has created films like Frozen, Zootopia, Moana and Raya and the Last Dragon.
“With Burbank and Vancouver both home to some of the world’s most talented artists and technicians, we believe the storytelling and visual quality created within each location will meet the incredibly high standards we set for ourselves and audiences have come to expect from Disney Animation,” Walt Disney Animation Studios President, Clark Spencer said.
In addition to the opening of the new studio, Amir Nasrabadi has been named the Head of the Vancouver Studio. The new role marks Nasrabadi’s return to Walt Disney Animation Studios who previously served as a Finance lead.
Nasrabadi’s other previous roles include overseeing Pixar Canada as VP/General Manager, and senior leadership roles with Illumination and Paramount Animation. He recently was the EVP/General Manager at WildBrain Studios, who produced The Snoopy Show.
“I am so honoured and excited to be joining the Disney family again. I can’t wait to dive in and collaborate with the talented teams at Disney Animation on a new slate of projects for Disney+ starting with Moana,” Nasrabadi said.
“I continue to be amazed at the high level of artistry and technical advancements coming out of the animation industry here in Vancouver, and I am so proud to be a part of this community. This is really a dream come true for me.”
The Vancouver Animation Studio is set to officially open in January 2022, until then the studio is still hiring through its LinkedIn page.
