Disney Studios Australia

Disney Studios Australia is a film and television production facility in Moore Park, Sydney, operated by The Walt Disney Company. The site occupies approximately 132,000 square metres, or 32 acres, on the grounds of the former Sydney Showground. It contains eight sound stages, production offices, heavy industrial workshops, post-production facilities and a community of roughly 60 independent businesses serving the screen industries. These businesses provide services including equipment hire, casting, travel and freight, editing, sound re-recording, production support and pyrotechnics. The facility opened in 1998 as Fox Studios Australia after the former Moore Park showground was vacated when the Royal Easter Show moved to a new site. Its development followed a 1995 decision by the New South Wales Government to grant News Corporation access to the former showground under a long-term lease. The studio subsequently became part of the News Corporation and then 21st Century Fox corporate structure. Productions associated with the site have included major international films such as The Matrix, Moulin Rouge!, Mission: Impossible 2, Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones, Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, Superman Returns and Son of the Mask. The site also briefly operated a themed entertainment attraction. Fox Studios Backlot opened in November 1999 as a cinema-themed park developed around a model influenced by major Universal and Disney studio attractions. The park reportedly represented a substantial investment but closed in 2001. Its former entrance remains associated with the studio precinct, which also includes restaurants, retail, entertainment venues, parkland and sporting facilities. The Walt Disney Company completed its acquisition of 21st Century Fox on 20 March 2019, bringing the Australian studio and related Fox film assets into Disney ownership. The facility continued operating as a production base, alongside Disney's ownership of 20th Century Studios and other screen businesses. On 10 October 2022, the Fox name was removed and the site was officially renamed Disney Studios Australia. The studio is best understood as a physical production and services hub rather than a consumer-facing film label: its value lies in sound stages, workshops, production infrastructure and access to Australia's film-production ecosystem.

The land now occupied by Disney Studios Australia has a long association with public events and agricultural exhibitions. The New South Wales Government provided land at Moore Park to the Royal Agricultural Society in 1881, and the site hosted the Royal Easter Show for many decades. The showground expanded at different times during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, including southward expansion from 1902 to 1919 and northward expansion from 1920 to 1937. In 1995, the New South Wales Government agreed to allow News Corporation to develop the former showground site as a film and television production complex. The decision was controversial. Critics, including sections of the Australian media and independent member of parliament Clover Moore, questioned the arrangement and alleged that the government had provided an advantage to News Corporation, including a purported contribution of A$25 million in public money toward the replacement showground. The allegations are part of the site's political history and should not be treated as a proven finding without additional documentation. When the Royal Easter Show moved to a new showground in 1998, the former Moore Park site was redeveloped as Fox Studios Australia. The resulting complex covered about 32 acres and was designed to support major motion-picture and television productions. It included eight sound stages, production offices, workshops and a cluster of independent companies supplying equipment, casting, freight, travel, post-production and other production services. Its location, approximately 15 minutes from Sydney's central business district, made it a prominent production base for international projects shooting in Australia. The studio became associated with a range of high-profile films, including The Matrix, Moulin Rouge!, Mission: Impossible 2, Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones, Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, Superman Returns and Son of the Mask. The exact nature of the facility's involvement varied by production, but the site functioned as a combination of sound-stage, workshop, office and production-services infrastructure rather than solely as a conventional film distributor or branded content label. A themed attraction called Fox Studios Backlot opened on 7 November 1999. It was conceived in the style of major studio-based theme parks and formed part of a wider entertainment precinct containing food, retail, leisure and sporting uses. The backlot attraction closed in 2001, while parts of the surrounding precinct continued under other uses. Corporate ownership changed when The Walt Disney Company completed its acquisition of 21st Century Fox on 20 March 2019. The transaction transferred Fox Studios Australia into Disney's portfolio together with 20th Century Fox and other related assets. The studio retained its role as a physical production facility. On 10 October 2022, the Fox branding was removed and the complex was renamed Disney Studios Australia. It remains a Sydney-based production hub with sound stages, workshops, post-production capabilities and independent businesses serving film and television projects.

1. 2022The facility adopts the Disney Studios Australia name

   The studio formally dropped the Fox branding on 10 October and became Disney Studios Australia.

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2. 2019Disney acquires the studio through its 21st Century Fox transaction

   Disney completed its acquisition of 21st Century Fox on 20 March, taking ownership of Fox Studios Australia.

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3. 2001Fox Studios Backlot closes

   The themed backlot attraction ceased operations, although the wider entertainment precinct and studio site continued.

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4. 1999Fox Studios Backlot opens

   A studio-themed attraction opened within the wider precinct on 7 November.

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5. 1998Fox Studios Australia opens

   After the Royal Easter Show moved to a new location, the former Sydney Showground at Moore Park became Fox Studios Australia.

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6. 1995Government approves development of the former showground

   The New South Wales Government allowed News Corporation to develop and lease the Moore Park site for a film and television studio complex.

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7. 1881Moore Park site is assigned to the Royal Agricultural Society

   The New South Wales Government provided land at Moore Park for the Royal Agricultural Society, beginning the site's long period as a major showground.

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A large-scale Australian production base for domestic and international film and television projects, combining sound stages, workshops, production offices, post-production capabilities and a network of specialist screen-industry suppliers.

• Sound stagesFilm and television production infrastructure1998

  The complex contains eight sound stages for controlled studio filming. These stages support motion-picture and television productions and form the core of the site's offering to producers requiring dedicated indoor production space in Sydney.

• Production offices and workshopsProduction support infrastructure1998

  Production offices and heavy industrial workshops support the practical requirements of large screen projects. The facilities can accommodate planning, construction, fabrication, technical preparation and other activities associated with studio-based production.

• Post-production and sound facilitiesPost-production services1998

  The site houses specialists involved in film editing, sound re-recording and related post-production work. These capabilities complement the studio's physical production facilities and the independent businesses operating on the wider complex.

• Fox Studios BacklotTheme-park attraction1999

  Fox Studios Backlot was a studio-themed attraction inspired by large Hollywood studio parks. It opened in 1999 as part of the Moore Park entertainment precinct and closed in 2001.

• 2022Removal of the Fox nameStrategy

  Following Disney's acquisition of 21st Century Fox, the studio's legacy corporate branding no longer reflected its owner.

  What changed. The facility was officially renamed Disney Studios Australia on 10 October 2022.

  Aftermath. The site continued to provide physical production and production-support facilities under the Disney name.

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• 2019Disney acquisition of 21st Century FoxM&A

  Fox Studios Australia was part of the 21st Century Fox corporate group when Disney pursued the acquisition of the company's entertainment assets.

  What changed. The Walt Disney Company completed the acquisition on 20 March 2019, bringing the Australian studio under Disney ownership.

  Aftermath. The facility continued operating as a production base within Disney's broader film and television portfolio.

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• 1995Development of a commercial film studio at Moore ParkStrategy

  The Royal Easter Show was expected to move from the former Moore Park showground, creating an opportunity to repurpose the site.

  What changed. The New South Wales Government approved a long-term lease and development arrangement involving News Corporation for a film and television studio.

  Aftermath. The site opened as Fox Studios Australia in 1998 and became a significant Australian production facility, although the original government decision remained politically controversial.

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• 1995Controversy over public support for the studio developmentControversy

  The state government's decision to grant News Corporation control of the former showground site drew criticism from media commentators and Clover Moore. Allegations included a purported confidential arrangement and a public contribution toward the replacement showground. The available reference describes political controversy and allegations, not a confirmed legal finding.

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• 2022Fox Studios Australia is renamed Disney Studios Australia

  The Sydney facility dropped the Fox branding and adopted the Disney Studios Australia name.

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• 2019The Walt Disney Company completes acquisition of 21st Century Fox

  Disney completed its acquisition of 21st Century Fox, bringing Fox Studios Australia and related film-production assets into Disney ownership.

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1. Disney Studios Australia
2. Acquisition of 21st Century Fox by Disney