This article is about the animation division of Warner Bros. Pictures. For the animation division of the Warner Bros. Television Studios, see Warner Bros. Animation.
The studio has currently produced 10 feature films, the first one being The Lego Movie, which was released on February 7, 2014, and the most recent being DC League of Super-Pets, which was released on July 29, 2022; their upcoming slate of films includes The Cat in the Hat on March 6, 2026, Thing One and Thing Two in 2026, Bad Fairies on July 23, 2027, Margie Claus on November 5, 2027, Oh, the Places You'll Go! in 2027, Dynamic Duo in 2028, and Coyote vs. Acme and Toto, both on an unspecified release date. Films produced by WBPA have grossed a total of $2billion at the box-office.
History
On January 7, 2013, Jeff Robinov (then head of the studio's motion picture division) founded a screenplay development department, nicknamed a "think tank" for developing theatrical animated films, known as the Warner Animation Group.[1] The group includes John Requa, Glenn Ficarra, Nicholas Stoller, Jared Stern, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller.[1] Warner Bros. created the group with the hope that the box office reception of their films will be competitive with other animation studios' releases.[1]
On February 7, 2014, Warner Animation Group released their first film, The Lego Movie, a film animated by Animal Logic, which also provided the animation for both spin-offs. It was met with critical praise and proved to be a box-office success. Due to the movie's success, a media franchise was created, with two spin-offs, The Lego Batman Movie[2] and The Lego Ninjago Movie (both 2017),[3] and a sequel, The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part (2019). While The Lego Batman Movie proved to be successful at the box office, The Lego Ninjago Movie and The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part were both unable to recoup its budget, with Ninjago being the first film from the Warner Animation Group to be a box-office flop.[4]
WAG's second film, Storks, was released September 23, 2016.[5] It received mixed reviews from critics. On December 14, 2017, Warner Bros. announced Allison Abbate had been named Executive Vice President, and Chris Leahy has been named Senior Vice President.[6]
The WAG shield used as the print logo from 2014 to 2021; extensively used in trailers
Smallfoot, released September 28, 2018, received mostly positive reviews from critics and became a box office success. In October 2019, Locksmith Animation formed a multi-year production deal with Warner Bros. Pictures and Warner Animation Group, which will distribute Locksmith's films.[7]
An animated reboot of the Scooby-Doo film series titled Scoob! was initially set for a theatrical release on May 15, 2020,[8] but then it was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[9] On April 21, 2020, it was announced that it would instead go to video on demand in response to the pandemic.[10] It received mixed reviews from critics.
Former logo as Warner Animation Group used from 2021 to 2023.
A live-action/animated film based on Tom & Jerry was released internationally on February 11, 2021, and on February 26 in the United States in theaters and HBO Max simultaneously and also debuted the company's new logo to match with the design of the new shield logo that Warner Bros. debuted back in November 2019, and like the main WB logo, which was debuted that year with Locked Down, it is made by Devastudios, using Terragen for the sky and clouds, along with the studio's blueprints from the Warner Bros. Studio Facilities and the available photography and videography from the Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood and Google Maps, all to reconstruct it in CGI.[11] It received generally negative reviews from critics, and is the first film from the company to have met so.
Space Jam: A New Legacy, starring LeBron James, was released on July 16, 2021, and was the first film from Warner Animation Group to incorporate traditional animation. It also received generally negative reviews from critics and is the second film from the company to have met so after Tom & Jerry, due to the film being heavy on product placement of the studio's intellectual properties.
A Christmas-themed spin-off prequel titled Scoob! Holiday Haunt, taking place in the gang's youth, with the actors who portrayed their younger selves reprising, was set for release in 2022 on HBO Max, but was cancelled following the merger of WarnerMedia and Discovery, Inc. to form Warner Bros. Discovery in April 2022 by CEO David Zaslav on August 2, 2022, citing cost-cutting measures and a refocus on theatrical films rather than creating projects for streaming.[13][14][15] Later that month, it was reported that the film would still be finished, even though Warner Bros. Discovery had no present plans to release it.[16] Although the film was used as a tax write-off, the film was finally finished on November 4 that year.[17]
Following the merger, it was announced in August that Allison Abbate would be leaving the studio.[18]
Unused logo for the then-renamed animation studio in 2023.
On February 9, 2023, it was reported that former DreamWorks Animation chief creative officer Bill Damaschke was in talks to lead the studio.[19] On May 5, 2023, it was confirmed in a Warner Bros. Discovery earnings call by Zaslav that Damaschke had been hired, and was hard at work with Warner Bros. Pictures Group co-CEOs Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy on developing a new slate of films.[20] On June 9, 2023, Damaschke announced the rebranding of the division into Warner Bros. Pictures Animation and stated that they planned to follow the creative lead of Abdy and De Luca.[21]
The screenplay department is reportedly somewhat similar to Pixar Animation Studios' "brain trust" in terms of how its members consult with one another and give feedback on each other's projects. The group is nicknamed the "think tank".[29]
Lego System A/S Vertigo Entertainment Lord Miller Productions Rideback
Animal Logic
First sequel. First collaboration with Rideback after renaming itself from Lin Pictures. Final Lego film before the adaptation rights were sold to Universal Pictures.[S]
The studio was developing a live-action/animation hybrid film titled Coyote vs. Acme, directed by Dave Green and produced by Chris DeFaria and James Gunn, which was due to be released on July 21, 2023.[47] However, that release date was taken by Barbie, with Coyote vs. Acme remaining undated.[49] However, the film was cancelled on November 9, 2023, the studio citing a tax write-off;[70] a similar fate befell the Scoob! prequel Scoob! Holiday Haunt the previous year. This decision, which was not known to the crew until it was completed,[71] was met with backlash, citing that the film had received positive test screenings and interested buyers.[72][73] However, following extensive backlash, the company reversed their decisions, allowing the filmmakers to shop the film to interested distributors.[74] However, in February 2024, due to being unable to find a distributor, Warner Bros. Discovery was reportedly considering canceling and deleting the film for good, though discussions to release it were reportedly still ongoing.[75][76] On March 10, 2024, writer of the film, Samy Burch has said that conversations ongoing to release the film.[77]
A musical feature adaptation of Michael Morpurgo's children's book Toto: The Dog-Gone Amazing Story Of The Wizard Of Oz began animation production in February 2021. It is being directed by Alex Timbers, from a screenplay by John August, and produced by Derek Frey.[78] It was originally scheduled to be theatrically released in the United States on February 2, 2024. On April 5, 2023, it was taken off the release schedule with Alto Knights taking over its original release date.[65]
A photorealistic animated feature film adaptation of the Animal Planet series Meerkat Manor was announced to be in development in April 2024, with Seth Green and Tracy Falco set to produce the film, and series creator Caroline Hawkins and Clare Birks from Oxford Scientific Films to serve as executive producers.[67]
A Christmas film titled Margie Claus is scheduled to be released on November 5, 2027, with Melissa McCarthy starring and producing under her On the Day Productions company alongside Ben Falcone and Pilar Flynn, and Falcone and Damon Jones writing the script.[58] The project was previously set up as a live-action feature at New Line Cinema.[80]
A full-length animated feature based on Emily the Strange is in development with Pamela Ribon set to write the screenplay. Bad Robot will co-produce the film, with Rob Reger, the creator of Emily the Strange, serving as executive producer alongside Trevor Duke-Moretz.[81]
↑ Released on Premium VOD in the United States and Canada in lieu of a planned theatrical release on this date,[36] and later released in theaters in select countries with relaxed COVID-19 restrictions beginning July 8, 2020.[37][38]
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