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TOKYO -- Major pic producer and distrib Toei has announced plans to spend $55 million on revamping and digitalizing its studio in Tokyo's Nerima Ward.

�One highlight is a new digital post-production center to process images and sound, including advanced CG and 3-D work. Toei will use the 51,161 sq. ft., four-story facility for pics, TV and toon production by group companies.

�Another is a new 21,251 sq. ft. sound stage outfitted with state-of-the-art production gear.

�The skedded date for the completion of the sound stage is November 2009; the digital post-production center, May, 2010.

�Toei has been planning the revamp for four years. "We are facing the full-fledged arrival of the digital era in both films and television production," Toei prexy Yusuke Okada said on Tuesday. "We are actively investing for the future."