List of animation studios owned by the Walt Disney Company

The Secret Lab was an American special effects company that operated from 1979 to 2005, and was the result of a merger between Dream Quest Images and Walt Disney Feature Animation's Computer Graphics division.

Dream Quest was founded in a Santa Monica, California garage in 1979 by Hoyt Yeatman, Scott Squires, Rocco Gioffre, Fred Iguchi, Tom Hollister and Bob Hollister. Initially, they did piecemeal work on ''Escape from New York,'' ''E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial,'' and ''One From the Heart'' before moving to Culver City. DQ Films, the company's television commercial production division, remained in Santa Monica. In 1987, DQI model-making operations moved into a Simi Valley industrial park with most of the company following them later on. Their work on ''The Abyss'' and ''Total Recall'' each earned the company an Academy Award

The Walt Disney Company purchased the company in April 1996 and subsequently moved it to Burbank, California. DQI was purchased to replace Buena Vista Visual Effects. Soon after 1997, Andrew Millstein was appointed general manager of the company.

In October 1999, Dream Quest Images merged with Walt Disney Feature Animation's computer graphics division to form The Secret Lab, with Millstein continuing as general manager and vice president. The DQI and WDFA units were moved into a new location at Disney's Northside facility on Thornton Avenue just east of the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport, Lockheed Corp.'s former Skunk Works Building 90 until it was renovated for WDFA's headquarters in 1995. DQI's physical production facilities remained in Simi Valley.

The Secret Lab produced one CG animated motion picture, ''Dinosaur,'' in 2000. After ''Dinosaur,'' the Lab and WDFA began working on ''Wildlife,'' which was canceled that September.

The Lab being passed over for Disney work (and general industry decline) led to the unit being closed in 2005. The Secret Lab's last work with Disney was for the Touchstone Pictures/Spyglass Entertainment film ''Reign of Fire'' and the Castle Rock Entertainment/Warner Bros. comedy ''Kangaroo Jack.'' An artist at The Secret Lab purportedly confided to Harry Knowles of ''Ain't It Cool News'' that the studio was shut down by Disney when it proved to be too expensive.

VFXography * ''Con Air'' * ''The Rock'' * ''Armageddon'' * ''Mighty Joe Young'' * ''Inspector Gadget'' * ''Bicentennial Man'' * ''Gone in 60 Seconds'' * ''Mission to Mars'' * ''102 Dalmatians'' * ''Shanghai Noon'' * ''Tennessee'' * ''Dinosaur'' * ''Disney's The Kid'' * ''Unbreakable'' * ''Bubble Boy'' * ''The Princess Diaries'' * ''Golden Dreams'' * ''Snow Dogs'' * ''Big Trouble'' * ''Reign of Fire'' * ''Kangaroo Jack'' Provided by Wikipedia