[DisneyDriver]

Disney closes French animation studio

screendaily.com

Nancy Tartaglione in Paris
07 July 2003 04:05

After 15 years of activity, the Disney animation studio based in Montreuil, France is to be closed.

Located just outside Paris, the studio had worked on several of Disney's feature animation projects including The Hunchback Of Notre Dame, Hercules, Tarzan and Jungle Book 2.

The news was made official in June when all 89 employees of the studio were laid off. The proposals made by Disney do not, however, sit well with the fired staff who claim they will fight for better conditions.

According to French weekly trade Le Film Francais, Disney's reasoning behind the closure is to concentrate production back in the States.

Although efforts were made to sell the studio in Montreuil there were no satisfactory offers.

Eddie Rabbit, have you heard anything about this over there?

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[Eddie Rabbit]

DisneyDriver said:Eddie Rabbit, have you heard anything about this over there?

No, I haven't! I'll keep an eye on the newspapers!

[BDANtheman29]

Though, I know this thread was posted about a month ago, I found SOME information. You can go to the site by clicking here. Here is the text from the site as follows (edited for two spelling mistakes)...

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I'm actually surprised it took them this long to dump it. The real laugh though is the quote about them wanting to consentrate production in the US. Umm, so that's why they've laid off virtually all their animators? I've heard it speculated that Disney is doing all the closings and layoffs as a union-busting measure, and when the union tanks they'll begin hiring again. Most longtime readers of this LJ already know my opinion on the animator's union, so I have no problem with that, but I really think the situation American animators are in has more complicated causes rather than simple union-busting.

Well, on the plus side, I think the artist who does "Blacksad" was employed by Disney Paris, so if he got laid off maybe we'll see more Blacksad sooner.

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Hopefully this helped a little!

Brendan