Disney has been in the business of opening and shuttering business left and right:

Disney's "Northside": lured a bunch of people away from the lucrative and busy VFX business to work at their new "Digital Studio". it was that or some unknown VFX shot on the other side of the planet called Weta or something. Seems like and easy idea: go with a known name like Disney... WRONG! it was closed in 2002..

go.com... that was a $500 million write off.. back in 1999 or so.. so add 1/3 more for inflation.

Dreamquest, a then 15+ year FX house was forced to merge with Disney's "Secret Lab" and after two movies was dissolved.

Disney Florida: they lured a work visa friend of mine and his family down there after they Northside layoff. .that lasted about a couple of years.. just long enough to find a house get the kids settled in a school, meet your neighbors and WHAM. Shop Closed.

Some people came back and went to southside to work on chicken little and WHAM, layoffs in 2006 and "meet the Robinsons" after the Pixar merge... the one where Ed Catmult got up and said that of he could lay off everyone and replace them with students he would. Thanks man.. we are just the ones who make the movies that people go see.

Meanwhile that Weta place.. They are still going.. with a resume like LOTR, King Kong, district 9 and now Avatar.

This is really, really sad. I live just down the road from where Image Movers is located at Hamilton Airfield (former AFB). Beautiful facilities. Never got the chance to work there but wish I had. I heard the staff were brought together for a "town hall" style meeting, which they typically have when there's good news, only to be told they are shutting out. That really blows. Someone I know said they even saw R. Zemeckis in tears. Nice one, Disney. Way to promote respect in the industry. Of course, they have no problem letting them finish the 1-2 films left in their contract.

Disney is losing it's touch. Some might think Disney is shutting IMD down because "A Christmas Carol" bombed. Here are the numbers (from wikipedia):

Budget $175[1]–200[2] million
Gross revenue $323,550,096[3]

A $100+ million profit? I didn't realize that was small change but, as another poster mentioned, it ain't Avatar (what is?). I realize that isn't counting marketing, etc, but I'm sure between what was left plus DVD/broadcast sales it made a fair amount. At least it didn't lose money like some of Disney/Touchstones other turkeys.

The 3D industry is getting a real hard knock here in the U.S., and I've had it. There is way too much creativity here to treat it in such a disposable way.

Let's face it; Disney is giving up on a vibrant bunch of visionaries (as they did with their own Secret Lab vfx house) so they can ship these jobs overseas and fatten their bottom line, which is all "The Mouse" really cares about.

Can we hear from some Image Movers people about this?

these films only required improved facial animation...disney needs to hire away some weta experts..and of course stick to a good story....personally i liked polar express...other then the facial....i really enjoyed monster house.....but i'm no expert...why close something that only needs some tweeks?...oh right not every film made the amount that avatar did....like when not every 2d movie made 300 million like the lion king....i wonder if the fate of 3d will suffer the same fate as 2d disney has....history has a way of repeating itself over again....

March 13, 2010After luring American families to head North, buy homes, waving a long term commitment to really make it work ..The American Dream ..like a carrot on a stick.. they snatch it away and sell out to the lowest foreign bidder ...before ever giving it a chance. Things have not changed that quickly ..Rich, that trick is as old as the hills.

Although the P/E value of the stock may get a dead mouse bounce. The American Dream used to be their best asset, and now, what they are actually considering is selling that to. Like moving the Red Sox to Bombay, zero f..cking appeal. The American Trademark, embedded into the cornerstone of the Magic Castle itself, auctioned off like a rusted relic.

After all, America built Disney with our own dreams and we put it into our hearts and gave it life. They are chopping off their own arms and legs and grinning like goofy drooling fools thinking they've accomplished something.

Good thing Walt did not give up after his first show. They say Walt's head is in cryo waiting for a cure so they can wake him up...they should leave him in peace, he dose not need to see this, it would kill him.

Disney is foolish to think this was a wise decision. Now all you're going to be getting out of Disney is more Hannah Montana B.S. and films full of fart jokes headed up by the fool Rich Ross. How can he possibly fill the quality shoes of Dick Cook who had 30 years of experience at Disney?

Disney is going down the tubes my friend and Richie and Iger are at it's helm. Even Pixar isn't safe from their poison. Just look at what the Lasseter has done since his promotion - now we're getting all these sequels from Pixar plus the creation of the Vancouver Pixar Stutio that will be creating direct to DVD films and TV shows. Disney is no longer Disney -- it has passed it's torch to Pixar. Now Pixar is no longer Pixar.

Also, I wouldn't doubt that because of 'Princes and the Frog's' poor performance that Disney closes it's 2D animation dept..... AGAIN!!!