Formerly | Sunbow Productions (1980–1995) [1] |
---|---|
Industry | Television production Animation production Animated films |
Founded | June 23, 1980 |
Founder | Griffin-Bacal Advertising |
Defunct | December 9, 2009 |
Fate | Dormant, folded into TV-Loonland |
Successor | Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Library: Hasbro Entertainment Studio 100 |
Headquarters | , United States |
Key people | Tom Griffin Joe Bacal |
Parent | Griffin-Bacal Advertising (1980–1998) Sony Wonder (1998–2000) TV-Loonland AG (2000–2009) |
Divisions | Sunbow Productions International |
Sunbow Entertainment (known as Sunbow Productions until 1995) was an American animation studio and distributor, founded on June 23, 1980, and owned until May 4, 1998, by Griffin-Bacal Advertising in New York City and in the United States. Griffin-Bacal's first animations were animated commercials for Hasbro's G.I. Joe toy line. The success of the animated commercials led partners Tom Griffin and Joe Bacal to form the company. Due to their close working relationship with Hasbro, Sunbow came to be recognized as the toy giant's unofficial television arm.
Sunbow is noted for many cartoons aired during the 1980s. Most of their work was co-produced with Marvel Productions. Although it is not limited to Hasbro's various toy lines its reputation is linked to the cartoon series tied to them. Its animation was initially produced by the Japanese animation studio Toei Animation, supplemented by the South Korean animation studio AKOM later on.
By 1987, most of Hasbro's toy lines were losing money and internal struggles forced the company to end popular series such as Jem , G.I. Joe and Transformers . Two of Sunbow's animated movies, The Transformers: The Movie and My Little Pony: The Movie , flopped at the box office, forcing a third project, G.I. Joe: The Movie , to be released directly to video. It also led to end the partnership with Marvel Productions in late 1980s. Sunbow also worked with TMS Entertainment with Hasbro's Visionaries: Knights of the Magical Light .
In a bid to produce original material, Sunbow produced several cartoons through the early 1990s such as The Tick and Conan the Adventurer . Only The Tick managed to gain popularity and critical acclaim.
On May 4, 1998, Sony Wonder, a division of Sony Music, bought Sunbow Productions [2] in order to expand to more original programming for their television division. On May 1, 1999, Sunbow took over European distribution of Sony Wonder's TV IPs. [3] [4]
On October 3, 2000, German-based company TV-Loonland AG purchased Sony Wonder's television business assets including Sunbow Entertainment. [5] [6] In exchange for the purchase, Sony Wonder retained US distribution rights to the Sunbow catalogue. Previously, Rhino Entertainment owned the U.S. home video distribution rights to the Sunbow catalogue. The rights then changed hands to Sony Wonder with its acquisition of the catalogue.
On September 5, 2001, the company announced a co-production deal with Rumpus Toys to produce Kappa Mikey , with TV-Loonland holding worldwide and home video distribution rights. [7] On May 29, 2002, the project was picked up by Noggin for its teen-oriented programming block The N. [8] Noggin/The N signed a co-development deal for the series, [9] For unknown reasons, Sunbow and TV-Loonland would later silently pull out of the deal, with the final produced show having no involvement with the two companies.
On October 12, 2001, Sunbow announced a co-development deal with Nickelodeon to produce Skeleton Key , an animated series based on a comic book of the same name [10] [11] for an initial run of 13 episodes. However, the series never materialized. On November 6, production on TV special Donner was completed (originally started in June 2001 [12] ), and aired as planned on December 1, on ABC Family. [13]
On April 10, 2002, the studio announced two additional projects - The Many Adventures of Johnny Mutton, and Mr Stick & Slug Boy. [14] [15] Another pickup came on October 8 with a television adaptation of the book The Day I Swapped My Dad for Two Goldfish in development; [15] however, none of these projects would come into fruition.
After the announcement that The Cramp Twins' second season would be produced by fellow-Loonland owned studio Telemagination on October 23, 2002, [16] Sunbow later became dormant after their existing projects were shelved, although they still remained as a company until at least 2009. [17]
On March 29, 2007, Sony Music Entertainment announced they would shut down Sony Wonder, leaving the US deal under limbo. [18] However, on June 20, 2007, it was announced that Sony Wonder had been moved into Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, which eventually it renamed as Sony Pictures Family Fun in 2015. [19] [20] However, the Sunbow licenses were not included in the purchase.
On May 14, 2008, Hasbro announced that it had obtained the rights to all the Sunbow Productions animated series based on Hasbro properties for $7 million. This includes Transformers , G.I. Joe , My Little Pony , Jem and the Holograms , and many more. [21] [22] [23] [24] These titles are currently managed as part of the Hasbro Entertainment library.
TV-Loonland filed for bankruptcy on December 9, 2009; [25] its catalogue was acquired by German distributor Made 4 Entertainment on April 5, 2011. [26] In February 2017, Belgian production company Studio 100 purchased a majority stake in m4e. [27]
Show | Year | Network | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
The Great Space Coaster | 1981–1983 | Syndication | Co-production with Metromedia Television |
G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero | 1983–1986 | Based on the Hasbro toyline of the same name. Co-production with Marvel Productions [28] | |
The Transformers | 1984–1987 | based on the Hasbro toyline of same name. Co-production with Marvel Productions [28] | |
Super Sunday (aka Super Saturday) | 1985 | based on the Hasbro toyline of the same name. Co-production with Marvel Productions [28] | |
Jem and the Holograms | 1986 | based on the Hasbro toyline of the same name. Co-production with Marvel Productions [29] | |
Inhumanoids | based on the Hasbro toyline of the same name. Co-production with Marvel Productions [30] | ||
My Little Pony 'n Friends | based on the Hasbro toyline of same name. Co-production with Marvel Productions; [28] first half of the show was My Little Pony while the second half was a wheel series [31] | ||
Bucky O'Hare and the Toad Wars! [32] | 1991–1992 | co-production with Abrams/Gentile Entertainment, Continuity Comics, IDDH, and Marvel Productions | |
My Little Pony Tales | 1992 | The Disney Channel | based on the Hasbro toyline of the same name. Co-production with Graz Entertainment |
Conan the Adventurer | 1992–1993 | Syndication | co-production with Graz Entertainment (Season 1), Créativité & Developpement (Season 2) and AB Productions (Season 2) |
Conan and the Young Warriors | 1994 | CBS | co-production with Graz Entertainment |
The Tick | 1994–1996 | Fox | co-production with Graz Entertainment and Fox Children's Productions. Currently owned by The Walt Disney Company through BVS Entertainment |
The Mask: The Animated Series | 1995–1997 | CBS | co-production with Film Roman, Dark Horse Entertainment and New Line Television. Currently owned by Warner Bros. |
Littlest Pet Shop | 1995 | Syndication | based on Hasbro toyline. Co-production with Créativité & Développement, and AB Productions. Currently owned by Mediawan Thematics |
G.I. Joe Extreme | 1995 | based on Hasbro toyline. Co-production with Gunther-Wahl Productions and Graz Entertainment | |
Salty's Lighthouse | 1997–1998 | Syndication (1997) TLC (1998) | |
The Crayon Box | Syndication | co-production with Chiodo Bros. Productions, Random House Studio, and PolyGram Television | |
Mission Genesis | 1997 | Sci-Fi Channel | International distribution only. |
Student Bodies | 1997–2000 | Fox | Season 1 international distribution only. Produced by Telescene and 20th Television |
The Brothers Flub | 1999–2000 | Nickelodeon Super RTL | co-production with Ravensburger Film + TV, Videal and Sony Wonder Television |
Fat Dog Mendoza | 2000–2001 | Cartoon Network | co-production with TMO-Loonland, Cartoon Network Europe and Sony Wonder Television |
Generation O! | The WB (Kids' WB) | co-production with RTV Family Entertainment and Sony Wonder Television | |
The Cramp Twins | 2001–2004 | Cartoon Network | co-production with TV-Loonland AG and Cartoon Network Europe. Series 2 was produced by Telemagination |
Airdate | Title | Network | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
October 25, 1983 | The Charmkins | syndication | based on Hasbro toyline of same name |
April 14, 1984 | My Little Pony: Rescue at Midnight Castle | syndication | based on Hasbro toyline of same name |
March 23, 1985 | My Little Pony: Escape from Catrina | syndication | based on Hasbro toyline of same name |
Hasbro properties
Airdate | Title | Notes |
---|---|---|
June 20, 1986 | My Little Pony: The Movie | with Marvel Productions [28] |
August 8, 1986 | The Transformers: The Movie | with Marvel Productions [28] |
1986 | Inhumanoids: The Movie DTV | with Marvel Productions [28] |
April 20, 1987 | G.I. Joe: The Movie DTV | with Marvel Productions [28] |
Claster Television, Inc. was a Baltimore, Maryland–based television distributor founded in 1953 by Bertram H. (Bert) Claster and Nancy Claster (Goldman) as Romper Room Inc. It was originally a producer of the children's show Romper Room, one of the first preschool children's programs.
Jem, also known as Jem and The Holograms, is an American animated musical television series that ran from 1985 to 1988. The series is about record company owner Jerrica Benton, her singer alter-ego Jem, and the adventures of her band Jem and The Holograms. The series was a joint collaboration by Hasbro, Sunbow Productions and Marvel Productions, the same team responsible for G.I. Joe and Transformers. The creator of the series, Christy Marx, had also been a staff writer for the aforementioned programs. The animation for most of the episodes was provided by Japanese animation studio Toei Animation with eleven episodes, including the opening sequence provided by South Korean studio AKOM.
The Cramp Twins is an animated television series created by British cartoonist Brian Wood based on his 1995 graphic novel of the same name. The show was produced by Sunbow Entertainment, Telemagination, and TV-Loonland AG, in association with Cartoon Network Europe.
Transformers, is a media franchise produced by American toy company Hasbro and Japanese toy company Takara Tomy. It primarily follows the heroic Autobots and the villainous Decepticons, two alien robot factions at war that can transform into other forms, such as vehicles and animals. The franchise encompasses toys, animation, comic books, video games and films. As of 2011, it generated more than ¥2 trillion in revenue, making it one of the highest-grossing media franchises of all time.
Visionaries: Knights of the Magical Light is a science fantasy media franchise that consisted of a short-lived toyline of action figures and vehicles produced by Hasbro, and an animated television series by Sunbow Productions that ran for one season of thirteen episodes in 1987. Star Comics published a bimonthly comic book series that lasted six issues from November 1987 to September 1988. The animated series was the first Hasbro property to be produced by Sunbow without the aid of Marvel Productions, and utilized Japanese studio Tokyo Movie Shinsha for overseas animation work.
Lee Gunther was a co-founder of Marvel Productions and a film editor on more than 85 animated shorts in all.
Marvel Productions, later known as New World Animation Ltd., was an American production company owned by the Fox Entertainment Group subsidiary of News Corporation which was founded in 1981 as the television and film studio subsidiary of the Marvel Entertainment Group, based in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California. It later became a subsidiary of New World Entertainment and eventually of News Corporation.
G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero is a military-themed line of action figures and toys in Hasbro's G.I. Joe franchise. The toyline lasted from 1982 to 1994, producing well over 500 figures and 250 vehicles and playsets. The line reappeared in 1997 and has continued in one form or another to the present day. It was supported by two animated series as well as a major comic series published by Marvel Comics.
G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero is a half-hour American animated television series created by Ron Friedman. Based on the toyline from Hasbro, the cartoon ran in syndication from 1983 to 1986. 95 episodes were produced.
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Kappa Mikey is an American animated comedy television series created by Larry Schwarz. Animated by Schwarz's production company, Animation Collective, The series ran from February 25, 2006 to September 20, 2008, with repeats until November 29, 2010. across two seasons. 52 22-minute episodes were produced.
The Transformers is an animated television series that originally aired from September 17, 1984, to November 11, 1987, in syndication based upon Hasbro and Takara's Transformers toy line. The first television series in the Transformers franchise, it depicts a war among giant robots that can transform into vehicles and other objects. The series was produced by Marvel Productions and Sunbow Productions in association with Japanese studio Toei Animation for first-run syndication. Toei co-produced the show as the main animation studio for its first two seasons, having been tasked with creating and finalizing animation models, designing transformation schemes, storyboarding some episodes, and general direction. In the third season, Toei's involvement with the production team was reduced and the animation services were shared with the South Korean studio AKOM. The show's supervising producer was also AKOM's founder. The fourth season was entirely animated by AKOM. The series was supplemented by a feature film, The Transformers: The Movie (1986), taking place between the second and third seasons. This series is also popularly known as "Generation One", a term originally coined by fans in response to the re-branding of the franchise as Transformers: Generation 2 in 1992, which eventually made its way into official use. The series was later shown in reruns on Sci-Fi Channel and The Hub / Discovery Family.
Transformers: Generation 1 is a toy line from 1984 to 1990, produced by Hasbro and Takara Tomy. It was a line of toy robots that could change into an alternate form by moving parts into other places, and it was the first line of toys produced for the successful Transformers toy and entertainment franchise. The line was originally called The Transformers, with "Generation 1" originating as a term coined by fans of the toys when the Transformers: Generation 2 toy line was released in 1992. Hasbro eventually adopted the term "Generation 1" to refer to any toy produced in that era.
G.I. Joe is a line of military-themed action figures produced by Hasbro.
Fat Dog Mendoza is an animated television series produced by Sunbow Entertainment, Sony Wonder Television, and TMO-Loonland. The series is loosely based on a Dark Horse one-off comic book of the same name. The first Cartoon Network Europe co-production, it premiered on Cartoon Network UK on February 28, 2000.
G.I. Joe is an American media franchise and a line of action figures owned and produced by the toy company Hasbro. The initial product offering represented four of the branches of the U.S. armed forces with the Action Soldier, Action Sailor, Action Pilot, Action Marine and later on, the Action Nurse. The name is derived from the usage of "G.I. Joe" for the generic U.S. soldier, itself derived from the more general term "G.I.". The development of G.I. Joe led to the coining of the term "action figure". G.I. Joe's appeal to children has made it an American icon among toys.
Allspark, formerly known as Hasbro Studios, LLC, was an American production and distribution company owned by toy and multimedia company Hasbro and based in Burbank, California that was in operation from 2009 to 2019. Originally just a television division, many of its shows were based on Hasbro properties and were broadcast on multiple media platforms, including Hasbro's joint venture Discovery Family.
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