The LA County Board of Supervisors have approved a massive plan by the Walt Disney Company to move forward with the Golden Oak Ranch project in the Santa Clarita Valley. Golden Ranch was originally chosen by Walt Disney himself as an outdoor filming location for “Adventures of Spin & Marty” segments of “The Mickey Mouse Club.” Later Disney began to purchase land in the area and through the years it has been the location for westerns, jungle scenes, or whatever other outdoor location was called for. It has been used for productions like “Old Yeller,” ‘”The Shaggy Dog,” “Beverly Hills 90210” and “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End.”
The Golden Ranch project would create a large studio, called Disney/ABC Studios at the Ranch, with six sound stages, prop and costume storage areas, writers bungalows, shops, and a commissary. According to Disney, it would create $533 million in economic activity once completed. It would also create jobs while being built. The studio itself would cover approximately 58 acres (7%) of the 890 acre-property. The rest of the Golden Oak Ranch would retain its natural settings.
The Golden Ranch project would provide much needed studio space for both Disney and ABC Studios that have outgrown the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank. It still needs state and federal approval for this project to move forward.
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