Since its beginnings as an animation studio in 1923, The Walt Disney Company has blended world-class storytelling with technological innovation.
A century later, the Studio Technology team at Disney works hand-in-hand with filmmakers to carry that legacy forward into a new age. As the central technology organization for The Walt Disney Studios, the team provides scalable, secure, and innovative tech solutions to fuel boundless storytelling — from story development tools to production workflows, and much more.
“Our creatives are relentless in their pursuit of perfecting their story. So we, as technologists, are equally relentless in helping them meet that challenge,” Eddie Drake, SVP/CTO of Studio Technology, said. “Technology and filmmaking have been inseparable since its invention in the late 1800s. You can’t really have one without the other.”
Studio Technology held an expo on The Walt Disney Studios Burbank Lot in May to spotlight the team’s innovations across the Studios. “It’s an opportunity to get everybody together to showcase the breadth of our work among our peers and the stakeholders that we support,” said Drake. Their event drew nearly 1,000 employees from across the company, exploring cutting-edge technologies that power the Studios.
Disney Studio Technology’s groundbreaking contributions can be seen in popular films, like Pixar’s Elemental. Their DisneyResearch|Studios team partnered with Pixar on a technique called Volumetric Neural Style Transfer to create Ember’s stylized fiery look.
While some work can be seen directly on the silver screen, Drake explained that much of what they do takes place behind the scenes.
Empowering Creatives
A perfect example of the team’s unseen innovation? Creative enablement.
Disney Studio Technology builds tools that help filmmakers spend less time translating their vision and more time realizing it. These tools allow collaborators to better understand what’s in a filmmaker’s mind and help bring that vision to life.
Achieving that requires close collaboration with filmmakers for the delivery of cutting-edge technology. One example is their work to make production assets and previsualization more accessible for the entire pipeline and across teams.
Drake’s team is innovating on this process by developing tools that would allow directors and cinematographers to simply use a standard device — like an iPhone — to visualize the whole scene in a 3D environment ahead of the shoot. Adding to that, real film assets — like Thor’s hammer — could be pulled from a 3D asset management system and placed right into the scene to make it easier for artists to visualize their story. Leveraging real-time technologies, these tools could save time before ever stepping on set.
Touching Every Phase of the Production Pipeline & Beyond
But the work of the Disney Studio Technology team doesn’t stop there. In fact, they drive technological innovation for all areas of production lines of business, from Finance and Franchise to Marketing, Studio Operations, and so much more.
That means processing footage captured on set, providing the infrastructure for film editors to work in, managing visual effect pipelines, and supporting a global Studio Production Network consisting of high-speed transport and storage infrastructure. The team also plays the critical role of keeping Studio content secure from script to screen with innovations like watermarking.
They’ve worked to offer Disney users and fans more platforms to experience content, from pre-release screenings for industry professionals in Debut to in-home releases in Movies Anywhere, which allows users to stream and download purchased films.
Disney Studio Technology even takes a step beyond the films, testing new ways for fans to experience the digital characters they know and love in the real world. One such example is Real-Time Rocket, an interactive Rocket Raccoon from Guardians of the Galaxy that can respond to fans live. Disney StudioLAB (previously part of Studio Technology) worked with Industrial Light & Magic, Marvel Studios, and Disney Live Entertainment to bring this project to life.
“We demonstrated a full-scale version of Rocket, who could be puppeteered in real time and interact with guests at D23 [The Ultimate Disney Fan Event],” Drake said of the first time this life-size Rocket was shared with fans. It went on to win the Visual Effects Society (VES) award for Outstanding Visual Effects in a Special Venue Project.
Building on Disney’s rich legacy of innovation, Studio Technology is always looking one step ahead to support the Studios’ beloved films and shows. As Drake noted, the team is “continuing the tradition that Walt Disney established with his original studio technology team over a century ago — to continue pushing the boundaries of cinematic storytelling.”