Warner Bros. Family Entertainment

Last updated

Warner Bros. Family Entertainment
Company type Label
Industry Film
Founded1992;32 years ago (1992)
Defunct2011;13 years ago (2011)
FateShuttered, Currently an in-name-only unit of Warner Bros. Pictures and Warner Bros. Animation
SuccessorsStudio:
Warner Bros. Pictures
Warner Bros. Pictures Animation
Warner Bros. Animation
Library:
Warner Bros.
Headquarters 411 North Hollywood Way, Burbank, California,
Area served
Worldwide
Products Motion pictures
Parent Warner Bros.

Warner Bros. Family Entertainment was the family division label of Warner Bros. Entertainment. It released numerous theatrical and direct-to-video family-oriented films and television shows.

Contents

History

The division was founded in 1992 to produce more family-friendly films. The first theatrical film released under the Family Entertainment label was Dennis the Menace , released in the summer of 1993. The film proved to be a huge hit at the box office, grossing over $50 million at the domestic box office despite receiving negative reviews from critics. Following it was Free Willy , which was also released in the summer of 1993 and would also be a huge box office hit, grossing over $75 million domestically.

Other 1993 releases included a live-action film adaptation of the book The Secret Garden, which didn't perform as well as the previous two films but still garnered over $30 million at the domestic box office, and George Balanchine's The Nutcracker . The last 1993 WBFE theatrical release was Batman: Mask of the Phantasm , and it wasn't a success at the box office, getting only $5 million at the box office compared to its $6 million budget, due to a lack of promotion from Warner Bros.

In 1994, it was the worst year for WBFE, where it was home to numerous box-office bombs. In the early part of 1994, Warner released Thumbelina , which was a major box-office bomb. Another 1994 film was a live-action rendition of the book Black Beauty , which was another box-office bomb for the studio, grabbing only nearly $5 million at the box office. Following it was A Troll in Central Park , which garnered less than $1 million at the box office. The last two films in 1994 were Little Giants , which performed better, but only received nearly $20 million domestically and Richie Rich , which was a box-office success, grossing over $76 million for its $40 million budget.

In 1995, it brought a live-action rendition of the book A Little Princess , which only got over $10 million in its domestic release. Other films that year included international distribution of The Pebble and the Penguin , which was a box-office bomb, grossing nearly $4 million, and Born to Be Wild , which also garnered nearly $4 million. However, the biggest success of 1995 for the company was the sequel to Free Willy , Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home , which, although not nearly as successful as the first film, was a minor success, garnering over $30 million.

In 1996, it saw WBFE's biggest hit yet, Space Jam , which garnered over $90 million domestically. The following year, the division released Turner Feature Animation's Cats Don't Dance (inherited from Turner Pictures as a result of Time Warner's merger with Turner Broadcasting), which bombed at the box office with over $3 million earned stemming from a lack of promotion. The next 1997 film was a sequel to The Swan Princess , The Swan Princess: Escape from Castle Mountain , but it performed poorly at the box office mainly because of a limited theatrical release. The final 1997 film was the third Free Willy film, Free Willy 3: The Rescue , which performed poorly, grossing over $3 million.

In 1998, it released Warner Bros. Feature Animation's Quest for Camelot , which would be a box-office bomb, but grossed more than previous films released by the company, grossing nearly $23 million domestically. In 1999, WBFE released two more films, the poorly performed The King and I , which only grossed nearly $12 million, and Brad Bird's The Iron Giant , which was also a box-office bomb, grossing over $23 million. The Iron Giant would, however, go on to become a cult classic through video releases and TV airings. The only film released under WBFE in 2000 was My Dog Skip , which became the company's first major box-office success in nearly four years, grossing nearly $35 million.

Two more family films were released in 2001 through WBFE. Cats & Dogs was proved to be one of the biggest successes of the company's history, grossing over $200 million worldwide. The next film, Osmosis Jones , was hoped to follow the previous two films in the success line-up, but was another flop at the box-office, only grossing nearly $15 million.

Warner Bros. continued to release family films later in the 2000s as well as the 2010s, but the logo for its Family Entertainment subsidiary was no longer used in the USA.

WBFE continued operations in Germany until 2011, after releasing Laura's Star and the Dream Monsters .

Though made before Warner Bros. created the label, it also covers the VHS releases of Calamity Jane , The Incredible Mr. Limpet , The Wizard of Oz , Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory , Superman , Bugs Bunny's 3rd Movie: 1001 Rabbit Tales , The NeverEnding Story , The Goonies , Daffy Duck's Quackbusters , All Dogs Go to Heaven (the 1996 UK VHS release only), The NeverEnding Story II: The Next Chapter , Rover Dangerfield , Curly Sue and Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman . [1]

Notable theatrical movies

Notable direct-to-video movies

Release DateTitleNotes
1990s
March 11, 1992 Tiny Toon Adventures: How I Spent My Vacation with Amblin Entertainment
November 21, 1995 The Snow Queen with Martin Gates Productions
1996 The Snow Queen's Revenge with Martin Gates Productions
March 17, 1998 Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero with DC Entertainment
July 14, 1998 Dennis the Menace Strikes Again with Outlaw Productions
September 22, 1998 Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island with Hanna-Barbera
November 3, 1998 Richie Rich's Christmas Wish with Saban Entertainment
October 5, 1999 Scooby-Doo! and the Witch's Ghost with Hanna-Barbera
December 21, 1999 Wakko's Wish with Amblin Entertainment
2000s
August 26, 2000 The Scarecrow with Rich Animation Studios
September 12, 2000 Tweety's High-Flying Adventure
October 3, 2000 Scooby-Doo and the Alien Invaders with Hanna-Barbera
December 12, 2000 Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker with DC Entertainment
October 9, 2001 Scooby-Doo and the Cyber Chase with Hanna-Barbera
March 12, 2002 Tom and Jerry: The Magic Ring with Turner Entertainment
February 11, 2003 Baby Looney Tunes' Eggs-traordinary Adventure
March 4, 2003 Scooby-Doo! and the Legend of the Vampire
September 30, 2003 Scooby-Doo! and the Monster of Mexico
October 21, 2003 Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman with DC Entertainment
June 22, 2004 Scooby-Doo! and the Loch Ness Monster
October 5, 2004 ¡Mucha Lucha!: The Return of El Maléfico with Fwak! Animation
November 16, 2004 Kangaroo Jack: G'Day U.S.A.! with Castle Rock Entertainment
January 18, 2005 Tom and Jerry: Blast Off to Mars with Turner Entertainment
February 8, 2005 Aloha, Scooby-Doo!
October 11, 2005 Tom and Jerry: The Fast and the Furry with Turner Entertainment; released theatrically in select cities by Kidtoon Films
October 18, 2005 The Batman vs. Dracula with DC Entertainment; television film
December 13, 2005 Scooby-Doo! in Where's My Mummy? released theatrically in select cities by Kidtoon Films
June 20, 2006 Superman: Brainiac Attacks with DC Entertainment
August 22, 2006 Tom and Jerry: Shiver Me Whiskers with Turner Entertainment
September 15, 2006 Teen Titans: Trouble in Tokyo with DC Entertainment; television film
September 19, 2006 Scooby Doo! Pirates Ahoy!
November 14, 2006 Bah, Humduck! A Looney Tunes Christmas
September 4, 2007 Chill Out, Scooby-Doo!
October 2, 2007 Tom and Jerry: A Nutcracker Tale with Turner Entertainment

Notable television shows

Related Research Articles

<i>Batman</i> (1989 film) 1989 superhero film by Tim Burton

Batman is a 1989 superhero film based on the DC Comics character of the same name, created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger. Directed by Tim Burton, it is the first installment of Warner Bros.' initial Batman film series. The film was produced by Jon Peters and Peter Guber and stars Jack Nicholson, Michael Keaton, Kim Basinger, Robert Wuhl, Pat Hingle, Billy Dee Williams, Michael Gough, and Jack Palance. The film takes place early in the war on crime of the title character (Keaton) and depicts his conflict with his archenemy the Joker (Nicholson).

<i>Batman & Robin</i> (film) 1997 superhero film by Joel Schumacher

Batman & Robin is a 1997 American superhero film based on the DC Comics characters Batman and Robin by Bill Finger and Bob Kane. It is the fourth and final installment of Warner Bros.' initial Batman film series, a sequel to Batman Forever (1995), and the only film in the series made without the involvement of Tim Burton in any capacity. Directed by Joel Schumacher and written by Akiva Goldsman, it stars George Clooney as Bruce Wayne / Batman and Chris O'Donnell as Dick Grayson / Robin, alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger, Uma Thurman, and Alicia Silverstone. The film follows the eponymous characters as they attempt to prevent Mr. Freeze (Schwarzenegger) and Poison Ivy (Thurman) from taking over the world, while at the same time struggling to keep their partnership together.

<i>Batman Forever</i> 1995 superhero film by Joel Schumacher

Batman Forever is a 1995 American superhero film based on the DC Comics character Batman by Bob Kane and Bill Finger. It is the third installment of Warner Bros.' initial Batman film series and a sequel to Batman Returns (1992). Directed by Joel Schumacher and produced by Tim Burton and Peter MacGregor-Scott, it stars Val Kilmer as Bruce Wayne / Batman, replacing Michael Keaton, alongside Tommy Lee Jones, Jim Carrey, Nicole Kidman, and Chris O'Donnell. The film follows Batman as he attempts to prevent Two-Face (Jones) and the Riddler (Carrey) from uncovering his secret identity and extracting information from the minds of Gotham City's residents, while at the same time navigating his feelings for psychologist Dr. Chase Meridian (Kidman) and adopting orphaned acrobat Dick Grayson (O'Donnell)—who becomes his partner, Robin.

<i>Batman: The Animated Series</i> American animated television series by DC Comics

Batman: The Animated Series is an American animated superhero television series based on the DC Comics superhero Batman. Developed by Bruce Timm and Eric Radomski, and produced by Warner Bros. Animation, it originally aired on Fox Kids from September 5, 1992, to September 15, 1995, with a total of 85 episodes. Mid-way through the series' run, it was re-titled The Adventures of Batman & Robin.

<i>Batman: Mask of the Phantasm</i> 1993 film by Eric Radomski and Bruce Timm

Batman: Mask of the Phantasm is a 1993 American animated romantic superhero film featuring the DC Comics character Batman. It was directed by Eric Radomski and Bruce Timm, and written by Alan Burnett, Paul Dini, Martin Pasko, and Michael Reaves. The film is based on Batman: The Animated Series (1992–1995), and is the first film of the DC Animated Universe and the only one to receive a theatrical release. Kevin Conroy, Mark Hamill, Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Bob Hastings and Robert Costanzo reprise their voice roles from Batman: The Animated Series, joined by Dana Delany, Hart Bochner, Stacy Keach Jr., Abe Vigoda, Dick Miller and John P. Ryan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Line Cinema</span> American film and television production company

New Line Productions, Inc., doing business as New Line Cinema, is an American film and television production studio owned by Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD). Since 2008, it has been operating as a unit of Warner Bros. Pictures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amblin Entertainment</span> American film production company

Amblin' Entertainment, Inc., formerly named Amblin Productions, is an American film production company founded by director and producer Steven Spielberg, and film producers Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall in 1980. Its headquarters are located in Bungalow 477 of the Universal Studios backlot in Universal City, California. It distributes all of the films from Amblin Partners under the Amblin Entertainment banner.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Castle Rock Entertainment</span> American film and television production company

Castle Rock Entertainment is an American independent film and television production company founded in 1987 by Martin Shafer, director Rob Reiner, Andrew Scheinman, Glenn Padnick and Alan Horn. It is a label of Warner Bros. Entertainment, itself a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warner Bros. Animation</span> American animation studio owned by Warner Bros.

Warner Bros. Animation Inc. is an American animation studio which is part of the Warner Bros. Television Group, a division of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which is a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery and serves as the animation division and label of Warner Bros.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Superhero film</span> Film genre

Superhero films are films centered around superheroes and their adventures, with characters often possessing superhuman abilities and/or exceptional skills. Superhero films typically blend elements of action, adventure, fantasy, or science fiction. If there are multiple films about a particular superhero character, the first film often focuses on the hero's origin story and typically introduces the hero's nemesis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures</span> American film distribution studio

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures is an American film distributor within the Disney Entertainment division of the Walt Disney Company. It handles theatrical and occasional digital distribution, marketing and promotion for films produced and released by the Walt Disney Studios, including Walt Disney Pictures, Walt Disney Animation Studios, Pixar, Marvel Studios, Lucasfilm, 20th Century Studios, and internationally Searchlight Pictures; which operates its own autonomous theatrical distribution and marketing unit in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cully Hamner</span> American comic book artist (born 1969)

Cully Hamner is an American comic book artist, known for his work on such books as Green Lantern: Mosaic, Blue Beetle, Black Lightning: Year One, and Detective Comics. He is the co-creator and illustrator of the 2003 graphic novel Red, which was adapted into a 2010 feature film of the same name starring Bruce Willis, as well as a 2013 sequel. He is also the co-creator of Jaime Reyes, the DC Comics character at the center of the 2023 feature film Blue Beetle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Harvey Entertainment Company</span> Animation production arm of comic book publisher Harvey Comics

The Harvey Entertainment Company was the production arm of comic book publisher Harvey Comics. It was founded in 1957.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Batman in film</span> Film adaptations of the DC superhero

The Batman franchise, based on the fictional superhero Batman who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics, has seen the release of various films. Created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger, the character first starred in two serial films in the 1940s, Batman and Batman and Robin. The character also appeared in the 1966 film Batman, which was a feature film adaptation of the 1960s television series starring Adam West and Burt Ward, who also starred in the film. Toward the end of the 1980s, the Warner Bros. studio began producing a series of feature films starring Batman, beginning with 1989's Batman, directed by Tim Burton and starring Michael Keaton. Burton and Keaton returned for the 1992 sequel Batman Returns, and in 1995, Joel Schumacher directed Batman Forever, with Val Kilmer as Batman. Schumacher also directed the 1997 sequel Batman & Robin, which starred George Clooney. Batman & Robin was poorly received by both critics and fans, leading to the cancellation of a sequel titled Batman Unchained.

DreamWorks Pictures is an American film studio and distribution label of Amblin Partners. It was originally founded on October 12, 1994, as a live-action film studio by Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg, and David Geffen, of which they owned 72%. The studio formerly distributed its own and third-party films. It has produced or distributed more than ten films with box-office grosses of more than $100 million each.

<i>The Flash</i> (film) 2023 superhero film by Andy Muschietti

The Flash is a 2023 American superhero film based on the DC Comics character Barry Allen / Flash. Directed by Andy Muschietti from a screenplay by Christina Hodson and a story by Joby Harold and the writing team of John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein, it is the 13th film in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). Ezra Miller stars as Barry, who travels back in time to prevent his mother's death and becomes stranded in an alternate past. Sasha Calle also stars in her film debut, alongside Michael Shannon, Ron Livingston, Maribel Verdú, Kiersey Clemons, Antje Traue, and Michael Keaton.

<i>The Lego Batman Movie</i> 2017 film directed by Chris McKay

The Lego Batman Movie is a 2017 animated superhero comedy film, based on characters created by DC Comics and the Lego Batman toy line. It was directed by Chris McKay from a screenplay that is based on a Seth Grahame-Smith story. The film is a collaboration between production houses from the United States, Australia, and Denmark, the first spin-off in The Lego Movie franchise and the second installment overall. The film features Will Arnett reprising his role as Batman from The Lego Movie alongside Zach Galifianakis, Michael Cera, Rosario Dawson, and Ralph Fiennes. The story follows Batman as he attempts to overcome his greatest fear while saving Gotham City from the Joker's latest scheme.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DC Studios</span> American entertainment company

DC Studios is an American film and television production company that is a division of Warner Bros. Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD). It is responsible for the production of live-action and animated films and television series, as well as some video games, based on characters from the American comic book publisher DC Comics, primarily as part of its flagship media franchise and shared universe, the DC Universe (DCU). The studio has been led by filmmaker James Gunn and producer Peter Safran as its co-chairmen and co-CEOs since it was formed in November 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warner Bros. Pictures</span> American film studio

Warner Bros. Pictures is an American film production and distribution company and the flagship studio of the Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group division of Warner Bros., a flagship of Warner Bros. Discovery. It is headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California. Animated films produced by Warner Bros. Pictures Animation are also released under the studio banner.

References

  1. "Warner Bros. – Dan's Things". October 8, 2018.