Fox Animation Studios

Last updated

Fox Animation Studios
Company type Subsidiary
Industry 2D hand-drawn/CGI animation
Predecessor Sullivan Bluth Studios
FoundedAugust 9, 1994;29 years ago (August 9, 1994) [1]
Founders
DefunctJune 26, 2000;23 years ago (June 26, 2000)
FateClosed
Successor 20th Century Animation
Blue Sky Studios
Headquarters2747 E. Camelback Road, Phoenix, Arizona, United States
Key people
  • Don Bluth (President)
  • Gary Goldman (Senior VIP President)
  • Anne Noakes (Chief Executive Officer)
Products Animated features
Number of employees
80 (2000)
Parent 20th Century Animation

Fox Animation Studios was an American animation production company owned by 20th Century Fox and located in Phoenix, Arizona. After six years of operation, the studio was shut down on June 26, 2000, ten days after the release of its final film, Titan A.E. . Most of the Fox Animation Studios library was acquired by Disney (via 20th Century Studios) on March 20, 2019. Anastasia is the studio's most critically praised and commercially successful film, as well as the most commercially successful film by Don Bluth.

Contents

History

Founding

After the financially unsuccessful release of the Don Bluth Entertainment-produced film Thumbelina on March 30, 1994, animators Don Bluth and Gary Goldman were hired by Bill Mechanic, then-chairman of 20th Century Fox, to create a brand new Fox animation studio. [2] Mechanic and John Matoian, president of Fox Family Films, also brought in Stephen Brain (Executive VP at Silver Pictures) as Senior VP/General Manager to oversee the startup of the studio and run day-to-day operations of the division.

The company was designed to compete with Walt Disney Feature Animation (owned by The Walt Disney Company – which would later acquire certain Fox assets in March 2019), which had phenomenal success during the late 1980s and early 1990s with the releases of films such as The Little Mermaid (1989), Beauty and the Beast (1991), Aladdin (1992) and The Lion King (1994). Disney veterans Bluth and Goldman came in 1994 to Fox from Sullivan Bluth Studios, which had produced The Secret of NIMH (1982), An American Tail (1986), The Land Before Time (1988), and All Dogs Go to Heaven (1989), among other films. [2]

Before Bluth came to Fox, the studio distributed three animated features during the 1990s which were produced by outside studios – FernGully: The Last Rainforest (1992), Once Upon a Forest (1993) and The Pagemaster (1994), the last two of which were both commercial and critical failures. Even before, Fox distributed Hugo the Hippo (1975) by William Feigenbaum and József Gémes, two Ralph Bakshi features, Wizards (1977) and Fire and Ice (1983), as well as Raggedy Ann & Andy: A Musical Adventure (1977) by Richard Williams. Also, Fox distributed Asterix Conquers America (1994) in France and the United Kingdom.

Productions

Fox Animation Studios did not achieve the same level of success as Disney's animated crop, due to increased competition from Pixar and DreamWorks Animation, the declining revenues of the Disney Renaissance, and the rise of computer-generated animation. The films used digital ink and paint similar to what Disney did with the CAPS software. The studio's first theatrical release Anastasia (1997) found critical and box-office success, but their second and final theatrical release Titan A.E. (2000) got mixed reviews and was a costly flop, losing $100 million for 20th Century Fox. [3] Nearly a year before its closure, 20th Century Fox laid off 300 of the nearly 380 people who worked at the Phoenix studio [4] in order to "make films more efficiently".

Shutdown

On June 26, 2000, the studio was shut down after six years of operation, resulting from poor financial returns. [5] [6] [7] Their last film set to be made would have been an adaptation of Wayne Barlowe's illustrated novel Barlowe's Inferno , and was set to be done entirely with computer animation. [8] Another film they would have made was The Little Beauty King, an adult animated film directed by Steve Oedekerk, which would have been a satire of the films from the Disney Renaissance. It would predate Shrek , which was released in 2001. [9]

Fox Animation Studios' only other productions were the PBS television series Adventures from the Book of Virtues (1996–2000) and the direct-to-video spin-off to Anastasia, Bartok the Magnificent (1999), along with sub-contract work for DreamWorks Animation's The Prince of Egypt (1998). [10] Out of all the television shows, sequels and spin-offs based on Don Bluth properties, Bartok was the only one to actually have Bluth and Goldman as directors.

The former headquarters for the studio sat unused and abandoned until it was demolished in 2017. [11] An apartment complex was later built on the site.

Filmography

TitleRelease dateDirected byStory byScreenplay byProduced byBudgetGross Rotten Tomatoes Metacritic Notes
Anastasia November 21, 1997 Don Bluth and Gary Goldman Eric Tuchman Susan Gauthier, Bruce Graham, Bob Tzudiker, and Noni White Don Bluth and Gary Goldman$53 million [12] $140 million [12] 86% (56 reviews) [13] 61 [14] co-production with Fox Family Films
Bartok the Magnificent November 16, 1999 Jay Lacopo $24.8 million [15] —— (3 reviews) [16] —Direct-to-video release
Titan A.E. June 16, 2000 Hans Bauer and Randall McCormick Ben Edlund, John August, and Joss Whedon Don Bluth, Gary Goldman, and David Kirschner $75–85 million [17] [15] $36.8 million [17] 50% (103 reviews) [18] 48 [19] co-production with 20th Century Fox Animation and David Kirschner Productions

Animation service

TitleRelease dateStudio(s)Notes
Adventures from the Book of Virtues 1996–2000 KCET Los Angeles
PorchLight Entertainment 		TV series; aired on PBS [20] [21]
The Prince of Egypt 1998 DreamWorks Pictures
DreamWorks Animation 		additional final line animation [10]

Cancelled projects

TitleNotes
Betty of the JungleIn 1995, animator Bill Kopp (creator of Fox Kids' Eek! the Cat ) pitched an idea for an original adult animated film called Betty of the Jungle, in which he describes it as a sexy George of the Jungle about jungle warrior woman Betty (set to be voiced by Loni Anderson) and her gun-caring poodle (set to be voiced by Bruce Willis) who battle evil to protect their jungle village. However, after an animation test and conceptual artwork, Fox Animation declined to approve the project. [22] [23]
DraculaAt one time, Fox Animation had planned to produce an adult animated musical adaptation of Dracula, described as a Disney style Rocky Horror Picture Show. [24]
Barlowe's Inferno A computer-animated film based on Wayne Barlowe's novel of the same name. [8] Was to be Fox Animation Studios' next film after Titan A.E.
RhapsodyFox Animation had intended to produce an animated film based on the first installment of the Rhapsody trilogy by Elizabeth Haydon. The story was to tell of a human girl named Rhapsody going on an epic quest with the warrior Achmed and a Firbolg named Grunthor. [25]
The Little Beauty KingAn adult animated film directed by Steve Oedekerk, which would have been a satire of the films from the Disney Renaissance. It would predate Shrek . [9]
Over the Hedge Based on the comic of the same name by Michael Fry and T. Lewis. Later picked up by DreamWorks Animation. [26]
AfricaAn adult animated epic film set in Africa. Animator Will Makra posted concept art of the film later on. [27]
FathomIn June 2000, the reports circulated that Fox was adapting the comic book series Fathom . [28]
Ice Age Fox Animation Studios was originally working on a traditionally animated action-oriented comedy-drama film set in the Ice age. Around the same time, Blue Sky Studios, a small visual effects studio in White Plains, New York, was bought out by Fox and reshaped into a full-fledged CG animation film studio. [29] In light of this, Fox Animation head Chris Meledandri and executive producer Steve Bannerman approached Forte with the proposition of developing the film as a computer-animated film, which Forte realized was "basically a no-brainer", according to her. [30]

See also

Related Research Articles

Modern animation in the United States from the late 1980s to the early 2000s is frequently referred to as the renaissance age of American animation. During this period, many large American entertainment companies reformed and reinvigorated their animation departments, following the dark age, and the United States had an overall profound effect on animation globally.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">20th Century Studios</span> American film studio

20th Century Studios, Inc. is an American film studio owned by the Walt Disney Studios, a division of Disney Entertainment, in turn a division of The Walt Disney Company. It is headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles, leased from Fox Corporation. Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures distributes and markets the films produced by 20th Century Studios in theatrical markets.

<i>Anastasia</i> (1997 film) 1997 American film directed by Don Bluth and Gary Goldman

Anastasia is a 1997 American animated musical historical fantasy adventure comedy-drama film produced and directed by Don Bluth and Gary Goldman from a screenplay by Susan Gauthier, Bruce Graham, and the writing team of Bob Tzudiker and Noni White. The film stars the voices of Meg Ryan, John Cusack, Kelsey Grammer, Christopher Lloyd, Hank Azaria, Bernadette Peters, Kirsten Dunst, and Angela Lansbury. Loosely based on the legend of the Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia, youngest daughter of the last Russian Tsar, Nicholas II, and set in an alternate version of 1926, the film follows eighteen-year-old amnesiac orphan, Anya, who, hoping to find some trace of her past, sides with two con men who wish to pass her off as the Grand Duchess to Anastasia's paternal grandmother, Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna, amidst the rumors that the Grand Duchess had escaped the execution of the royal family. The film shares its plot with the 1956 film of the same name, which in turn was based on a play by Marcelle Maurette. Unlike those treatments, this version adds a magically empowered Grigori Rasputin as the antagonist.

<i>The Secret of NIMH</i> 1982 animated film by Don Bluth

The Secret of NIMH is a 1982 American animated fantasy adventure film directed by Don Bluth in his directorial debut and based on Robert C. O'Brien's 1971 children's novel, Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH. The film features the voices of Elizabeth Hartman, Peter Strauss, Arthur Malet, Dom DeLuise, John Carradine, Derek Jacobi, Hermione Baddeley, and Paul Shenar. It was produced by Bluth's production company Don Bluth Productions in association with Aurora Productions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Don Bluth</span> American filmmaker and animator (born 1937)

Donald Virgil Bluth is an American filmmaker and animator. He is best known for directing the animated films The Secret of NIMH (1982), An American Tail (1986), The Land Before Time (1988), All Dogs Go to Heaven (1989), Anastasia (1997), and Titan A.E. (2000), for his involvement in the LaserDisc game Dragon's Lair (1983), and for competing with former employer Walt Disney Productions during the years leading up to the films that became the Disney Renaissance. He is the older brother of illustrator Toby Bluth.

<i>Titan A.E.</i> 2000 film by Don Bluth and Gary Goldman

Titan A.E. is a 2000 American animated science fiction action-adventure film directed by Don Bluth and Gary Goldman, and starring Matt Damon, Bill Pullman, John Leguizamo, Nathan Lane, Janeane Garofalo and Drew Barrymore. Its title refers to the spacecraft central to the plot with A.E. meaning "After Earth". The animation of the film combines traditional hand-drawn created animation with the extensive use of computer-generated imagery.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gary Goldman</span> American film director and producer (born 1944)

Gary Wayne Goldman is an American film producer, director, animator, writer and voice actor. He is known for working on films with Don Bluth such as All Dogs Go to Heaven for his directorial debut, Anastasia, An American Tail, and The Land Before Time. He was an animator at Disney before working at Sullivan Bluth Studios with Bluth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">20th Century Animation</span> Animation division of 20th Century Studios

20th Century Animation is an American animation studio located in Century City, Los Angeles. Formed in 1994, it is organized as a division and label of 20th Century Studios, a subsidiary of the Walt Disney Studios, and is tasked with producing animated feature-length films. At one point, 20th Century Animation had two subsidiaries: Fox Animation Studios, which was shut down on June 26, 2000, and Blue Sky Studios, which was closed on April 10, 2021. Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment distributes the films produced by 20th Century Animation in home media under the 20th Century Home Entertainment banner.

<i>Thumbelina</i> (1994 film) American film by Don Bluth and Gary Goldman

Thumbelina is a 1994 American independent animated musical fantasy film directed by Don Bluth and Gary Goldman, based on the story of the same name by Hans Christian Andersen. The film stars the voices of Jodi Benson, Gary Imhoff and John Hurt, with supporting roles from Gino Conforti, Charo, Gilbert Gottfried, Carol Channing and Joe Lynch.

<i>Bartok the Magnificent</i> 1999 American film

Bartok the Magnificent is a 1999 American direct-to-video animated adventure comedy film directed by Don Bluth and Gary Goldman. It is a standalone spin-off to the 1997 film Anastasia which was also directed by Bluth and Goldman.

<i>Banjo the Woodpile Cat</i> 1979 American film

Banjo the Woodpile Cat is a 1979 American animated short film directed by Don Bluth. It follows the story of Banjo, an overly curious and rebellious kitten who, after getting into trouble for falling from a house to see if he could land on his feet, runs away from his woodpile home in his owners' farm in Payson, Utah by catching a truck to Salt Lake City. Produced on a shoestring budget, and created in Bluth's garage, the film took four years to make and it was the first production of Don Bluth Productions, later Sullivan Bluth Studios. It premiered theatrically on November 16, 1979, and at the USA Film Festival one year later on March 28, 1980. It was released on DVD by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment on May 20, 2014.

Don Bluth Entertainment was an Irish-American animation studio established in 1979 by animator Don Bluth. Bluth and several colleagues, all of whom were former Disney animators, left Disney on September 13, 1979, to form Don Bluth Productions, later known as the Bluth Group. This studio produced the short film Banjo the Woodpile Cat, the feature film The Secret of NIMH, a brief animation sequence in the musical Xanadu, and the video games Dragon's Lair and Space Ace. Bluth then co-founded Sullivan Bluth Studios with American businessman Gary Goldman, John Pomeroy and Morris Sullivan in 1985.

John Foster Pomeroy is an American animator who has worked for several major studios, including Walt Disney Animation Studios and Sullivan Bluth Studios. He has also worked as producer, and screenwriter on several animated feature films.

Anya (<i>Anastasia</i>) Fictional character in Anastasia

Anya is a character in 20th Century Fox's animated film Anastasia (1997). An eighteen-year-old Russian orphan with amnesia, Anya travels to Paris, France, in hopes of re-discovering her past and family, collaborating with a pair of con artists who scheme to use her likeness to Russia's Imperial family to win a lucrative reward. Although largely fictionalized, the character is loosely based on two historical figures: Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia, the youngest daughter of Tsar Nicholas II, and Anna Anderson, an imposter famous for claiming to be the Grand Duchess. Plot elements from the film Anastasia (1956), in which the title character is played by actress Ingrid Bergman, served as a primary source of inspiration for Anya.

Morris Francis Sullivan was an American businessman who co-founded the Sullivan Bluth Studios with three former Disney animators. Sullivan Bluth Studios employed approximately 400 people at the peak of its success. Under Sullivan's direction, the former animation studio created such films as The Land Before Time and An American Tail.

<i>The Pebble and the Penguin</i> 1995 film

The Pebble and the Penguin is a 1995 American independent musical-comedy-adventure film animated film directed by Don Bluth and Gary Goldman. The film stars the voices of Martin Short, Jim Belushi, Tim Curry, and Annie Golden. Based on the true life mating rituals of the Adélie penguins in Antarctica, the film focuses on a timid, stuttering penguin named Hubie who tries to impress a beautiful penguin named Marina by giving her a pebble that fell from the sky and keep her from the clutches of an evil penguin named Drake who wants Marina for himself.

<i>Anastasia: Adventures with Pooka and Bartok</i> 1997 video game

Anastasia: Adventures with Pooka and Bartok is a puzzle video game based on the 1997 animated film Anastasia. Developed by Motion Works, published by Fox Interactive and distributed by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, the title was released on November 25, 1997. It was produced by David Wisehart, who also served as voiceover director. The game had an estimated budget of US$800,000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">20th Century Family</span> The Family division of 20th Century Studios (Walt Disney Studios)

20th Century Family is a division of 20th Century Studios which produces family-friendly films and television programs. Besides theatrical films, the division oversees mixed media, family animated holiday television specials based on film properties, and film features based on TV shows.

References

  1. ↑ Bates, James (August 2, 1994). "Fox Animation Studio Will Be Built in Phoenix: Hollywood: Arizona entices the company with $1 million in job training funds and low-interest loans". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
  2. 1 2 Kaye, Jeff (May 6, 1994). "Company Town - Fox Heats Up the Animation Wars - Movies: Heavyweight Don Bluth discusses the deal that will bring him and Gary Goldman home from Ireland". Los Angeles Times . Archived from the original on November 4, 2012. Retrieved January 8, 2011.
  3. ↑ Palmeri, Christopher (September 19, 2013). "Despicable Me 2 Producer Knows How to Win the Box Office". Bloomberg. Retrieved April 11, 2015.
  4. ↑ Lauria, Larry. "A Conversation With The New Don Bluth". Animation World Network . Retrieved October 27, 2023.
  5. ↑ Eller, Claudia (June 29, 2000). "20th Century Fox Closes Its Phoenix Animation Studio". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved January 8, 2011.
  6. ↑ F. Duke, Paul (June 27, 2000). "Fox tooning out, closing Phoenix arm". Variety. Retrieved July 23, 2016.
  7. ↑ Linder, Brian (June 27, 2000). "Fox Animation Studios Closes Its Doors". IGN . Retrieved January 8, 2011.
  8. 1 2 Snider, Mike (February 9, 2010). "Concept artist Wayne Barlowe on 'Dante's Inferno', Hell and video games". USA Today . Retrieved January 8, 2011.
  9. 1 2 Snider, Mike. "The Little Beauty King - Oedekerk Report - Unofficial fan site of director, producer, writer Steve Oedekerk" . Retrieved March 27, 2021.
  10. 1 2 Felperin, Leslie. "The Prince of Egypt (1998)". Sight & Sound. No. January 1999. British Film Institute. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved July 20, 2014.
  11. ↑ "Display Location: Fox Animation Studios - Urban Exploration Resource".
  12. 1 2 "Anastasia (1997)". The Numbers . Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
  13. ↑ "Anastasia". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved April 23, 2022. OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  14. ↑ "Anastasia". Metacritic . Fandom, Inc. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
  15. 1 2 "Ask Us". DonBluth.com. Archived from the original on September 14, 2000. Bartok $24.8 million
  16. ↑ "Bartok the Magnificent". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved April 23, 2022.
  17. 1 2 "Titan A.E. (2000)". The Numbers . Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
  18. ↑ "Titan A.E.". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved April 23, 2022. OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  19. ↑ "Titan A.E.". Metacritic . Fandom, Inc. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
  20. ↑ A. Schechter, Pamela (1996). "TV's Fall Animation Lineup". Animation World Network. Retrieved March 29, 2015.
  21. ↑ D. Johnson, Bruce (November 1, 1997). "PBS Special Report: Program profiles: Adventures From the Book of Virtues". Kidscreen. Archived from the original on April 20, 2014. Retrieved April 1, 2015. Production begins with Fox Animation Studios in Phoenix.
  22. ↑ Korkis, Jim (February 14, 2014). "Animation Anecdotes #149". Carton Research.
  23. ↑ "F Yeah, Failed Cartoon Pilots!". Tumblr.
  24. ↑ Mallory, Michael (February 14, 2013). "The Elephant Not in the Room (or Anywhere Else)". Animation Magazine .
  25. ↑ "Fox Animation's Next film... Elizabeth Haydon's RHAPSODY'". Ain't It Cool News . November 25, 1999.
  26. ↑ "Comics2Film: Over The Hedge". Comics2Film. Archived from the original on April 7, 2001. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
  27. ↑ "Feature film". WillMakra.com.
  28. ↑ Eller, Claudia (June 29, 2000). "20th Century Fox Closes Its Phoenix Animation Studio". Los Angeles Times .
  29. ↑ Garrahan, Matthew (January 6, 2014). "Chris Meledandri, the man who has made millions from Minions". Financial Times. Archived from the original on December 11, 2022. Retrieved March 19, 2022.
  30. ↑ Mallory, Michael (March 15, 2002). "Working With Sloths Can Be Time-Consuming". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on March 3, 2020. Retrieved April 14, 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.