Hand-drawn animation will be making a comeback, Walt Disney animation executives have announced.

"We're really excited about [it] and have brought back some great directors to work on that," said Ed Catmull, president of Pixar and Disney Animation.

Disney built its reputation on two-dimensional animated classics like 1937's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
(Disney/Getty)

Some projects on the go include The Frog Princess, which is being developed by Aladdin directors Ron Clements and John Musker, Meet the Robinsons and American Dog.

Hand-drawn animation, often referred to as "two dimensional" had largely been abandoned by Disney in favour of computer animation, known as 3-D. In 2005, Disney announced the shutdown of  its last hand-drawn studio, located in Australia, saying that it would focus on computer animation.

Then, last year, Disney bought upstart computer animator Pixar.

Pixar, which always had partnerships with Disney for its movies, is responsible for such hits as Toy Story, A Bug's Life, The Incredibles, Cars and Monsters, Inc.

The company first began as a computer hardware supplier and moved into computer graphics in the 1990s, creating a groundbreaking computer animation program.

Speculation has been rife ever since the takeover, made official last May, about the direction of the company. Soon after the agreement, 300 Disney animation staff were laid off or reassigned.

"Pixar is still Pixar — nobody left," said Catmull, who reiterated that the two studios would remain separate. "At Disney, you have these remarkable artists there … they were not kneaded together in the right way."

Catmull also said computer animation would still be used.

"We always believed that quality is the best business plan."