Today, Disney’s ILM visual effects shop opened their Vancouver studio. Four years ago the 30,000 square foot studio celebrated the opening of Pixar Canada. However Pixar decided to shut down their Canadian operation last fall. Now a different division of Disney is in the space working on Transformers: Age of Extinction, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Tomorrowland. Originally ILM opened up a temporary space in Vancouver to get through a busy time, but with the promise of consistent Star Wars work, they decided to open up a permanent studio. When Star Wars: Episode VII work begins this summer, the studio will expand to 200 artists from 60 in order to keep up with the workload.
There is no word of whether ILM moving into the old Pixar space was a coincidence or always part of the plan.