The FINANCIAL -- The Walt Disney Co plans to shut down Robert Zemeckis' ImageMovers Digital studio in Marin County, laying off 450 workers there.

Los Angeles Times reports that those employees will be phased out over the course of the year until the facility closes by January.

according to Reuters, the plan to close IMD comes as Rich Ross, recently appointed chairman of Walt Disney Studios, shakes up the company's movie division to focus on films that can be leveraged across other platforms, including toys and video games.

"Given today's economic realities, we need to find alternative ways to bring creative content to audiences and IMD no longer fits into our business model," Alan Bergman, president of Walt Disney Studios, said in a statement, the same source reports.

The facility was built by ImageMovers Digital, a company co-founded by "A Christmas Carol" director Robert Zemeckis and partially owned by Disney, according to AP. Motion-capture technology in that facility was used to make the movie; Carrey wore sensors as he acted out scenes, and the data were used to recreate his character on the screen.

The same source reports that before it closes, the complex will continue to be used by Zemeckis and his team to complete production of "Mars Needs Moms!," a 3-D movie set for release in March 2011.

Disney also said it intends to work with Zemeckis on a planned 3-D remake of the Beatles' animated movie "Yellow Submarine," but under a new production deal, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Disney has been in partnership with Zemeckis for the last four years, as the same source reports. The studio and filmmaker have had an association since 1988 when Zemeckis directed the groundbreaking hit "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?"

According to AP, Disney's studio has been paring costs and decreasing its movie slate, most recently putting a halt to "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea," "Wedding Banned" and "Wild Hogs 2."

The cuts have occurred since Rich Ross, formerly the head of Disney Channels Worldwide, took over the studio in October following the abrupt resignation of Dick Cook and more than a year of disappointing results, according to the same source. Disney is also looking for a buyer of its Miramax Films division, which it bought from the Weinstein brothers in 1993. It shut down Miramax offices in January, and Disney CEO Bob Iger said last month that new investment in the unit would be limited to releasing its six remaining films through 2011.

Reuters reports that Disney's studio division employs about 8,000 people.

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