Disney funds R&D labs

August 11, 2008 The entertainment company said Monday that it is underwriting research and development labs at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich. The R&D labs will conduct work in computer animation, computational cinematography, autonomous interactive characters, robotics and user interfaces that can then be used at Pixar Animation Studios, Walt Disney Feature Animation, Disney's Parks & Resorts division, Disney Media Networks, ESPN, Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, and Disney Interactive Media Group. "Creating the next generation of sophisticated technologies requires long-term vision and collaboration with world-class innovators," Ed Catmull, president, Disney and Pixar Animation Studios, said.

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