Powerhouse Animation Studios

Powerhouse Animation Studios
Animation studio
Industry Animation
Founded 2001 (2001)
Headquarters Austin, Texas
Key people
 Frank Gabriel, Brad Graeber, Bruce Tinnin
Products Animation
Number of employees
 59
Website www.powerhouseanimation.com

Powerhouse Animation Studios, Inc. is an Austin, Texas based animation studio founded in April 2001 with a subsidiary called Powerhaus Animation LLC, established in summer of 2014. Powerhouse develops and produces traditional 2D animation, motion comics, motion graphics, art assets, digital paint, and illustration for television series, motion pictures, video game cinemas, commercials, advertising campaigns, educational properties, and entertainment companies.

History

Headquartered in Austin, TX, Powerhouse Animation was founded on April Fools' Day 2001 as a privately held animation service studio by Frank Gabriel, Brad Graeber, and Bruce Tinnin.

Powerhouse Animation's name is partially inspired by Raymond Scott's song "Powerhouse," which was often placed in scores that Carl Stalling wrote for Warner Bros. shorts, and has been featured in many animated cartoons. Powerhouse's motto is: "Animation by American Capitalists."

In the fall of 2014, Powerhouse Animation Studios, Inc. opened its first satellite office in Burbank, CA.

Powerhaus Animation LLC, a division of parent company Powerhouse, joined The Animation Guild and became a Signatory of IATSE (International Alliance of Theatrical and Stage Employees) in May 2015.

Projects

In 2002, Powerhouse produced the short "Heroes" which parodied the film Clerks as well as Marvel Comics characters. After seeing the short, Kevin Smith, the director of Clerks, contacted Powerhouse to produce an unfinished commercial from Dogma. After producing the short, Smith hired Powerhouse to create an arcade machine that featured a custom video game. The game was given, as a wrap party present, for Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez for their work on Jersey Girl. In the game, the main character is Lopez trying to rescue Affleck from an unknown villain and a band of ninjas. The player fights several bosses including a robotic Matt Damon and finally Smith himself.

In 2003, Powerhouse created a 35mm test for a feature film based on Clerks: The Animated Series for Smith.

Powerhouse animated Clerks: The Lost Scene[1][2] which was included on the Clerks X: 10th Anniversary DVD. As writer-director Smith explains in the introduction to the scene on the DVD, it had originally been written for Clerks, but was not filmed due to budgetary restraints. The short was named the "best bonus feature of 2004" by Rolling Stone magazine.

In 2004, Powerhouse animated the "Mr. Mom" video for the band Lonestar.

In 2008, Powerhouse worked with Hothead Games to produce mini-games and cinemas for the video game Penny Arcade: On the Rain Slick Precipice of Darkness.

In 2010, Powerhouse created in-game animation and cinemas for the game RISK: Factions[3][4] produced by Electronic Arts and Hasbro.

Powerhouse produces animated versions of many syndicated comic strips including Dilbert, Pearls before Swine, Cul de Sac, Pooch Café[5] and Over the Hedge produced by RingTales. Powerhouse has animated over 300 Dilbert shorts.

Powerhouse has produced animated content for educational companies including TED-Ed, Brain Chase, Compass Learning, Ignite! Learning and the National Fire Protection Association.

Powerhouse produces animated content for websites, podcasts and other internet companies including several segments of the "B.S. Report Animated Archives" and "Jalen Rose Story Time" for ESPN's Grantland, and episodes of Kevin Smith's Spoilers series for SModcast and hulu.

Powerhouse has created animated video games cinematics for AAA console titles and iOS games such as Mortal Kombat X, Epic Mickey and Epic Mickey 2, DC Universe Online, Darksiders 2, Starhawk, The Banner Saga,[6] W.A.R.P., Avengers Initiative, Grey Goo, Disney's Hidden Worlds, Man of Steel and others.

In 2014, Powerhouse worked with Disney Interactive to create an eight-episode season of It's a Small World: The Animated Series.

Powerhouse has produced animated advertising content for brands such as Old Spice, IAMS, Metlife, Coca-Cola, Oreo, Mountain Dew, Ruffles, GoDaddy.com and many others. In 2015, Powerhouse worked with Weiden + Kennedy to animate a segment for a Weight Watchers ad called "All You Can Eat" that aired during Super Bowl XLIX.

Powerhouse has produced animated music videos for The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Wale ft. French Montana, A Sound of Thunder and Lonestar.

Powerhouse also develops original IPs and has optioned a series to a toy company. In 2015, the company wrote, created, designed and voiced a short series for Awesomeness/DreamWorksTV called Advice Times with Grandpa Theo that can be seen on DreamWorksTV's YouTube page.

In 2017, Powerhouse worked on numerous cutscenes featured in the action-adventure game Agents of Mayhem.

Powerhouse Animation Studios is currently working on the Netflix animated series, Castlevania, written by Warren Ellis; produced by Frederator Studios and Adi Shankar.[7] [8] Castlevania aired July 7, 2017 on Netflix.[9]

Commercial

Video games

TV series

Films

  • Jasper shorts (2010-2012)

References

  1. ↑ Animated Clerks "Lost Scene": First Look!
  2. ↑ Kevin Smith Hopes To Make Jay And Silent Bob Animated Film
  3. ↑ RISK: Factions
  4. ↑ EA Sets Stage for World Domination With RISK: Factions
  5. ↑ Pooch Café animated strips now on YouTube
  6. ↑ The Banner Saga
  7. ↑ "The Frederator Studios Tumblr". The Frederator Studios Tumblr. Retrieved 2017-06-01.
  8. ↑ Castlevania (TV Series 2017– ), retrieved 2017-06-01
  9. ↑ "Castlevania". Netflix Media Center. Retrieved 2017-06-01.
  10. ↑ "Netflix Orders Mexico-Set Action Anime Series 'Seis Manos' From Viz Media & 'Castlevania' Producer". Deadline. May 9, 2018.
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