Formerly | Games Animation (1992–1998) |
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Company type | Subsidiary |
Industry | Animation |
Predecessor | Spümcø (1989–1992) |
Founded | 1992 March 4, 1998 (as Nickelodeon Animation Studio) | (as Games Animation)
Founders |
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Headquarters | Studio City, Los Angeles, California, U.S. (1992–1998) Burbank, California, U.S. (1998–present) New York City, New York, U.S. (second facility, 1999–present) |
Key people | Ramsey Ann Naito (president) [1] |
Products | |
Parent | Nickelodeon Group Paramount Television Group |
Divisions | |
Website | nickanimation.com |
Nickelodeon Animation Studio Inc. (also known as Nickelodeon Animation, and on-screen known as Nickelodeon Productions), is an American animation studio owned by Paramount Global through the Nickelodeon Group. It has created many original animated television programs for Nickelodeon, such as SpongeBob SquarePants , The Fairly OddParents , Rugrats , Avatar: The Last Airbender , and The Loud House , among various others. Since the 2010s, the studio has also produced its own series based on preexisting IP purchased by Paramount Global, such as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Winx Club . In November 2019, Nickelodeon Animation Studio signed a multiple-year output deal for Netflix, which will include producing content, in both new and preexisting IP, for the streaming platform, while also doing so for Paramount+. [3]
The studio was founded in 1992 under the name Games Animation Inc. as a subsidiary of a pre-existing company named Games Productions. [4] It oversaw the production of three animated programs for Nickelodeon: Doug , Rugrats and The Ren & Stimpy Show . In 1992, Nickelodeon began work on Games Animation's first fully in-house series, Rocko's Modern Life . Games Animation produced much of the network's mid-1990s output in partnership with other animation companies like Klasky Csupo. In 1998, the studio moved from Studio City, California to Burbank with the construction of a new facility. It was renamed Nickelodeon Animation Studio and later Nickelodeon Studios Burbank. In 1999, a second facility in New York City was opened, named Nickelodeon Animation Studio New York. [5]
Nickelodeon Animation Studio's beginnings lie in the roots of the channel's Nicktoons endeavor. In 1990, Nickelodeon hired Vanessa Coffey as a creative consultant to develop Nicktoons, [4] providing her with the task of seeking out new characters and stories that would allow the channel a grand entrance into the animation business. [6] The high cost of high-quality animation discouraged the network from developing weekly animated programming. Although most television networks at the time tended to go to large animation houses with proven track records to develop Saturday-morning series, often generally pre-sold characters from movies, toys or comics, Nickelodeon desired differently. Inspired by the early days of animation and the work of Bob Clampett, Tex Avery and Chuck Jones, Nickelodeon set out to find frustrated cartoonists swallowed up by the studio system. [7] Nickelodeon president Geraldine Laybourne commissioned eight six-minute pilots at a cost of $100,000 each before selecting three. Seeking the most innovative talents in the field, the products of this artists' union – Doug , Rugrats and The Ren & Stimpy Show – represented twelve years of budget-building toward that end. [6] Coffey was hired as Nickelodeon's Executive Producer of Animation between the pilots and series production. [4] The Nicktoons were produced by external studios, Jumbo Pictures, Klasky Csupo and Spümcø, with oversight from Nickelodeon. However, this method of production led to both Spümcø and Jumbo Pictures having strained relationships with the network, with only Klasky Csupo retaining a relationship with the network to the present.
In fall 1992, the studio fired John Kricfalusi and Spümcø from The Ren & Stimpy Show. Coffey asserts that John was in breach of contract for not delivering on time, creating disturbing content and going over budget. [8] Kricfalusi suspected the real reason was that the network was uncomfortable with more crude humor. [9] Nickelodeon objected to most of his proposed plotlines and new characters—including George Liquor, an Archie Bunker-ish "All-American Male." After Kricfalusi and Nickelodeon missed several promised new-episode delivery and air dates, the network—which had purchased the rights to the Ren & Stimpy characters from Kricfalusi—negotiated a settlement with him. [9] The creative tug of war was closely watched by both animators and the television industry and covered in the national press.
In response, Nickelodeon moved the series' production to its own studio, Games Productions Inc. According to Vanessa Coffey, "Nickelodeon had a corporation already set up called Games. They didn't want to spend money to open a new corporation, so they put [Nickelodeon's animation division] under Games." [10] Games Animation was established as a subsidiary of said company in 1992. [11] The series was moved to Games, who hired as much personnel from Spümcø as possible and put under the creative supervision of Bob Camp, one of Kricfalusi's former writer-director partners. [9] Nick's plan was to hire bright, young animators and let them do almost anything they want. [11] Coffey soon stepped down as animation vice president for Nickelodeon, to pursue her own projects. She was replaced by Mary Harrington, a Nickelodeon producer who moved out from New York to help run the Nicktoons division that was a near-shambles after Kricfalusi was fired. [11] Games' initial duty was to continue producing The Ren & Stimpy Show after Nickelodeon dropped Spümcø and Kricfalusi from their duties on the show. At the time, Games was located in an office building in Studio City, California.
In 1992, animator Joe Murray was approached by the studio with intentions of developing a new animated series for Nickelodeon. The series became Games Animation's first in-house production, Rocko's Modern Life , which premiered on the network in 1993. Games worked on the show for three years and employed over 70 people during the course of its run. Executives did not share space with the creative team. [12] The show ended in 1996 as its creator Joe Murray wanted to spend more time with his family.
Games Animation also lost Doug from internal conflicts with Jumbo Pictures. After declining to produce the fifth season of the show, Nickelodeon's parent company MTV Networks sold the intellectual property of the show to The Walt Disney Company in 1994, forcing Games Animation and Ellipse Programme to depart from the show. However, it left Games Animation with guaranteed control over all the shows they would eventually produce aside from Rugrats. [13]
Following the end of Rocko's Modern Life, Games Animation produced the pilots for Hey Arnold! , The Angry Beavers and CatDog , along with the former's first 26 episodes, and the second's first 13 episodes. The latter was produced by Nickelodeon Animation Studio along with the other two by this point forward.
In 1996, Albie Hecht, then-president of Film and TV Entertainment for Nickelodeon, met with Nickelodeon artists for a brainstorming session on the elements of their ideal studio, and, with their feedback (and some inspiration from the fabled Willy Wonka chocolate factory), created "a playful, inspirational and cutting-edge lab which will hopefully give birth to the next generation of cartoon classics." He added, "For me, this building is the physical manifestation of a personal dream, which is that when people think of cartoons, they'll say Nicktoons." [14] Nickelodeon and parent company Viacom threw a bash to celebrate the opening of the new Nicktoons animation studio on March 4, 1998. During the launch party, a gathering of union labor supporters formed a picket line to protest Nickelodeon's independent hiring practices outside the studio's iron gates. [14]
Located at 231 West Olive Avenue in Burbank, California, the 72,000-square-foot (6,700 m2) facility, designed by Los Angeles architecture firm AREA, houses 200–300 employees and up to five simultaneous productions. It also contains a miniature golf course (with a hole dedicated to Walt Disney), an indoor basketball course/screening room, an artists' gallery, a studio store, and a fountain that shoots green water into the air. [14] The Nicktoons studio houses five, project driven production units. Each has its own color and design environment and includes a living room, writer's lounge, and storyboard conference room. The studio also has a foley stage, a post-production area, sound editing and mixing rooms and an upstairs loft area with skylights for colorists. [14]
In September 1999, Nickelodeon opened a major new digital animation studio at 1633 Broadway in Manhattan. The New York studio primarily took over production of Nick Jr. animated properties. [15] At the same time, the Los Angeles facility animated the intro for The Amanda Show .
It was reported in 2005 that the Burbank studio was up for sale; this was later corrected, as the owner of the building was selling it. [16]
In mid-2006, Nickelodeon announced a collaboration with DreamWorks Animation to create shows based on DWA's films. The first DWA co-production was The Penguins of Madagascar , which would eventually premiere in November 2008 (followed by 2011's Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness and 2013's Monsters vs. Aliens).
In 2007, Nick launched El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera (the first Nicktoon created in Adobe Flash) and Tak and the Power of Juju (based on the video game series of the same name). Back at the Barnyard (a spinoff of the theatrical film Barnyard ) was released that same year. These shows showed Nickelodeon's increasing willingness to collaborate with a diverse portfolio of companies, with Mexopolis and THQ being examples.
In 2009, Nickelodeon acquired the rights to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles from Mirage Studios. [17] In early 2011, Viacom bought 30 percent of the Italian studio Rainbow SpA, the creators of Winx Club . [18] Following both purchases, Nickelodeon Animation Studio began to produce new content for both franchises: a continuation of Winx Club and a reboot series of TMNT. Since they were produced by Nickelodeon Animation Studio, [19] Nickelodeon refers to both continuations as official Nicktoons. [20]
By 2013, Nickelodeon's deal with DreamWorks Animation had reached an end; according to Bob Schooley, Nickelodeon Animation expressed a desire to refocus on "more Nickish shows." [21] Looking for original concepts, Nickelodeon Animation Studio created the Nickelodeon Animated Shorts Program, under which it would produce new animated shorts with the potential to turn into whole shows. A select few were greenlit and premiered within the following years.
In 2016, Nickelodeon's Burbank animation facility moved into a five-story glass structure that is part of a larger studio complex. The move was intended to bring animated productions currently produced elsewhere in Southern California under a single production facility. [22] Because it houses both animated and live-action productions, the Burbank location has been renamed to simply "Nickelodeon Studios" (which is not to be confused with the original Nickelodeon Studios at Universal Studios Florida, which closed in 2005). [23] The studio also houses the Nickelodeon time capsule, first buried in Orlando, Florida in 1992 at the original Nickelodeon Studios and later at the Nickelodeon Suites Resort in 2006, which has moved to the new studio by the latter's closure and rebrand on June 1, 2016. [24] The capsule is set to be opened on April 30, 2042. The new studio opened on January 11, 2017.
In October 2018, Brian Robbins became president of Nickelodeon. [25] In November, he appointed Ramsey Ann Naito as head of animation at Nickelodeon; [26] she was later promoted to president of Nickelodeon Animation Studio in 2020. [27] In both roles, Naito reported to Robbins. Under Robbins' presidency, Nickelodeon began to focus more on expanding some its preexisting franchises. At Nickelodeon Animation Studio, this effort encompassed continuations for legacy shows, including Rocko's Modern Life: Static Cling and Invader Zim: Enter the Florpus for Netflix and a CGI reboot of Rugrats for Paramount+. The first-ever SpongeBob spin-offs ( Kamp Koral: SpongeBob's Under Years and The Patrick Star Show ) were also produced. The studio also collaborated with corporate sibling CBS Eye Animation Productions to produce Star Trek: Prodigy . [28] In 2021, Avatar Studios, a division of Nickelodeon Animation dedicated to producing projects from the Avatar: The Last Airbender franchise, was launched. [29] In 2023, the studio signed a first-look deal for animated series and features with Lion Forge Entertainment. [30]
The Ren & Stimpy Show, commonly referred to as simply Ren & Stimpy, is an American comedy animated television series created by John Kricfalusi and developed by Kricfalusi, Bob Camp, Jim Smith and Lynne Naylor for Nickelodeon. Originally produced by Spümcø, the series aired on Nickelodeon from August 11, 1991, to December 16, 1995, with its last episode airing on MTV on October 20, 1996, spanning for a total of five seasons and 52 episodes. The series follows the misadventures of Ren Höek, an emotionally unstable and psychotic chihuahua dog; and Stimpy, a good-natured and dimwitted Manx cat. It is the third to be aired of the original three Nickelodeon animated series known as "Nicktoons", alongside Doug and Rugrats, and is considered to be one of the progenitor series of the brand.
Rugrats is an American animated television series created by Arlene Klasky, Gábor Csupó, and Paul Germain for Nickelodeon. The series focuses on a group of toddlers, most prominently Tommy, Chuckie, Phil, and Lil, and their day-to-day lives, usually involving life experiences that become much greater adventures in the imaginations of the main characters.
Spümcø, Inc. was an American animation studio that was active from 1989 to 2005 and based in Los Angeles, California. The studio was best known for working on the first two seasons of The Ren & Stimpy Show for Nickelodeon and for various commercials. The studio won several awards, including an Annie Award for Best Animated Short Subject for the music video of the song "I Miss You" by Björk.
Rocko's Modern Life is an American animated television series created by Joe Murray for Nickelodeon. The series centers on the surreal life of an anthropomorphic Australian immigrant wallaby named Rocko and his friends: the eccentric steer Heffer Wolfe, the neurotic turtle Filburt, and Rocko's faithful dog Spunky. It is set in the fictional town of O-Town. Throughout its run to present day, the series has been controversial for its adult humor, including double entendre, innuendo, and satirical social commentary, and gained a cult following, similar to The Ren & Stimpy Show.
Doug is an American animated sitcom created by Jim Jinkins and produced by Jumbo Pictures. It originally aired on Nickelodeon from August 11, 1991, to January 2, 1994, and on ABC from September 7, 1996, to June 26, 1999. The show focuses on the early adolescent life and zany hijinks of its title character, Douglas "Doug" Funnie, who experiences common predicaments while attending school in his new hometown of Bluffington. Doug narrates each story in his journal, and the show incorporates many imagination sequences. The series addresses numerous topics, including trying to fit in, platonic and romantic relationships, self-esteem, bullying, and rumors. Many episodes center on Doug's attempts to impress his classmate and crush, Patti Mayonnaise.
Michael John Kricfalusi, known professionally as John K., is a Canadian illustrator, blogger, and former animator and voice actor. He is the creator of the animated television series The Ren & Stimpy Show, which was highly influential on televised animation during the 1990s. From 1989 to 1992, he was heavily involved with the first two seasons of the show in virtually every aspect of its production, including providing the voice of Ren Höek and other characters. In 2009, he won the Inkpot Award.
Nicktoons is a collective name used by Nickelodeon for their original animated series. All Nicktoons are produced partly at the Nickelodeon Animation Studio and list Nickelodeon's parent company in their copyright bylines.
Ren & Stimpy "Adult Party Cartoon" is an animated television series created and directed by John Kricfalusi and produced by Spümcø for TNN / Spike TV. The series was developed as a more "extreme" revamp and spin-off of Nickelodeon's The Ren & Stimpy Show, which Spümcø produced the first two seasons. The series premiered on June 26, 2003, and was removed from the network on July 24, after airing only three episodes; the remaining episodes were released on DVD. During its run, Adult Party Cartoon was heavily panned by critics, audiences and fans of the original series. It has been referred to as one of the worst animated series of all time.
George Liquor is a cartoon character created by John Kricfalusi. Liquor is most famous for his appearances on The Ren & Stimpy Show. He is considered Kricfalusi's signature character and was a mascot for Kricfalusi's defunct animation studio, Spümcø. Kricfalusi portrayed George Liquor as a patriotic, outspoken, politically conservative blowhard. Kricfalusi described Liquor as his favorite character to animate.
Robert Frank Camp is an American animator, writer, cartoonist, comic book artist, storyboard artist, director, and producer. He is best known for his work for developing and serving as a showrunner for The Ren & Stimpy Show. He has been nominated for two Emmys, a CableACE Award, and an Annie Award for his work on The Ren & Stimpy Show.
Vincent Paul Waller is an American animator, storyboard artist, writer, and technical director. He has worked on several animated television shows and movies, the most notable of which being The Ren & Stimpy Show and SpongeBob SquarePants.
Ren Höek and Stimpson J. "Stimpy" Cat, created by John Kricfalusi, are the title characters in the Nickelodeon animated series The Ren & Stimpy Show, and its 2003 spin-off Ren & Stimpy "Adult Party Cartoon". Kricfalusi created the characters during his stay at Sheridan College and they first appeared on film in the pilot episode "Big House Blues". Ren is a scrawny, emotionally unstable, and psychotic "Asthma Hound" Chihuahua, and his best friend Stimpy is a dim-witted, good-natured Manx cat. The show portrays their wacky, bizarre, and often surreal misadventures.
CatDog is an American animated television series created by Peter Hannan for Nickelodeon. The series follows the zany hijinks of orange-furred conjoined brothers of different species, with one half of the resultant animal being a cat and the other a dog. Nickelodeon produced the series from Burbank, California. The first episode aired on April 4, 1998, following the 1998 Kids' Choice Awards, before the show officially premiered on October 5, 1998. Similarly, the Season 2 episode "Fetch" was shown in theaters in 1998 before airing on television.
Nickelodeon is an American basic cable and satellite television network that is part of the Nickelodeon Group, a unit of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global, which focuses on programs for children and teenagers ages 2 to 17 years old.
Lynne Rae Naylor is a Canadian animator, artist, designer, director, and producer for television. She is best known for co-creating DreamWorks' The Mighty Ones, co-founding the animation studio Spümcø with John Kricfalusi, Bob Camp, and Jim Smith, and co-developing The Ren & Stimpy Show for Nickelodeon. She also worked on Batman: The Animated Series, The Powerpuff Girls, Samurai Jack, Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go!, Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi, My Life as a Teenage Robot, and Wander Over Yonder.
Vanessa Coffey is an American television producer and co-founder of the Nickelodeon Animation Studio best known for her work on Rugrats, The Ren & Stimpy Show, Doug and Rocko's Modern Life. Coffey has won two Daytime Emmy Awards and a CableACE Award.
"Big House Blues" is a 1990 American animated comedy film produced by Spümcø. Originally screened at a film festival with a censored version later airing on Nickelodeon, it was succeeded by The Ren & Stimpy Show on the network, to which it serves as a pilot episode.
Happy Happy Joy Joy: The Ren and Stimpy Story is an American documentary film, directed and produced by Ron Cicero and Kimo Easterwood. It had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 24, 2020 and was released on April 16, 2022 on True Story.