Disney Integrates Animation Unit

One day after its animation chief resigned, The Walt Disney Co. has folded its cartoon-TV-production unit into Disney Channel Worldwide.

Walt Disney Television Animation, formerly led by president Barry Blumberg, will be restructured to include four departments, Disney said Tuesday: production; creative affairs; finance, planning, technology and operations; and business and legal affairs. Blumberg resigned Monday.

“Through this integration, we are looking to further unlock the creative resources of Walt Disney Television Animation by streamlining its international management into the broader global original-programming structure,” Disney Channel Worldwide president Rich Ross said in a prepared statement.

In the restructuring, Lisa Salamone, senior vice president of production, will report to Gary Marsh, president of entertainment for Disney Channel Worldwide, as will Meredith Metz, senior VP of creative affairs.

Joanna Spak, senior VP of finance and planning, will report to Jewell Engstrom, executive VP and chief financial officer of the ABC Cable Networks Group.

And Mark Kenchelian, senior VP of business and legal affairs, will now report to Fred Kuperberg, executive VP of business and legal affairs for the Disney ABC Cable Networks Group.