Animation studios have become an essential part of the animation industry, and the US has some of the most influential studios. These studios have helped to shape the animation industry and have made a significant impact on the way that animation is viewed and produced around the world.
Some of the most influential US animation studios are Pixar, DreamWorks, and Disney. Pixar is well known for its critically acclaimed animated films, such as Toy Story, The Lion King, and Up. DreamWorks is known for its popular animated films, such as Shrek, Madagascar, and Kung Fu Panda. Disney is well known for its iconic animated films, such as Cinderella, The Little Mermaid, and Beauty and the Beast. These studios have helped to shape the animation industry and have made a significant impact on the way that animation is viewed and produced around the world.
Walt Disney Animation Studios
Walt Disney Animation Studios is an American animation studio that creates animated features and short films for The Walt Disney Company. Founded on October 23, 1923, by brothers Walt and Roy O. Disney, it is currently one of the largest and most successful animation studios in the world. The studio has produced 56 feature films, from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) to Frozen 2 (2019), and hundreds of short films.
Walt Disney Animation Studios is a key component of The Walt Disney Studios, which is itself a part of The Walt Disney Company. The studio, currently located at the Walt Disney Studios lot in Burbank, California, was formerly situated near the Roy O. Disney Animation Building on the Walt Disney Studios lot in Burbank. Walt Disney Animation Studios occupies the majority of the lot, which it shares with Walt Disney Pictures, Walt Disney Television, Disney Music Group, and ABC Studios.
In 1926, Walt Disney founded the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio with his brother Roy. The studio, which would eventually become Walt Disney Animation Studios, produced the earliest Disney cartoons, including the Oswald the Lucky Rabbit series. In 1928, Disney produced the first Mickey Mouse short, Steamboat Willie, which was an instant success and cemented Mickey Mouse’s status as a cultural icon.
In the 1930s, Disney produced a number of highly successful animated features, including Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the first full-length animated feature film; Pinocchio; Fantasia; Dumbo; and Bambi. These films established Disney’s reputation as a premier animation studio and helped to secure its place as one of Hollywood’s Big Five studios.
In the 1940s, Disney released a number of successful sequels, including Pinocchio; Fantasia 2000; Bambi II; and The Lion King. The studio also produced a number of critically acclaimed and commercially successful original films, such as Cinderella; Alice in Wonderland; Peter Pan; The Little Mermaid; The Nightmare Before Christmas; and Beauty and the Beast.
In the early 21st century, Disney released a number of successful animated films, including Frozen; Big Hero 6; Zootopia; Moana; and Coco. The studio
Pixar Animation Studios
Pixar Animation Studios is an American computer animation studio based in Emeryville, California. The studio is best known for its CGI-animated feature films created with PhotoRealistic RenderMan, its own software platform. It has produced 21 feature films, including Toy Story (1995), A Bug’s Life (1998), Toy Story 2 (1999), Monsters, Inc. (2001), Finding Nemo (2003), The Incredibles (2004), Cars (2006), Ratatouille (2007), WALL-E (2008), Up (2009), Toy Story 3 (2010), Cars 2 (2011), Brave (2012), Monsters University (2013), Inside Out (2015), The Good Dinosaur (2015), Finding Dory (2016), Cars 3 (2017), Coco (2017), Toy Story 4 (2019), and Onward (2020).
Pixar began in 1979 as the Graphics Group, part of the Lucasfilm computer division, before its spin-out as a corporation in 1986, with funding by Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, who became its majority shareholder. The studio was acquired by The Walt Disney Company in 2006.
Pixar has released twenty-one feature films, which were all also released by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures through the Walt Disney Pictures banner. The films have earned a total of thirteen Academy Awards, eleven Golden Globe Awards, and nine BAFTA Awards, among many other awards and nominations. Seven of Pixar’s films are among the 50 highest-grossing animated films of all time: Toy Story 3, Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Toy Story 4, Inside Out, Up, and Toy Story, which is the highest-grossing animated film of all time.
Pixar is currently working on several films, including Soul (2020), which will be its first film with an African-American lead, and an untitled film directed by Enrico Casarosa.
DreamWorks Animation
DreamWorks Animation is an American animation studio that is a subsidiary of Universal Pictures, a division of NBCUniversal, which is itself a subsidiary of Comcast. The studio is located in Glendale, California, and produces animated feature films, television programs, and online virtual games.
The studio has released a total of 35 feature films, including the franchises of Shrek, Madagascar, Kung Fu Panda, How to Train Your Dragon, The Croods, and Trolls. Many of these films have been highly successful at the box office, with Shrek 2 (2004) and Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011) becoming the two highest-grossing animated films of all time. The studio has earned three Academy Awards, as well as 22 Emmy and numerous Annie Awards, and multiple Golden Globe and BAFTA nominations. In recent years, the studio has diversified into the production of live-action films, and its films have earned mixed results at the box office.
DreamWorks Animation was founded in 1994 by David Geffen, Jeffrey Katzenberg, and Steven Spielberg, who invested $33 million into the new studio. The studio was formed after the dissolution of Amblin Partners, a studio which Spielberg co-founded with Universal Studios. The new studio released its first film, Antz (1998), in its first year of operation. In 2002, DreamWorks released its first ever sequel, Shrek 2, which grossed over $920 million at the worldwide box office, more than any other animated film at that time. The studio’s next three releases, Shark Tale (2004), Madagascar (2005), and Over the Hedge (2006), were also successful financially, but were not as well-received by critics as the studio’s earlier films.
DreamWorks Animation’s first fully computer-animated film, Shrek, was released in 2001. The film was a critical and financial success, grossing $484 million at the worldwide box office and winning the first Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. The studio has since released a total of four Shrek sequels, with the most recent, Shrek Forever After (2010), grossing $752 million at the worldwide box office. The studio has also produced three Madagascar films, two
Blue Sky Studios
It’s hard to believe that Blue Sky Studios is only 20 years old. In that short time, the studio has released some of the most popular and beloved animated films of all time, including the Ice Age franchise, Robots, and Ferdinand. Blue Sky has also been responsible for some of the most groundbreaking and innovative animation techniques in the industry, including their work on the short film Gone Nutty and the feature film Rio.
What’s even more impressive is that Blue Sky Studios is one of the few remaining independent animation studios in Hollywood. In an industry that is increasingly dominated by a handful of major studios, Blue Sky has managed to maintain its independence and creative freedom. This has allowed the studio to take risks and push the boundaries of what is possible in animation.
The story of Blue Sky Studios begins with a group of friends who all shared a passion for animation. Chris Wedge, Carl Ludwig, Alison Brown, and Michael Ferraro met while working at Industrial Light and Magic, one of the most prestigious VFX studios in the world. They quickly became friends and decided to start their own animation studio.
With the help of George Lucas, they were able to secure funding and Blue Sky Studios was born. The studio’s first project was a short film called Gone Nutty, which was released in 2002. The film was met with critical acclaim and won several awards, including an Academy Award nomination.
Blue Sky’s first feature film was Robots, which was released in 2005. The film was a critical and commercial success, grossing over $260 million at the box office. The film was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.
In 2006, Blue Sky Studios released their second feature film, Ice Age: The Meltdown. The film was another massive success, grossing over $660 million at the box office. The film was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.
Since 2006, Blue Sky Studios has released a new Ice Age film every three to four years. The most recent entry in the franchise, Ice Age: Collision Course, was released in 2016. The franchise has grossed over $3 billion at the box office
Illumination Entertainment
In recent years, American animation studios have been increasingly influenced by Japanese anime. This is most evident in the work of Illumination Entertainment, one of the most successful US animation studios. Founded in 2007 by Chris Meledandri, Illumination is best known for its Despicable Me franchise. The studio has also produced hits such as The Lorax, Minions, and Sing.
While Illumination’s films are filled with references to Japanese anime, the studio’s approach to animation is very different. Unlike most anime studios, Illumination does not use hand-drawn animation. Instead, the studio relies on computer-generated imagery (CGI) to create its films. This allows Illumination to produce films relatively quickly and cheaply.
Despite its use of CGI, Illumination’s films have a unique visual style uber like app development. This is due in part to the studio’s focus on creating visually-appealing films. Illumination’s films are also known for their humor, which often relies on toilet humor and pop culture references.
While Illumination’s films are not as revered as those of Hayao Miyazaki or Studio Ghibli, the studio has nonetheless had a significant impact on American animation. Illumination’s success has shown that American audiences are receptive to anime-influenced films. As a result, other US animation studios have begun to experiment with incorporating elements of anime into their own work hubtechnews.
