Warner Bros. Pictures Animation (previously Warner Animation Group) is an American animation studio that serves as the feature film label of Warner Bros.' theatrical film production and distribution division, Warner Bros. Pictures. Established on January 7, 2013, by Jeff Robinov, 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 DC League of Super-Pets on July 29, 2022; their upcoming slate of films includes adaptation of best-selling Dr. Seuss children's books such as The Cat in the Hat and Thing One and Thing Two in 2026, and Oh, the Places You'll Go! in 2027. Films produced by WBPA have grossed a total of $2 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 using stop-motion photography, 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; after February 2017; 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 failure.[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 Coronavirus 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 photographed.[17] It received mostly negative reviews from critics while receiving critically acclaim in Europe.
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 except Europe.
DC League of Super-Pets, starring Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart was released on July 29, 2022.[18]
A Christmas-themed spin-off prequel titled Scoob! Holiday Haunt, taking place in the gang's youth, with the actors who portrayed their younger selves reprising, was set for release on December 22, 2022 on HBO Max, but was cancelled following the merger of WarnerMedia and Discovery Inc. to form Warner Bros. Discovery in April 2022 by CEO David Zaslav on August 2, 2022, citing cost-cutting measures and a refocus on theatrical films rather than creating projects for streaming. Following the merger, it was announced in August that Allison Abbate would be leaving the studio.
On February 9, 2023, it was reported that former DreamWorks Animation chief creative officer Bill Damaschke was in talks to lead the studio. On May 5, 2023, it was confirmed in a Warner Bros. Discovery earnings call by Zaslav that Damaschke had been hired, and was hard at work with Warner Bros. Pictures Group co-CEOs Mike De Luca and Pam Abdy on developing a new slate of films. On June 9, 2023, Damschke announced the rebranding of the division into Warner Bros. Pictures Animation and stated that they planned to follow the creative lead of Abdy and De Luca.
Upcoming films[]
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.[19]
Warner Bros. Pictures Animation is also collaborating with Dr. Seuss Enterprises to produce films based on a series of children's books of Dr. Seuss properties, including film adaptations of both The Cat in the Hat (2026) and Oh, the Places You'll Go! (2027). The firm is also developing a spin-off film of The Cat in the Hat with the focus on Thing One and Thing Two (2026), with collaboration with J. J. Abrams' production company Bad Robot Productions. There are also plans to develop a DC League of Super-Pets franchise following the film's critical and commercial success.
The second Hanna-Barbera based film titled Meet the Flintstones, an origin movie based on The Flintstones is in early development. It will be written by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic, who both previously directed Illumination's The Super Mario Bros. Movie.
Production[]
Similar to Disney's 20th Century Animation and Vi-FX Studios, Universal's DreamWorks Animation and Illumination, Paramount Animation and Sony Pictures Animation, WBPA 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.[20][21][22][23][24]
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".[25]
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][29] | ||
| 8 | Tom & Jerry | February 26, 2021 | 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 | [30] | |
| 10 | DC League of Super-Pets | July 29, 2022 | DC Comics Seven Bucks Productions A Stern Talking To |
Animal Logic |
Upcoming films[]
| Title | Release date | Distributor | Co-production | Animation service(s) | Notes | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Cat in the Hat | March 6, 2026 | Warner Bros. Pictures | Dr. Seuss Enterprises | DNEG Animation | ||
| Thing One and Thing Two | 2026 | Dr. Seuss Enterprises | ||||
| Bad Fairies | July 23, 2027 | Locksmith Animation | DNEG Animation | [31][32][33] | ||
| Margie Claus | November 5, 2027 | On the Day Productions | ||||
| Oh, the Places You'll Go! | 2027 | Dr. Seuss Enterprises Bad Robot Productions |
Films in development[]
| Title | Distributor | Co-production | Animation service(s) | Notes | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Meet the Flintstones | Reel FX Creative Studios | [34] | |||
| Funko | [35][36] | ||||
| The Ice Dragon | [37] | ||||
| Wed Wabbit | Locksmith Animation | [38] | |||
| The Jetsons | Reel FX Creative Studios | [34][39] | |||
| Wacky Races | [34] | ||||
| Zero | Imagine Entertainment | [40] | |||
| The Jurassic League | DC Studios | [41] | |||
| Meerkat Manor | The Green Room Oxford Scientific Films ITV Studios |
[42] | |||
| Dynamic Duo | DC Studios Swaybox Studios 6th & Idaho |
[43] |
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 most 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 Kit, Borys (January 7, 2013). "Warner Bros. Creates Animation Film Think Tank". The Hollywood Reporter. Prometheus Global Media LLC. Retrieved September 28, 2014.Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.
- ↑ "Warner Bros. Pictures Dives Into Animation Think Tank". ComingSoon.net. January 7, 2013. Retrieved January 26, 2018.Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.
- ↑ Kit, Borys (April 20, 2015). "'The Lego Batman Movie' Gets Release Date". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 21, 2015.Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.
- ↑ "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.
- ↑ Clarke, Stewart (October 31, 2019). "Warner Signs Multi-Picture Deal With Elisabeth Murdoch's Locksmith Animation". Variety. Retrieved November 1, 2019.Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.
- ↑ McNary, Dave (August 26, 2013). "Warner Bros. Developing Animated 'Scooby-Doo' Film (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved June 14, 2015.Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.
- ↑ Galuppo, Mia (March 24, 2020). "Warner Bros. Delays Release of 'In the Heights,' 'Scoob!' Due to Coronavirus". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 24, 2020.Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.
- ↑ Rubin, Rebecca (April 21, 2020). "'Scoob' Will Skip Theaters and Debut on Digital Platforms in May". Variety. Retrieved April 21, 2020.Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.
- ↑ Rubin, Rebecca (2020-12-14). "Warner Bros. Shifts 'Mortal Kombat,' 'Tom and Jerry' Release Dates" (en-US). Variety.
- ↑ "Warner Bros' 'DC Super Pets' Animated Movie Moves To 2022" (May 22, 2019).
- ↑ 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. Archived from the original on June 28, 2020. Retrieved May 28, 2020.Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.
- ↑ Dan Haskett (Podcast). The Bancroft Brothers Animation Podcast. July 3, 2020.Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.
- ↑ "Tweet by Matt Williames".
- ↑ "Williames at RCC".
- ↑ "Tweet by Ole Loken".
- ↑ Shaw, Lucas (February 9, 2014). "'The Lego Movie' Snaps a Bright, Colorful Franchise Into Place for Warner Bros. Animation". The Wrap. The Wrap News Inc. Retrieved September 28, 2014.Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.
- ↑ 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 Coronavirus 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". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 15, 2020.Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.
- ↑ 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...".
- ↑ "Warner Bros. Pictures Animation Inks First-Look Deal With Locksmith Animation; First Pics Are ‘Bad Fairies’ & ‘The Lunar Chronicles’". Deadline (June 9, 2023).
- ↑ "Liz Murdoch's Locksmith Animation Hires Natalie Fischer as CEO, Co-Founder Sarah Smith Exits" (en) (June 10, 2021).
- ↑ "Warner Bros. Sets Animated Musical ‘Bad Fairies’ for 2027 Release" (en) (July 16, 2024).
- ↑ 34.0 34.1 34.2 "'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. Retrieved May 25, 2017.Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.
- ↑ "Ron Howard to Direct First Animated Film as Imagine Sets Ambitious Feature Slate With Animal Logic (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety (June 20, 2019).
- ↑ "DC Reportedly Developing Animated Jurassic League Movie". SuperHeroHype (February 26, 2024).
- ↑ "Warner Bros. Pictures Animation to Adopt Animal Planet Series 'Meerkat Manor' For Big Screen". Deadline (April 16, 2024).
- ↑ "The Robins’ Origin Story ‘Dynamic Duo’ In The Works With DC Studios, WBPA & 6th & Idaho; Movie To Be Made With Puppetry Animation". Deadline (October 1, 2024).
Reference notes[]
Page Template:Citation/styles.css has no content.S Combines live-action with animation.
External Links[]
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This page uses content from the English Wikipedia page Warner Animation Group. The revision history lists the authors. The text on Warner Bros. Entertainment Wiki and Wikipedia is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License (CC BY-SA). |
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