DisneyToon Studios

Disney MovieToons

Disney MovieToons' first feature production was in 1990 with DuckTales the Movie: Treasure of the Lost Lamp with animation from Walt Disney Animation France. Disney Television Animation hired a director of specials, Sharon Morrill, in 1993.

Disney began producing direct-to-video sequels of Walt Disney Feature Animation films: the first of which was the Aladdin (1992) sequel The Return of Jafar (1994). When Aladdin was selected as a possible candidate as an animated TV series (before the film's release), as with many animated series, the first three episodes were one multi-part story which Disney used as a potential 'family movie special' for the Friday night before the series' premiere. With work handed out to both the Australian and Japanese animation units, the opening story was instead green lit for a direct-to-video release. Thus with The Return of Jafar and its success, the direct-to-video unit started. Then a second sequel, Aladdin and the King of Thieves (1996), assign work to both the Australian and Japanese animation units.

In August 1994 with the departure of Disney Studios chair Jeffrey Katzenberg, its filmed entertainment business, Disney Studios, was split into two, with this division being moved as a part of Disney Television Animation into the newly created Walt Disney Television and Telecommunications under chair Richard H. Frank.

Morrill was in charge of the above first Aladdin DTV film launching Disney Video Premiere. Morrill expanded the DTV market making it more important for Disney thus the overseas Disney studios were increasing assigned to these features. Morrill was promoted to vice president of Direct to Video by November 1997.

The Disney Television group, upon the departure of its president Dean Valentine in September 1997, was split into two units: Walt Disney Television (WDT) and Walt Disney Network Television (WDNT), reporting to the Disney Studios chair Joe Roth. WDT would be headed by Charles Hirschhorn as president and consist of Disney Telefilms and Disney TV animation group including Disney MovieToons and Disney Video Premieres.

The unit released a short in 1997, Redux Riding Hood, under the WDTA name that was nominated for an 1998 Academy Award. More direct-to-video sequels followed, among them Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas (1997), Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World (1998), The Lion King II: Simba's Pride (1998), and Cinderella II: Dreams Come True (2002). By April 1998, MovieToons was folded in with Disney Video Premiere films and network TV specials of Disney TV Animation as Morrill was promoted to executive vice president over her existing unit of Disney Video Premiere films, network TV specials and Movietoons.

DisneyToon Studios

In a 000000002003-01-01-0000January 2003 Disney reorganization, Disney MovieToons/Disney Video Premieres unit was transferred from Walt Disney Television Animation to Walt Disney Feature Animation and renamed DisneyToon Studios (DTS) in June. Morrill continued to lead the division as executive vice president. With the split, both DisneyToon and Disney Television Animation were issuing direct to video features.

Disney closed Disney Animation Japan, one of the two remaining internal overseas studios DisneyToon worked with, in early June 2004 with Pooh's Heffalump Movie (2004) to be its final DTS work. By 000000002005-03-01-0000March 2005, Morrill was promoted to president of DisneyToon. On 000000002005-07-25-0000July 25, 2005, Disney announced that it was closing DisneyToon Studios Australia in October 2006, after 17 years of existence, with its final feature being Cinderella III: A Twist in Time (2007).

In the early 2000s, DisneyToon joined Disney Consumer Products (DCP) as their internal Disney conglomerate video partner in developing the new Disney franchises then only consisting of Disney Princess and Disney Fairies. While DCP eyed other potential franchises, DTS looked to the Seven Dwarfs for a male centric franchise to counterbalance the female centric Fairies by 2005.

John Lasseter joining Disney with the purchase of Pixar Animation Studios made it clear that he disliked DisneyToon's undercutting the value of the feature animated films with the sequel and prequel. Following complications relating to the production of Tinker Bell (2008), the debut film of DCP's Fairies franchise, lead to discussion over the focus of the division. Thus, Sharon Morill, president of the studio, moved to a new position in the company. On June 22, 2007, management of DisneyToon Studios was turned over to the control of Alan Bergman, president of Disney Studios, with input from Ed Catmull and Lasseter. As chief creative officer, Lasseter called for the cancellation of all future films in production or development at DisneyToon Studios. As a result, planned or in-progress sequels to Chicken Little (2005), Meet the Robinsons (2007), and The Aristocats (1970) were all cancelled, among other projects. Tinker Bell's animation was scrapped and was restarted while two project DCP formed franchised projects were canceled, "Disney's Dwarfs" and the Disney Princess Enchanted Tales line after the first DVD. The release of The Little Mermaid 3 was put on hold. Disney Studios President Alan Bergman took oversee of day-to-day operation of DTS. Thus DTS was out of sequel and prequel production with it originally indicated that the division would shift to supporting various Playhouse Disney franchises with direct to home videos.

Meredith Roberts transferred over from Disney TV Animation to head the division as senior vice president and general manager in 000000002008-01-01-0000January 2008. At the April unveiling of Disney's animated feature line up, it was announced that DisneyToon Studios would no longer produce future sequels to Disney animated films, but will instead focus on spin-offs. Also, the division was under the banner of renamed Feature Animation studio, now called Walt Disney Animation Studios, led by Catmull and Lasseter.