 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Visual effects, CGI animation |
| Founded | April 2003 |
| Headquarters | , |
Number of locations | 2 (Mumbai, India) |
Number of employees | 500 -800 |
| Divisions | Rhythm & Hues Studios, Inc. |
| Website | Prana Studios |
Prana Studios, Inc. was an American computer animation and visual effects company, founded in 2003 in Los Angeles, United States, with a wholly owned subsidiary in Mumbai, India.
Prana Studios' investors include Reliance Industries and Mahindra Group. [1]
Prana Studios was founded in April 2003 by Arish Fyzee, Kristin Dornig and Pankaj Gunsagar. [2] Prana opened a Mumbai subsidiary in 2003. [3]
Prana produced highest quality CGI imagery and intellectual property for worldwide markets, and for major U.S. studios also including several animation studios, in long form animation, commercials, digital effects, and themed entertainment. Their computer generated artistry included the digital CG production for multiple animated features for The Walt Disney Company, including the Tinker Bell franchise and Planes for DisneyToon Studios, [4] [5] among others. Prana was hired by Kanbar Entertainment to rescue the digital production on the independent animated monster hit "Hoodwinked!,” [6] and was instrumental in the final delivery, leading to a 110M box office hit. In 2006, The Weinstein Company launched a series of independent direct-to-video CGI feature-length films called Unstable Fables - they were produced amongst others, by The Jim Henson Company, Flame Ventures and Prana Studios. [2] The first released was 3 Pigs and a Baby, the second released was Tortoise vs. Hare and third and final released was The Goldilocks and the 3 Bears Show. Long form productions also included the independent Bollywood production Kuch Kuch Hota Hai for Dharma Productions, [7] as well as the Pathé French animated film Why I Did (Not) Eat My Father.
Prana would later go on producing on CG Animation for other animated films and series, Including Legends of Oz: Dorothy’s Return for Now-Defunct Summertime Entertainment, which shut down following of the Box-Office Disappointment of the film. Mexican animation company Ánima Estudios hired Prana Studios to contribute on CG Production for the films Top Cat: The Movie and Top Cat Begins, Then later partnered with French animation company Blue Spirit Animation to produce animation for Oggy and the Cockroaches for Xilam, Kaeloo for Cube Creative, and the French animated series Splat & Harry (Based on the book Splat the Cat written and illustrated by Rob Scotton). They also did visual effects and animation for Marvel Experience, an interactive attraction to bring Marvel Universe into new worlds.
On March 29, 2013, Prana Studios affiliate 34x118 Holdings, LLC won the bidding of Rhythm & Hues Studios in a bankruptcy auction. Post 2013, Rhythm&Hues and their VFX Supervisors were multiple Emmy and Visual Effects Society Award nominees and winners for their work on Game of Thrones. [8]
Prana Studios, Inc. is the recipient of multiple Themed Entertainment nominations and Awards, including for the attraction "5D Castle Theatre" at the prestigious Chimelong Ocean Kingdom in Zuhai, China. [9]
Prana’s only unproduced animated films were Koochie Koochie Hota Hai for Dharma Productions, Punk Farm for MGM, Wish directed by Cory Edwards, and The Power of Zhu and The Secret of Zhu for MoonScoop.
| Title | Original release date | Co-production with |
|---|---|---|
| The ChubbChubbs Save Xmas | August 8, 2007 | Columbia Pictures Sony Pictures Animation |
| Alex & Sylvia | April 2015 | BRC Imagination Arts [11] |
| Kaka's Great Adventure | May 2015 | Chimelong Ocean Kingdom [12] |
| Title | Original release date | Co-production with | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pixie Hollow Games | November 19, 2011 | DisneyToon Studios | |
| An Elf's Story: The Elf on the Shelf | November 26, 2011 | Trick 3D | |
| Game of Thrones [13] | April 17, 2011 | HBO | VFX only |
| The VeggieTales Show | October 22, 2019 | Big Idea Entertainment |
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Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil is a 2011 animated spy comedy film and the sequel to Hoodwinked! (2005). Directed by Mike Disa in his theatrical feature directorial debut, the film was written by Disa, Cory Edwards, Todd Edwards and Tony Leech. It features the voices of Hayden Panettiere, Glenn Close, Patrick Warburton, Joan Cusack, Bill Hader, Amy Poehler, Martin Short, Andy Dick, and David Ogden Stiers. In the sequel, Red and Wolf team up to rescue Hansel and Gretel and Granny from an evil witch.
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