Walt Disney Animation Japan

Walt Disney Animation Japan was an animation studio located in Tokyo, Japan, that produced feature films and television series for DisneyToon Studios, the Disney division charged with spin-off properties from established Disney characters. The studio was founded in 1989 with the acquisition of Pacific Animation Corporation and by ex-employees of Tokyo Movie Shinsha; The studio was founded by Motoyoshi Tokunaga, an ex-TMS producer.

By 1993, after asking for a more creative role in the division, the studio was introduced to Gargoyles. [1] Among the studio members are Roy Sato and Kazuyoshi Takeuchi. For Gargoyles and other animated series, Walt Disney Animation Japan routinely cooperated with other animation studios, including Nakamura Production, Studio Robin, Takahashi Production, Light Foot, and Studio Cats.

Greg Weisman wrote that, while it wasn't originally called for in the scripts, the studio came up with the "claw wipes" transitions first seen in "Awakening: Part Four". [2]

In 2003, Disney announced that they would shut down the studio, which then employed 103 local animators and artists. The closure was a part of Disney's shift from traditional hand-drawn animation to computer animation, and it was explained with: "...after reviewing our business plans and production requirements, we determined we no longer can support this additional production capacity." Completing their last project (Pooh's Heffalump Movie), Walt Disney Animation Japan closed in June 2004.

Gargoyles Animation Credits

• "Awakening: Part One"
• "Awakening: Part Two"
• "Awakening: Part Four"
• "Awakening: Part Five"
• "The Edge"
• "Her Brother's Keeper"
• "Leader of the Pack"
• "The Mirror"
• "Eye of the Beholder"
• "High Noon"
• "The Price"
• "Shadows of the Past"
• "M.I.A."
• "Grief"
• "The Green"
• "Future Tense"
• "Hunter's Moon" Part Two
• "Hunter's Moon" Part Three

Gargoyles Backgrounds Credits

• "High Noon"
• "Shadows of the Past"
• "M.I.A."
• "Future Tense"
• "Hunter's Moon" Part Three