thedisneystudioslocations

You may not have thought about it, but Barks did in fact work at two different studios during his seven-year employment at Disney's. When he was hired in 1935 the company was still in its infancy. Filmgoers were just learning about animated shorts that were developing at a very rapid speed and improving in a breathtaking manner - new characters were appearing, and the films were supplied with sound and later colours. Barks started his animation career in those turbulent years where the need for space - much more space - was a daily concern for Walt Disney. His problems with ample space - and the money to finance it - were solved in 1937 when money began pouring in from his new feature film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
Barks moved along with the company to the new premises in 1940 but he was in for a bad surprise. Walt Disney had done everything he could to secure the best possible working conditions in the warm climate; one solution was the extensive use of air conditioning. Barks quickly developed severe problems with his sinuses - he had to undergo a painful operation as a result from it - and barely two years later he left Disney's. A contributing factor for this major decision was also the fact that the company had switched over to mainly producing instructional shorts in aid of the wartime efforts, cartoons that called for less imaginative scripting and gags.

THE HYPERION AVENUE STUDIO
Aerial view of the widespread plant	Front view of the studio building
Broadcasting neon sign on the roof	Walt with staff - and Mouses

Walt Disney's first official and 'real' studio was situated at 2719 Hyperion Avenue just east of downtown Los Angeles. He and his brother Roy bought the vacant lot in 1925 and they immediately began constructing the studio building. It was moved into during the spring of 1926 and in the next five years several interior alterations took place mostly due to the installation of more equipment and an increase in staff. In the spring of 1931 a new two-storey building for sound and animation was added behind the original building, and later the studio annexed an organ factory across the street. As time went by the necessity for more space forced the two brothers to expand by building smaller buildings as well as moving into adjacent vacant houses around the original site, and they soon realized that they had to make a major decision - the Disney empire grew at a rapid pace and they needed much more room than they could possibly acquire at the overcrowded lot. So Walt began looking for somewhere else to settle.

NB.: If you go to 2719 Hyperion Avenue today you will find it hard to imagine how the premises looked so many years ago. The studio buildings are gone and the property is occupied by a supermarket and a parking lot, and the only reference you will find is a historical marker on the street in front of the parking lot.

THE BURBANK STUDIO
Aerial view of the initial plant	Left: Camera department, Right: Animation buildings
The animation buildings	Walt and staff on a break

In 1937 Walt found his new place in Burbank (named after dentist David Burbank who originally acquired the land) and he built a brand new and very modern studio on the premises. At the time it was almost futuristic in its exterior appearances (it was built entirely according to Walt's designs and overall wishes) and the buildings - which were painted in lively pink, creamy, and gray colours - were soon filled with the latest state-of-the-art machinery to accommodate the - by now - more than 300 employees.
Walt made sure that there was ample space for all the many departments of which the four double-winged buildings for animation made up the largest single department. Then there were separate buildings for storytellers, camera operators, inkers, cutters, processors, live action, orchestra, theatre, schooling center, and much more. Walt and his employees could finally leave the cramped Hyperion space in 1940 for the benefit of a real animation factory built to last for many years and with sufficient expansion possibilities.