ImageMovers Digital Facility Packing It Up

 ImageMovers Digital, a division of The Walt Disney Company, started by director Robert Zemeckis will close up shop after the release of MARS NEEDS MOMS in March 2011.  Approximately 450 employees of the studio will need to find alternate employment over the next year when the San Rafael, CA site closes.

The partnership between Disney and Zemeckis is responsible for bringing us memorable films such as WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT? and POLAR EXPRESS. ImageMovers’ last project was “A Christmas Carol” with Jim Carey in 3-D.  That movie didn’t do as well as the studio had hoped and now finds that they’d rather put their huge creative capital toward projects with other ventures such as Pixar.

In addition to poor returns from A CHRISTMAS CAROL the company was struggling to recover from the sudden resignation of Chairman Dick Cook.  According to Animation World Network, Disney Studios President Alan Bergman said,  “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.”