Warner Animation Group
 | |
| Division | |
| Industry |
Animation Motion pictures |
| Predecessor | Warner Bros. Feature Animation |
| Founded | January 2013 |
| Headquarters | Burbank, California, U.S. |
Key people |
Allison Abbate (Executive Vice President) Chris Leahy (Senior Vice President) |
| Products | Animated films |
| Parent |
Warner Bros. Animation (Warner Bros. Entertainment) |
The Warner Animation Group (WAG) is the feature animation division of Warner Bros. Animation, established in January 2013. The studio is the successor to traditional-animation department Warner Bros. Feature Animation. Its first film The Lego Movie was released on February 7, 2014, and its latest release was Smallfoot on September 28, 2018 with its next release being The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part on February 8, 2019.
History
In January 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] The group 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.[2]
On February 7, 2014, Warner Animation Group released their first film, The Lego Movie, a film animated by Animal Logic. It was met with positive reviews and proved to be a box office success.
On January 7, 2013, Warner Animation Group announced their second film, Storks, which was originally scheduled for a 2015 release, but was pushed to September 23, 2016.[3] On the same day, they announced their third film, Smallfoot, which was originally scheduled for release in 2016, but was later moved to September 28, 2018.[3] Storks was animated by Sony Pictures Imageworks and was met with mixed reviews from critics.[4]
On February 7, 2014, the same day The Lego Movie was released, it was reported that Jared Stern and Michelle Morgan were hired to write The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part.[5] The sequel was announced to be released on May 26, 2017,[6] but later that year, it was reported that a spin-off film featuring Batman from The Lego Movie might take the sequel's release date, pushing the sequel to May 18, 2018.[7] Phil Lord and Christopher Miller returned to script and co-direct the sequel. Rob Schrab was set to direct the film, but was later replaced by Mike Mitchell due to "creative differences".[8] On June 2016, the release date was pushed to February 8, 2019.
On February 10, 2017, Warner Bros. released The Lego Batman Movie, which received positive reviews from critics.[9][10]
The Lego Ninjago Movie, based on the Lego Ninjago theme of Lego toys, was released September 22, 2017. Upon release, the film was met with mixed reviews from critics and failed to recoup its budget, making it the first Warner Animation Group film to do so.[11][12]
Smallfoot was released on September 28, 2018 and received mostly positive reviews from critics and has grossed $110 million worldwide so far.
Upcoming projects
On March 27, 2015, it was reported that Jason Segel and Drew Pearce was going to co-direct and write a script to a new "Lego Movie" spin-off named The Billion Brick Race, which is set for release in 2019.[13]
Other WAG films announced are based on Adventure Time, Speedy Gonzales[14] and Bone.
In late September 2015, it was reported that Warner Bros. and Warner Animation Group were working on an animated musical called Meet The Beatles based on The Beatles, the film is to be directed by Paul King, who directed Paddington.[15]
In March 2016, Warner Bros. announced plans for a shared universe of animated films based on various Hanna-Barbera characters, starting with a reboot of the Scooby-Doo film series, originally scheduled for September 21, 2018 in the United States.[16] In May 2017, Warner Bros. announced that the film, titled Scooby, to be directed by Tony Cervone and Dax Shepard, will be released May 15, 2020.[17] Another film part of this universe will be based on The Jetsons, with Conrad Vernon set to direct,[18] and Matt Lieberman writing the screenplay.[19][20]
On January 24, 2018, it was announced that an animated Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat film was in development as part of a creative partnership with Seuss Enterprises.[21]
On May 23, 2018, it was announced that WAG will produce an animated adaptation of The Ice Dragon, a children's fantasy book by George R. R. Martin. Martin will produce and possibly write the script for the film.[22]
On July 12, 2018, it was announced that WAG will produce an animated movie about Toto from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. The new film will be based on the children’s book Toto: The Dog-Gone Amazing Story of The Wizard of Oz. [23]
On August 29, 2018, Warner Bros. is developing Coyote Vs. Acme as a Wile E. Coyote animated movie with The Lego Batman Movie director Chris McKay on board to produce.[24]
Process
Following in a similar fashion to other animation studios like Sony Pictures Animation and Paramount Animation, the studio outsources their animated films to different animation and visual effects studios. This would include Animal Logic (The Lego Movie franchise, the upcoming Bone film), Sony Pictures Imageworks (Storks, Smallfoot), and Reel FX Creative Studios (the upcoming Scooby film). The budget for their films usually range between $60-80 million dollars.
Filmography
Feature films
Released films
| # | Title | Release date | Co-production with | Animation services | Budget | Gross | RT | MC | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Lego Movie[S] | February 7, 2014 | Village Roadshow Pictures RatPac-Dune Entertainment Lego System A/S Vertigo Entertainment Lin Pictures | Animal Logic | $60 million | $469 million | 96% | 83 | First film. First installment of the Lego Movie franchise. First collaboration with RatPac Dune Entertainment, The Lego Group, Vertigo Entertainment, and Lin Pictures. Only collaboration with Village Roadshow Pictures. First collaboration with Animal Logic. |
| 2 | Storks | September 23, 2016 | RatPac-Dune Entertainment Stoller Global Solutions (uncredited) | Sony Pictures Imageworks | $70 million | $183 million | 65% | 56 | First original film. First fully-animated film. First collaboration with Stoller Global Solutions, despite the producer-owned independent being uncredited. First film with a September release. First collaboration with Sony Pictures Imageworks. |
| 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 | $311 million | 90% | 75 | First collaboration with DC Entertainment and Lord Miller Productions. First collaboration with Animal Logic to be completely animated. |
| 4 | The Lego Ninjago Movie[S] | September 22, 2017 | RatPac-Dune Entertainment Lego System A/S Vertigo Entertainment Lord Miller Productions Lin Pictures | $70 million | $123 million | 55% | 55 | First film to be based on a television series. First film based on a pre-existing Lego set. Final collaboration with RatPac-Dune Entertainment. Final collaboration with Lin Pictures before renaming itself Rideback. First collaboration with Animal Logic to be released in September. First film to be a Box Office Flop. | |
| 5 | Smallfoot | September 28, 2018 | Zaftig Films | Sony Pictures Imageworks | $80 million | $110 million | 74% | 59 | First collaboration with Zaftig Films. First musical film. First film based on a book. First twin film. Second original film. First September release to come out one week before Columbus Day. |
Upcoming films
| # | Title | Release date | Co-production with | Animation services | Current Production Status | Ref(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part[S] | February 8, 2019 | Lego System A/S Vertigo Entertainment Lord Miller Productions Rideback | Animal Logic | Post-Production | [9][25] | First sequel. First collaboration with Rideback after rebranding itself from Lin Pictures. |
| 7 | The Billion Brick Race | TBA 2019 | Pre-Production | [26][27] | N/A | ||
| 8 | Scooby | May 15, 2020 | Atlas Entertainment Primate Pictures | Reel FX Creative Studios | [28][29][30][31] | First film to be based on a Hanna-Barbera series. First collaboration with Atlas Entertainment and Primate Pictures. First collaboration with Reel FX Creative Studios. | |
| 9 | Untitled film | December 22, 2021 | TBA | Development | [32] | ||
Films in development
| Title | Ref(s) |
|---|---|
| The Jetsons | [33][34][35] |
| Bone | [36][37][38] |
| Space Jam 2[S] | [39][40][41][42] |
| Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat | [43] |
| Speedy Gonzales | [14] |
| Meet the Beatles | [15] |
| The Ice Dragon | [22] |
| Toto | [23] |
| Super Pets | [44] |
| Coyote vs Acme | [24] |
- S Combines live-action with animation.
Short films
| # | Title | Release date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Enter the Ninjago | June 17, 2014 |
| 2 | The Lego Movie: 4D - A New Adventure | January 29, 2016 |
| 3 | The Master | September 23, 2016 |
| 4 | Pigeon Toady's Guide to Your New Baby | December 6, 2016 |
| 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 |
Franchises
| Title | Release date |
|---|---|
| The Lego Movie | 2014–present |
Accolades
Academy Awards
| Year | Film | Category | Winner/Nominee(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | The Lego Movie | Best Original Song | "Everything is Awesome" written and lyrics by Shawn Patterson | Nominated |
Golden Globes
| Year | Film | Category | Winner/Nominee(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | The Lego Movie | Best Animated Feature Film | Phil Lord and Christopher Miller | Nominated |
BAFTA Awards
| Year | Film | Category | Winner/Nominee(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | The Lego Movie | Animated Film | Phil Lord and Christopher Miller | Won |
Critics' Choice Awards
| Year | Film | Category | Winner/Nominee(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | The Lego Movie | Best Animated Film | Phil Lord and Christopher Miller | Won |
| Best Original Song | "Everything is Awesome" written and lyrics by Shawn Patterson | Nominated | ||
| 2017 | The Lego Batman Movie | Best Animated Film | Chris McKay |
Annie Awards
| Year | Film | Category | Winner/Nominee(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | The Lego Movie | Best Animated Feature | Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, Dan Lin and Roy Lee | Nominated |
| Animated Effects in an Animated Feature Production | Jayandera Danappal, Matt Ebb, Christian Epunan Hernandez, Danielle Brooks, and Raphael Gadot | |||
| Directing in an Animated Feature Production | Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, Directors; Chris McKay, Co-Director | |||
| Production Design in an Animated Feature Production | Grant Freckelton | |||
| Writing in an Animated Feature Production | Phil Lord and Christopher Miller | Won | ||
| Editorial in an Animated Feature Production | David Burrows, Todd Hansen, Doug Nicholas, Jonathan Tappin and Courtney O'Brien-Brown | Nominated | ||
| 2017 | Storks | Outstanding Achievement, Voice Acting in an Animated Feature Production | Katie Crown | |
| 2018 | The Lego Batman Movie | Directing in a Feature Production | Chris McKay | |
| Voice Acting in an Animated Feature Production | Zach Galifianakis | |||
| Editorial in an Animated Feature Production | David Burrows, Matt Villa and John Venzon |
Heartland Film Festival
| Year | Film | Category | Winner/Nominee(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | The Lego Movie | Truly Moving Picture Award | Phil Lord and Christopher Miller | Won |
| 2016 | Storks | Nicholas Stoller and Doug Sweetland | ||
| 2017 | The Lego Batman Movie | Chris McKay |
Kids' Choice Awards
| Year | Film | Category | Winner/Nominee(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | The Lego Movie | Favorite Movie Actor | Will Arnett | Nominated |
| Favorite Animated Movie | Nominated | |||
| 2017 | The Lego Batman Movie | Nominated |
See also
References
- 1 2 3 Kit, Borys (January 7, 2013). "Warner Bros. Creates Animation Film Think Tank". The Hollywood Reporter. Prometheus Global Media LLC. Retrieved September 28, 2014.
- ↑ 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.
- 1 2 "Warner Bros. Pictures Dives Into Animation Think Tank". ComingSoon.net. January 7, 2013. Retrieved January 7, 2013.
- ↑ "Storks reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved October 3, 2016.
- ↑ Shaw, Lucas (February 3, 2014). "Warner Bros. Already Working on Sequel to 'The Lego Movie' (Exclusive)". The Wrap. Retrieved October 11, 2014.
- ↑ McNary, Dave (February 21, 2014). "'Lego' Sequel Set For May 26, 2017". Variety. Retrieved February 22, 2014.
- ↑ Kit, Borys (October 10, 2014). "'Lego Batman' Spinoff Movie in the Works at Warner Bros. (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 11, 2014.
- ↑ Kit, Borys; Galuppo, Mia (February 3, 2017). "'Lego Movie' Sequel Enlists 'Trolls' Director Mike Mitchell (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
- 1 2 Kit, Borys (April 20, 2015). "'The Lego Batman Movie' Gets Release Date". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
- ↑ "The Lego Batman Movie (2017)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved June 19, 2017.
- ↑ "Warner Bros Dates Lego Spinoff 'Ninjago' For Fall 2016". Deadline Hollywood. May 20, 2014. Retrieved May 23, 2014.
- ↑ "The Lego Ninjago Movie (2017)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved September 27, 2017.
- ↑ Siegel, Tatiana. "New Lego Spin-off Movie in the Works From Jason Segel, 'Iron Man 3' Writer (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 31, 2018.
- 1 2 Osborn, Alex (April 4, 2016). "Speedy Gonzales Animated Movie in the Works". Retrieved February 1, 2018.
- 1 2 "{Exclusive} "Paddington" Director Paul King In Tune For Warner Bros.' Animated Musical "Meet The Beatles"". The Tracking Board. September 24, 2015. Retrieved January 31, 2018.
- ↑ Franich, Darren (April 13, 2016). "Scooby-Doo reboot could lead to a Hanna-Barbera Cinematic Universe". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved January 31, 2018.
- ↑ McNary, Dave (May 3, 2017). "Scooby-Doo Animated Movie Moves Back Two Years to 2020". Variety. Retrieved January 31, 2018.
- ↑ McNary, Dave (January 23, 2015). "Animated 'Jetsons' Movie Lifting off With 'Sausage Party' Director". Variety. Retrieved May 25, 2017.
- ↑ Lesnik, Silas (January 23, 2015). "The Jetsons Planned as Animated Feature". ComingSoon.net. Retrieved January 23, 2015.
- ↑ Fleming, Jr., Mike (January 23, 2015). "Warner Bros Plots 'The Jetsons' Animated Feature; Matt Lieberman Writing". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 23, 2015.
- ↑ https://www.thewrap.com/cat-in-the-hat-animated-film-dr-seuss-franchise-warner-bros/
- 1 2 Kit, Borys (May 23, 2018). "George R.R. Martin's 'The Ice Dragon' to Get the Animated Movie Treatment". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 23, 2018.
- 1 2 "Wizard of Oz Animated Film to Retell the Story from Toto's Perspective". Screen Rant.com. July 15, 2018. Retrieved July 17, 2018.
- 1 2 McNary, Dave (August 29, 2018). "Wile E. Coyote Movie in the Works at Warner Bros". Variety. Retrieved August 29, 2018.
- ↑ Lesnick, Silas (February 21, 2014). "The LEGO Movie Sequel is Officially Set for May 26, 2017!". ComingSoon.net. Retrieved February 21, 2014.
- ↑ "Film Releases". Variety. Retrieved March 5, 2017.
- ↑ Wolfe, Jennifer (April 21, 2015). "Warner Bros. Resets Release Dates for Next Three 'LEGO' Features". Animation World Network. Retrieved March 5, 2017.
- ↑ McNary, Dave (August 26, 2013). "Warner Bros. Developing Animated 'Scooby-Doo' Film (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved June 14, 2015.
- ↑ Kit, Borys (August 17, 2015). "New 'Scooby-Doo' Movie in the Works from Warner Animation". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 17, 2015.
- ↑ Sciretta, Peter (April 12, 2016). "The Next Scooby-Doo Movie Will Launch a Hanna-Barbera Cinematic Universe (CinemaCon 2016)". /Film. Retrieved August 13, 2016.
- ↑ McNary, Dave (May 3, 2017). "Scooby-Doo Animated Movie Moves Back Two Years to 2020". Variety. Retrieved May 3, 2017.
- ↑ "Untitled WB Animation Event Film (2021) (2021) - Box Office Mojo". www.boxofficemojo.com. Retrieved 14 January 2018.
- ↑ Jr, Mike Fleming (24 January 2015). "Warner Bros Plots 'The Jetsons' Animated Feature; Matt Lieberman Writing".
- ↑ Natalie Dreier, Cox Media Group National Content Desk. "'Jetsons' movie ready to blast off production". ajc.
- ↑ ChrisXMorgan (26 May 2017). "Jetsons Animated Movie in the Works With Sausage Party Director".
- ↑ Rapp, Elisabeth (March 9, 2008). "Bone: Warner Bros Grabs "Bone"". Cinematical.com. Archived from the original on March 10, 2008. Retrieved March 12, 2008.
- ↑ Smith, Jeff. "BONE to Warner Bros". boneville.com. Archived from the original on May 9, 2008. Retrieved March 13, 2008.
- ↑ Kit, Borys (November 16, 2016). "'Kung Fu Panda' Director Mark Osborne to Helm Adaptation of Cult Comic 'Bone' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 16, 2016.
- ↑ Ford, Rebecca (May 2, 2016). "Justin Lin Circling 'Space Jam' Sequel Starring LeBron James (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 3, 2016.
- ↑ "Air Jordan 7 "Hare" Promo Space Jam Movie Prop Up for Grabs". SneakerBarDetroit. August 11, 2016. Retrieved August 14, 2016.
- ↑ Marisa Guthrie (September 19, 2018). "LeBron James Sets 'Black Panther's' Ryan Coogler to Produce 'Space Jam' Sequel (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 19, 2018.
- ↑ Chris Agar (September 20, 2018). "LeBron James' Space Jam Movie Is A Reboot, Not A Sequel". ScreenRant. Retrieved September 24, 2018.
- ↑ Kit, Borys; Fernandez, Jay A. (January 24, 2018). "New 'Cat in the Hat' Movie in the Works From Warner Bros". The Hollywood Reporter. Prometheus Global Media, LLC.
- ↑ https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/super-pets-movie-works-at-warner-bros-1131383
External links
- Warner Animation Group on IMDbPro (subscription required)
