Walt Disney Animation Studios is tapping into Canada’s animation talent with a new studio in Vancouver.

Set to open in January 2022, the studio will be led by Amir Nasrabadi, who most recently served as EVP and general manager at WildBrain. It will be the Oscar-winning studio’s second base, along with its flagship location in Burbank, CA.

The studio will focus on long-form series and special projects for streaming service Disney+. The first confirmed project is the Moana (pictured) musical series, which is expected to premiere on the streamer in 2024.

Nasrabadi was hired at WildBrain in spring 2019 to oversee its animation studio in Vancouver. He previously served as VP and general manager of Pixar Canada, as well as holding senior roles at Illumination and Paramount Animation. He also formerly worked at Walt Disney Animation Studios as finance lead.

Disney is currently recruiting local talent ahead of the studio’s official opening next year.

“With Burbank and Vancouver both home to some of the world’s most talented artists and technicians, we believe the storytelling and visual quality created within each location will meet the incredibly high standards we set for ourselves and audiences have come to expect from Disney Animation,” said Walt Disney Animation Studios president Clark Spencer in a statement.

The Walt Disney Company has a long history in Canada. It opened Walt Disney Animation Canada in 1996 as a producer of direct-to-video content, based in both Vancouver and Toronto, before it closed in 2000. The company’s subsidiary Pixar opened a studio in Vancouver in 2010, which also closed within a few years.

The company has continued to work with Canadian talent, including storyboard artist and director Domee Shi, the first woman to direct a short film for Pixar, who won an Oscar for her short Bao. She is the director of upcoming Pixar film Turning Red, which is set in Toronto.

Image courtesy of The Walt Disney Company