The Warner Animation Group (WAG) is an American animation studio that is the feature animation label of the Warner Bros. Pictures Group, a division of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which is part of AT&T's WarnerMedia. Established on January 7, 2013, the studio is the successor to the dissolved 2D traditional hand-drawn animation studio Warner Bros. Feature Animation, which shut down in 2004, and is also a sister to the regular Warner Bros. Animation studio.
Its first film, The Lego Movie, was released on February 7, 2014, and its most recent film was Space Jam: A New Legacy on July 16, 2021; their upcoming slate of films includes DC League of Super-Pets on May 20, 2022, and Coyote vs. Acme on July 21, 2023. Films produced by WAG have grossed a total of $1.8 billion at the box office.
History
On January 7, 2013, Jeff Robinov (then head of the studio's motion picture division) founded a screenplay development department, nicknamed a "think tank" for developing theatrical animated films, known as the Warner Animation Group.[1] The group includes John Requa, Glenn Ficarra, Nicholas Stoller, Jared Stern, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller.[1] Warner Bros. created the group with the hope that the box office reception of their films will be competitive with other animation studios' releases.[1]
On February 7, 2014, Warner Animation Group released their first film, The LEGO Movie, a film animated by Animal Logic, which also provided the animation for both spinoffs. It was met with positive reviews and proved to be a box office success.
WAG's second film, Storks, was released September 23, 2016.[2] It received mixed reviews from critics.
On February 10, 2017, Warner Animation Group released The LEGO Batman Movie, which received positive reviews from critics and was a box office success.[3][4] On December 14, 2017, Warner Bros. announced Allison Abbate had been named Executive Vice President, and Chris Leahy has been named Senior Vice President.[5]
The LEGO Ninjago Movie, based on the Lego Ninjago toys, was released on September 22, 2017. Upon release, the film was met with mixed reviews from critics and became the first film from the studio and franchise to fail to recoup its budget.[6][7]
Smallfoot, released September 28, 2018, earned a 75% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes with mostly positive reviews from critics and has grossed over $214 million worldwide.[8][9]
The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part, a sequel to The Lego Movie, was released February 8, 2019 and earned an 85% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes with generally positive reviews from critics but only grossed around $192.3 million worldwide, almost barely recouping its budget and becoming the studio and franchise's second box office disappointment.[10][11][12]
In October 2019, Locksmith Animation formed a multi-year production deal with Warner Bros., which will distribute Locksmith's films.[13]
An animated reboot of the Scooby-Doo film series titled Scoob! was initially set for a theatrical release on May 15, 2020,[14] but then it was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[15] On April 21, 2020 it was announced that it would instead go to video on demand in response to the pandemic.[16] It received mixed reviews from critics.
A live action/animated film based on Tom & Jerry was released internationally on February 11, 2021 and on February 26 in the United States in theaters and HBO Max simultaneously, which also debuted the company's new logo to match with the design of the new shield logo that Warner Bros. debuted back in November 2019. Just like its regular WB logo, which was revamped earlier that year with Locked Down, it is made by Devastudios, with clouds created using Terragen.[17] It received mostly negative reviews from critics.
Space Jam: A New Legacy, starring LeBron James, was released on July 16, 2021, and was the first film from Warner Animation Group to incorporate traditional animation. It also received mostly negative reviews from critics.
Upcoming releases
An animated film based on the Legion of Super-Pets titled DC League of Super-Pets is scheduled for release on July 29, 2022.[18]
WAG's third live-action/animation hybrid, a Wile E. Coyote film titled Coyote vs. Acme, will be released on July 21, 2023.[19] The film will be directed by Dave Green and produced by Chris DeFaria and James Gunn.[19]
A musical feature adaptation of Michael Morpurgo's children's book Toto: The Dog-Gone Amazing Story Of The Wizard Of Oz began animation production in February 2021. It is being directed by Alex Timbers, from a screenplay by John August, and produced by Derek Frey.[20]
Production
Similar to Disney's 20th Century Animation, Universal's DreamWorks Animation and Illumination, Paramount Animation and Sony Pictures Animation, WAG outsources their animated films' production to other studios, such as Animal Logic (The Lego Movie franchise, DC's League of Super-Pets and Toto), Sony Pictures Imageworks (Storks and Smallfoot), Reel FX Creative Studios (Scoob!), Framestore (Tom & Jerry) and Industrial Light & Magic (Space Jam: A New Legacy). However, Space Jam: A New Legacy did included in-house animation by WAG, with several animators hired by the studio to work on the film's hand-drawn animated segments.[21][22][23][24][25]
The budgets for their films tend to range within $60–80 million. Their most expensive films to date, The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part, Scoob! and Space Jam: A New Legacy, cost $99 million, $90 million and $150 million respectively.
The screenplay department is reportedly somewhat similar to Pixar Animation Studios' "brain trust" in terms of how its members consult with one another and give feedback on each other's projects. The group is nicknamed the "think tank".[26]
Feature films
Released films
| # | Title | Release date | Distributor | Co-production with | Animation services | Notes | Budget | Gross | Rotten Tomatoes | Metacritic | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The LEGO Movie | February 7, 2014 | Warner Bros. Pictures | Village Roadshow Pictures Lego System A/S Vertigo Entertainment Lin Pictures |
Animal Logic | [S] | $60–65 million | $469 million | 96% | 83 | |
| 2 | Storks | September 23, 2016 | RatPac-Dune Entertainment Stoller Global Solutions (uncredited) |
Sony Pictures Imageworks Technicolor Animation Productions |
$70 million | $183.3 million | 66% | 56 | |||
| 3 | The LEGO Batman Movie | February 10, 2017 | DC Entertainment RatPac-Dune Entertainment Lego System A/S Lord Miller Productions Vertigo Entertainment Lin Pictures |
Animal Logic | $80 million | $312 million | 90% | 75 | |||
| 4 | The LEGO Ninjago Movie | September 22, 2017 | RatPac-Dune Entertainment Lego System A/S Vertigo Entertainment Lord Miller Productions Lin Pictures |
[S] | $70 million | $123 million | 56% | 55 | |||
| 5 | Smallfoot | September 28, 2018 | Zaftig Films | Sony Pictures Imageworks Technicolor Animation Productions |
$80 million | $214 million | 76% | 60 | |||
| 6 | The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part | February 8, 2019 | Lego System A/S Vertigo Entertainment Lord Miller Productions Rideback |
Animal Logic | [S] | $99 million | $192.3 million | 84% | 65 | ||
| 7 | Scoob! | May 15, 2020 | Hanna-Barbera | Reel FX Creative Studios | $90 million | $26.2 million | 48% | 43 | [nb 1][30] | ||
| 8 | Tom & Jerry | February 26, 2021 | Turner Entertainment (uncredited) The Story Company |
Framestore | [S] | $79 million | $131.1 million | 31% | 32 | ||
| 9 | Space Jam: A New Legacy | July 16, 2021 | Proximity Media SpringHill Company |
Industrial Light & Magic Luma Pictures Cinesite Company 3 Animation Tonic DNA House of Moves Day For Nite Studio D Virtuos |
[S] | $150 million | $162.8 million | 26% | 36 | [31] |
Upcoming films
| # | Title | Release date | Co-production with | Animation services | Notes | Current Production Status | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | DC League of Super-Pets | July 29, 2022 | DC Entertainment Seven Bucks Productions A Stern Talking To |
Animal Logic | Production | [18][32][33][34][35] | |
| 11 | Scoob! Holiday Haunt | 2022 | Reel FX Creative Studios | ||||
| 12 | Coyote vs. Acme | July 21, 2023 | Two Monkeys, A Goat and Another, Dead, Monkey | TBA | [S] | Pre-production | [36][37][19][19] |
| 13 | Toto | February 2, 2024 | Animal Logic |
Films in development
| Title | Distributor | Co-production | Animation service(s) | Notes | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toto | [38][39] | ||||
| The Flintstones | [40] | ||||
| Funko | [41][42] | ||||
| The Ice Dragon | [43] | ||||
| Wed Wabbit | Locksmith Animation | [44] | |||
| The Jetsons | [40][45] | ||||
| Wacky Races | [40] | ||||
| Zero | Imagine Entertainment | [46] | |||
| That Christmas | Locksmith Animation | [47] | |||
| Untitled Locksmith Animation original musical-comedy film | Locksmith Animation | [48] | |||
| Untitled Scoob! sequel | [49] | ||||
| Untitled third Space Jam film | Warner Bros. Pictures | [50] |
Short films
| # | Title | Release date | Type of short |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Enter the Ninjago | June 17, 2014 | Direct-to-video short |
| 2 | The Lego Movie: 4D - A New Adventure | January 29, 2016 | 4D attraction |
| 3 | The Master | September 23, 2016 | Theatrical short |
| 4 | Pigeon Toady's Guide to Your New Baby | December 6, 2016 | Direct-to-video short |
| 5 | Dark Hoser | June 13, 2017 | |
| 6 | Batman is Just Not That Into You | ||
| 7 | Cooking with Alfred | ||
| 8 | Movie Sound Effects: How Do They Do That? | ||
| 9 | Shark E. Shark in "Which Way to the Ocean?" | December 19, 2017 | |
| 10 | Zane's Stand Up Promo | ||
| 11 | Turkish Airlines: Safety Video with The LEGO Movie Characters | August 1, 2018 | Internet short |
| 12 | Emmet's Holiday Party | December 10, 2018 | |
| 13 | Super Soozie | December 11, 2018 | Direct-to-video short |
| 14 | "Everything is Awesome" Dance Together Music Video | January 8, 2019 | Internet short |
Franchises
| Title | Films | Short films | Release dates |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Lego Movie | 4 | 11 | 2014–2019 |
| DC Comics | 1 | 0 | 2017–present |
| Hanna-Barbera | 2 | 0 | 2020–present |
| Looney Tunes | 1 | 0 | 2021–present |
Gallery
Trivia
- This company has not yet made a G-rated production, as every one of its feature-length films so far has been rated PG by the MPAA, due to stricter reasons.
- Just like Pixar (owned by Disney) and BlueSky (owned by 20th Century Studios (formerly)), they do have a similar release streak for their 1st 3 films. As their debut film would become a franchise. The LEGO Movie (2014) can easily be compared to Toy Story (1995) and Ice Age (2002). As all 3 films were big hits and would later become a franchise. Also, Storks (2016) can easily be compared to A Bug's Life (1998) and Robots (2005). While they were positively received,they weren't the best films from their studios. On the other hand, The LEGO Batman Movie and The LEGO Ninjago Movie (both 2017) can easily be compared to Toy Story 2 (1999) and Ice Age 2: The Meltdown (2006). As they were films from their debut film franchises. The same thing goes for Smallfoot (2018). It can also be compared to Monsters, Inc. (2001) and Horton Hears a Who (2008). As they were sort of original ideas that haven't been made into an animated feature.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Warner Bros. Creates Animation Film Think Tank", The Hollywood Reporter, Prometheus Global Media LLC (January 7, 2013).
- ↑ "Warner Bros. Pictures Dives Into Animation Think Tank" (January 7, 2013).
- ↑ "'The Lego Batman Movie' Gets Release Date", The Hollywood Reporter (April 20, 2015).
- ↑ "The Lego Batman Movie (2017)".
- ↑ "WARNER ANIMATION GROUP NAMES SENIOR CREATIVE TEAM" (December 14, 2017).
- ↑ "Warner Bros Dates Lego Spinoff 'Ninjago' For Fall 2016". Deadline Hollywood (May 20, 2014).
- ↑ "The Lego Ninjago Movie (2017)".
- ↑ "Smallfoot (2018)".
- ↑ "Smallfoot (2018)".
- ↑ "The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part (2019)".
- ↑ "The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part (2019)".
- ↑ Mendelson, Scott. "Why 'The LEGO Movie 2' Is A Franchise-Ending Box Office Failure" (en). Forbes.
- ↑ "Warner Signs Multi-Picture Deal With Elisabeth Murdoch's Locksmith Animation" (in en), Variety (October 31, 2019).
- ↑ "Warner Bros. Developing Animated 'Scooby-Doo' Film (EXCLUSIVE)", Variety (August 26, 2013).
- ↑ "Warner Bros. Delays Release of 'In the Heights,' 'Scoob!' Due to Coronavirus" (in en), The Hollywood Reporter (March 24, 2020).
- ↑ "'Scoob' Will Skip Theaters and Debut on Digital Platforms in May" (in en), Variety (April 21, 2020).
- ↑ Rubin, Rebecca (2020-12-14). "Warner Bros. Shifts 'Mortal Kombat,' 'Tom and Jerry' Release Dates" (en-US). Variety.
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 "Warner Bros' 'DC Super Pets' Animated Movie Moves To 2022" (May 22, 2019).
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 19.3 D'Alessandro, Anthony (2020-12-23). "Warner Bros. Dates Three Pics For 2023 Theatrical Release (Not HBO Max): 'Furiosa', 'Coyote Vs. Acme' & 'The Color Purple'" (en-US). Deadline.
- ↑ Grater, Tom (February 9, 2021). "Warner's 'Toto' Animation Gears Up; Federation Adds To Doc Slate; New BASE UK Chair – Global Briefs".
- ↑ O'Connor, James (March 15, 2020). "Space Jam 2 Is Being Worked On By Director Of Original Mulan", GameSpot.
- ↑ Dan Haskett (Podcast). The Bancroft Brothers Animation Podcast. July 3, 2020.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ "Tweet by Matt Williames".
- ↑ "Williames at RCC".
- ↑ "Tweet by Ole Loken".
- ↑ "'The Lego Movie' Snaps a Bright, Colorful Franchise Into Place for Warner Bros. Animation", The Wrap, The Wrap News Inc. (February 9, 2014).
- ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (April 21, 2020). "'Scoob!' To Skip Theaters & Head Into Homes; How Director Tony Cervone Got Animated Pic Across The Finish Line In COVID-19 Climate".
- ↑ "Scooby-Doo Is Heading To The Big Screen After All — Just Not In The U.S." (July 1, 2020).
- ↑ Tartaglione, Nancy (July 15, 2020). "'Scoob!' Is Weekend Top Dog With $1.8M From 5 Overseas Markets; 'Peninsula' To Thrill Korea – International Box Office" (in en), Deadline Hollywood.
- ↑ Brueggemann, Tom (October 9, 2020). "Why Disney+ Made Sense for 'Soul' and 'The Croods' Could Be Next to Move".
- ↑ @Cinesite (9 June 2021). "Have you seen the new @spacejammovie...".
- ↑ "Exclusive: 'Super Pets' Movie From 'Lego Batman' Writer In the Works at Warner Bros." (July 31, 2018).
- ↑ "'The Batman,' 'The Suicide Squad' And 'DC Super Pets' Get Release Dates" (January 30, 2019).
- ↑ "Dwayne Johnson to Star as Krypto the Superdog in Animated 'DC League of Super-Pets'; Seven Bucks Producing" (21 May 2021).
- ↑ "Careers Archive - Animal Logic" (January 28, 2020).
- ↑ "Wile E. Coyote Movie in the Works at Warner Bros.", Variety (August 29, 2018).
- ↑ Donnelly, Matt (December 17, 2019). "Warner Bros.' Wile E. Coyote Movie Sets Dave Green to Direct (EXCLUSIVE)". Penske Media Corporation.
- ↑ "Wizard of Oz Animated Film to Retell the Story from Toto's Perspective" (July 15, 2018).
- ↑ Grater, Tom (February 9, 2021). "Warner's 'Toto' Animation Gears Up; Federation Adds To Doc Slate; New BASE UK Chair – Global Briefs".
- ↑ 40.0 40.1 40.2 "'Tom and Jerry,' 'Scooby-Doo' Movies Land Top Talent at Warner Animation Group (EXCLUSIVE)" (October 15, 2018).
- ↑ "REPORT: Funko Movie in Development at Warner Bros.". ComicBook.com (January 27, 2019).
- ↑ "Warner Bros Animation Plans Funko Film Based On Collectible Figures". Deadline (September 16, 2019).
- ↑ "George R.R. Martin's 'The Ice Dragon' to Get the Animated Movie Treatment". The Hollywood Reporter (May 23, 2018).
- ↑ "Locksmith Animation Sets Up Animated Feature Based On ‘Wed Wabbit’ Kids’ Books". Deadline (January 29, 2018). Retrieved on February 15, 2018.
- ↑ McNary, Dave (January 23, 2015). "Animated 'Jetsons' Movie Lifting off With 'Sausage Party' Director", Variety.
- ↑ "Ron Howard to Direct First Animated Film as Imagine Sets Ambitious Feature Slate With Animal Logic (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety (June 20, 2019).
- ↑ "Locksmith's Debut 'Ron's Gone Wrong' Boots Up with Trailer, Cast Reveal". Animation Magazine (June 8, 2021).
- ↑ "Liz Murdoch's Locksmith Animation Hires Natalie Fischer as CEO, Co-Founder Sarah Smith Exits" (en) (June 10, 2021).
- ↑ Wilding, Josh (2021-06-18). "SCOOB! Director Tony Cervone Confirms A Sequel To The 2020 Movie Is In Development (Exclusive)" (en-US). Comic Book Movie.
- ↑ Sanchez, Gabrielle (2021-07-21). "Space Jam: A New Legacy director Malcom D. Lee is down to make a third film starring Dwayne Johnson" (en-US).
Reference notes
<templatestyles src="Citation/styles.css"/>S Combines live-action with animation.
External Links
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