Disney will Close Down Zemeckis' IMD Mo-Cap Studios in 2011
Not too long ago I said that if you looked me in the eye, and told me, "Robert Zemeckis is going to make a 3D motion-capture animated film about a homeless man taking a dump on the side walk," I would believe every word of it. I would! With his last three films -- The Polar Express, Beowulf, A Christmas Carol -- he's been pushing the dynamics of 3D motion-capture with great artistic and technological success. Unfortunately, they haven't had great financial success, at least in terms of how a studio would want films of their cost in making and promoting them to perform.
So today, Walt Disney Studios has announced that they will be shutting down Zemeckis' ImageMovers Digital studio, after they finish production on the Zemeckis produced adaptation of the children's book Mars Needs Moms!, which Disney plans to release in March 2011. IMD currently employs 450 people, who will slowly be phased out over the course of the year until the facility closes by January 2011.
This announcement fits the M.O. of newly appointed Disney Studios Chairman Rich Ross, who has been aggressively cutting costs by consolidating operations, slashing overhead and reigning in production and marketing budgets, ever since former chairman Dick Cook got the boot.
Disney's A Christmas Carol cost 200 million to produce, and generated $324 million in ticket sales worldwide -- out performing the WB released Polar Express and the Paramount distributed Beowulf.
But lan Bergman, President of The Walt Disney Studios, said in the statement,
Bob and the entire IMD team successfully built a state of the art studio and produced an amazing film, A Christmas Carol, at a time when the dynamics of the industry are rapidly changing But, given today’s economic realities, we need to find alternative ways to bring creative content to audiences and IMD no longer fits into our business model.
Disney however is still "hoping to create a long-term production deal" with Zemeckis and his IMD partners, Jack Rapke and Steve Starkey, which would include the development of their mo-cap remake of Yellow Submarine, which already has a set cast. But nothing has been finalized.
No word on how this will affect their Roger Rabbit sequel, the high-budget fantasy adventure adaptation of Eoin Colfer's novel, Airman, or the Nutcracker adaptation.
Here's The Official Press Release:
WALT DISNEY STUDIOS AND IMAGEMOVERS DIGITAL
BURBANK, Calif. – March 12, 2010 – The Walt Disney Studios and ImageMovers Digital (IMD) today announced that they will close operations at IMD’s Marin County facility after production is completed on Mars Needs Moms. The IMD facility is expected to be closed by January, 2011.
“Bob and the entire IMD team successfully built a state of the art studio and produced an amazing film, A Christmas Carol, at a time when the dynamics of the industry are rapidly changing,” said Alan Bergman, President of The Walt Disney Studios. “But, given today’s economic realities, we need to find alternative ways to bring creative content to audiences and IMD no longer fits into our business model.”
“I’m incredibly proud of the talented team that we assembled at IMD and the fantastic work they have accomplished,” said Robert Zemeckis, one of the co-founders of ImageMovers Digital. “Their pride and dedication to making quality movies is evident in everything we have produced.”
The Studio is hoping to create a new long-term production deal with Zemeckis and his IMD partners, Jack Rapke and Steve Starkey, which will include the continued development of the Yellow Submarine project.