Walt Disney Animation Opens New Vancouver Studio for Long-Form Series Production

Walt Disney Animation Studios is opening a new production facility in Vancouver, British Columbia, as it ramps up its streaming offerings.

Focusing on long-form series like the upcoming musical revisiting of “Moana,” the studio will recruit new talent for its feature-quality slate and special projects meant exclusively for Disney Plus, it was announced Wednesday by WDAS President Clark Spencer.

WDAS is not the only Disney-owned unit amping up animation. Marvel Studios is preparing the release of the animated multiverse series “What If?” on August 11. In late July, the division’s executive vice president of film production Victoria Alonso teased that more is to come from the comic juggernaut.

Targeting a January 2022 opening, the Vancouver studio is recruiting for roles imminently. “Moana,” set for a 2024 debut, will be produced by Academy Award nominee Osnat Shurer, who worked on the feature film 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,” added Spencer.

With the opening, Amir Nasrabadi becomes head of WDAS, Vancouver. An animation veteran, Nasrabadi spent 10 years, 1999 to 2009, in Disney’s finance department and another five years, 2009 to 2014, as head of Pixar Canada.

He’s spent the last three years serving as executive vice-president and general manager of WildBrain Animation, producing series such as The Snoopy Show for Apple TV+ and the upcoming Sonic Prime for Netflix.

“I am so honoured and excited to be joining the Disney family again,” said Nasrabadi. “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. 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 studio’s first project will be a highly anticipated Moana series for Disney+.

Israeli animation producer Osnat Shurer, who earned an Oscar nomination for the Moana feature film in 2016, will serve as showrunner on the project.