Paramount Animation

Paramount Animation is an American animation studio. It is the animation division for Paramount Pictures, and also serves as the releasing banner for other animated children's films based on ViacomCBS properties.[4] The division was founded on July 6, 2011.

Paramount Animation

Type	Division Animation label
Industry	Animation Motion pictures
Predecessors	Famous Studios/Paramount Cartoon Studios Terrytoons Fleischer Studios Bray Productions
Founded	July 6, 2011 (July 6, 2011)
Headquarters	Los Angeles, California , United States
Key people	Mireille Soria (President)[1] Ramsey Naito (Executive Vice President)[2]
Products	Animated films Animated television shows
Number of employees	112[3]
Parent	Paramount Pictures

Background

In July 2011, in the wake of critical and box office success of Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies' animated feature, Rango, and Paramount's departure of DreamWorks Animation upon completion of their distribution contract with Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted and Rise of the Guardians in 2012, Paramount announced the formation of a new division, devoted to the creation of animated productions.[4]

History

Brad Grey era (2011–2017)

Early logo.

In October 2011, Paramount named a former president of Walt Disney Feature Animation, David Stainton, president of Paramount Animation.[5] In February 2012, Stainton resigned for personal reasons, with Paramount Film Group's president, Adam Goodman, stepping in to directly oversee the studio.[6] It was also announced that The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water, a standalone sequel to 2004's The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie and based upon the popular Nickelodeon TV show, SpongeBob SquarePants, is the studio's first film and would be released in 2014.[7]

In August 2012, Variety reported that Paramount Animation was in the process of starting development of several animated films with budgets of around US$100 million.[8]

On July 31, 2013, Paramount Animation announced that they were developing a new live-action/animated franchise in the vein of the Transformers series, which was titled Monster Trucks. Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger were set to write the film's script, Chris Wedge (director of 2002's Ice Age) was set to direct the film, and Mary Parent was set to produce the film, with an initial release date set for May 29, 2015.[9]

The studio's first film, The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water on February 6, 2015 to positive reviews[10] and was a box office success, grossing over $325 million worldwide and becoming the fifth highest grossing animated film of 2015.[11] That same month, Paramount fired Adam Goodman due to the studio's thin film slate and Goodman greenlighting box office bombs at the studio.[12] Paramount announced another SpongeBob film later that year.[13]

In the summer of 2015, Paramount Pictures participated in a bidding war against Warner Bros. and Sony Pictures Animation for the rights to produce The Emoji Movie, based on a script by Tony Leondis and Eric Siegel. Sony won the bidding war in July and released the film in 2017.[14] The studio's head Bob Bacon also left Paramount Animation that summer.[12]

In June 2015, it was revealed that Spain's Ilion Animation Studios (the studio behind 2009's Planet 51) won a bidding war against other animation studios to produce a 3D animated tentpole film for Paramount Animation, which was already in production since 2014.[15] In November 2015, Paramount Animation officially announced the project as Amusement Park, (later renamed Wonder Park) with former Pixar animator Dylan Brown helming. The studio also announced Monster Trucks, The Little Prince, Sherlock Gnomes, and the third SpongeBob film.[16]

On May 4, 2016, Paramount Pictures announced that they had signed a deal with UK-based Locksmith Animation to co-develop and co-produce three original animated projects to be released under the Paramount Animation label (with animation produced by DNEG).[17]

The studio's second film, Monster Trucks was released to mixed reviews[18] and became a box office failure, grossing $64.5 million on a $125 million budget and losing the studio $120 million.[12][19][20]

In March 2017, Skydance Media formed a multi-year partnership with Ilion Animation Studios and in July, Skydance announced its first two animated feature films — Luck and Spellbound — which would be distributed by Paramount Pictures as part of their deal with Skydance. On October 10, 2017, Bill Damaschke was hired to head the division as president of animation and family entertainment.[21] But on January 14, 2019 Paramount Animation CEO Mireille Soria announced that they will no longer work with Skydance Animation because of their partnership with John Lasseter[22] while Luck and Spellbound will still be released by Paramount but not under the Paramount Animation brand.[23]

Jim Gianopulos era (2017–present)

In April 2017, Paramount ended its deal with Locksmith Animation when Paramount chairman and CEO Brad Grey was replaced by Jim Gianopulos, who decided that their projects did not fit in with Paramount's other upcoming releases. Locksmith formed a multi-year production deal with 20th Century Fox four months later.[24][25]

In July 2017, Paramount Pictures named former DreamWorks Animation co-president Mireille Soria as the president of the studio.[1]

The studio released its third film, Sherlock Gnomes on March 23, 2018 and became a critical[26] and financial disappointment, grossing $90.3 million on a $59 million budget.[27]

In April 2018, Paramount Pictures named former Blue Sky Studios and Nickelodeon Movies producer Ramsey Naito as the executive vice president of the studio.[2]

The studio's next film, Wonder Park was released on March 15, 2019. It received mixed reviews[28] and it became a box office flop, grossing only $119.6 million worldwide on a budget of less than $100 million.[29]

Logo

Initially, Paramount Animation never had an on-screen logo for their first four features. They just used the standard Paramount Pictures logo.

On September 19, 2019, Paramount Animation introduced a new animated logo featuring a character nicknamed "Star Skipper".[30] When Mireille Soria came to Paramount Animation, one of the first goals set by Jim Gianopulos was to make a logo for the division. The crew wanted to put a female character in the logo because the studio’s team is mostly female, and according to Soria, it captures "the magic" of the division. The logo and the character of Star Skipper were designed by Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie lead visual development artist and art director Christopher Zibach and animated by ATK PLN and Reel FX Creative Studios.[30] This logo debuted in front of The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run in 2020.

Process

Similar to Warner Animation Group and Sony Pictures Animation, the studio outsources animation production to other animation studios.[31] Rumble was created outside of Paramount Animation, although it will be released under the studio's label.[32][33]

Paramount Animation will not have an in-house animation style. According to Mireille Soria, each film will have their own unique style created by the filmmakers, which would be helped by outsourcing animation to different vendors.[34]

Filmography

Feature films

All films are distributed by Paramount Pictures.

#	Title	Release date	Co-production with	Animation service(s)	Directors
1	The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water[lower-alpha 1]	February 6, 2015	Nickelodeon Movies United Plankton Pictures	Rough Draft Studios Iloura	Paul Tibbitt Mike Mitchell (live-action sequence)
2	Monster Trucks[lower-alpha 1]	January 13, 2017	Disruption Entertainment Nickelodeon Movies	Mr. X Moving Picture Company	Chris Wedge
3	Sherlock Gnomes	March 23, 2018	Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Rocket Pictures	Mikros Image (London and Paris) Reel FX Creative Studios	John Stevenson
4	Wonder Park	March 15, 2019	Nickelodeon Movies Midnight Radio Productions (Uncredited)	Ilion Animation Studios	Dylan Brown (uncredited)[35]
5	The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run[lower-alpha 1]	August 14, 2020[lower-alpha 2]	Nickelodeon Movies United Plankton Pictures	Mikros Image (Montreal) Industrial Light & Magic (ILM)	Tim Hill

Upcoming films

#	Title	Release date	Ref(s)	Co-production with	Animation service(s)	Directors
6	Rumble[lower-alpha 3]	January 29, 2021	[36][37][32][33][38][39]	Walden Media WWE Studios Reel FX Animation Studios	Reel FX Creative Studios	Hamish Grieve
7	PAW Patrol: The Movie	August 20, 2021	[40][41]	Nickelodeon Movies Spin Master Entertainment	Mikros Image	Cal Brunker[40]
8	Untitled My Little Pony film	September 24, 2021	[42]	Allspark Pictures	TBA
9	Under the Boardwalk	July 22, 2022	[43]	TBA
10	The Tiger's Apprentice	February 10, 2023[43]	[44][38]	N/A	L'Atelier Animation	Carlos Baena

Television series

Title	Release date	Network	Co-production with
Adventures in Wonder Park[45][46]	TBA	Nickelodeon	Ilion Animation Studios and Nickelodeon Animation Studios

1. Combines live-action with animation
2. Released theatrically only in Canada
3. Not produced, but released by Paramount Animation under its label

Reception

Critical and public reception

Film	Rotten Tomatoes	Metacritic	CinemaScore
The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water	81%	62/100	B
Monster Trucks	32%	41/100	A
Sherlock Gnomes	27%	36/100	B+
Wonder Park	34%	45/100	B+

Box office performance

Film	Budget	North America	International gross	Worldwide gross (unadjusted)	Ref(s)
The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water	$74 million	$162.9 million	$162.1 million	$325.1 million	[47]
Monster Trucks	$125 million	$33.3 million	$31.1 million	$64.4 million	[48]
Sherlock Gnomes	$59 million	$43.2 million	$47.1 million	$90.3 million	[49]
Wonder Park	$100 million	$45.2 million	$74.3 million	$119.5 million	[50]
The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run	$60 million	$900,000		$900,000	[51]

Accolades

Annie Awards

Year	Film	Category	Recipient(s)	Result
2015	The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water	Animated Effects in an Animated Production	Brice Mallier, Paul Buckley, Brent Droog, Alex Whyte and Jonothan Freisler	Nominated
		Voice Acting in an Animated Feature	Tom Kenny

See also

• List of Paramount Pictures theatrical animated features

References

1. Busch, Anita (April 12, 2018). "The Boss Baby's Ramsey Naito, Others Join Paramount Animation Executive Ranks". Deadline. Retrieved April 12, 2018.
2. McNary, Dave (April 12, 2018). "'Boss Baby' Producer Ramsey Naito Hired for Paramount Animation Post". Variety. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
3. Desowitz, Bill (18 March 2020). "How Hollywood Animation Studios Are Coping with Coronavirus". IndieWire. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
4. Finke, Nikki (July 6, 2011). "Paramount Expects DreamWorks Toon Exit; Studio Starts Paramount Animation Unit; Jeff Katzenberg Zeroing In Time Warner". Deadline. Retrieved May 5, 2012.
5. L. Weinstein, Joshua (October 10, 2011). "Paramount Names David Stainton Animation President". The Wrap. Retrieved October 10, 2011.
6. Fleming, Mike (February 22, 2012). "Paramount President Of Animation David Stainton Resigns". Deadline. Retrieved February 22, 2012.
7. Szalai, Georg; Miller, Daniel (February 28, 2012). "Paramount to Release 'SpongeBob' Movie in Late 2014". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 5, 2012.
8. Graser, Marc; Kroll, Justin (17 August 2012). "Paramount ramping up animation slate". Variety. Retrieved 17 August 2012.
9. Finke, Nikki (31 July 2013). "Paramount Animation Plans 'Monster Trucks' Live Action-Toon Franchise: In Final Talks With Blue Sky's Chris Wedge To Direct". deadline.com. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
10. "The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water (2015)". rottentomatoes.com. February 6, 2015. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
11. "The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water (2015)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved May 26, 2015.
12. Faughnder, Ryan (January 13, 2017). "2017's first big flop? How Paramount's 'Monster Trucks' went awry". Latimes.com. Retrieved May 1, 2019.
13. @Viacom (April 30, 2015). "@ParamountPics is in development on sequels to existing franchises: @WorldWarZMovie, @JackReacher & @SpongeBobMovie - TD" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
14. Fleming Jr, Mike (July 21, 2015). "Emoji At Center Of Bidding Battle Won By Sony Animation; Anthony Leondis To Direct". Deadline. Archived from the original on December 10, 2015. Retrieved May 1, 2019.
15. Hopewell, John (June 15, 2015). "Annecy: Paramount Animation, Spain's Ilion Ally on 3D Tentpole (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on February 1, 2017. Retrieved May 1, 2019.
16. McNary, Dave (November 10, 2015). "Paramount Sets 'SpongeBob 3' for 2019, Delays 'Monster Trucks' to 2017". Variety. Retrieved May 1, 2019.
17. Milligan, Mercedes (May 4, 2016). "Paramount and Locksmith Animation Enter Exclusive Multi-Pic Deal". Animation Magazine. Retrieved May 1, 2019.
18. "Monster Trucks (2017)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved February 22, 2017.
19. "Box Office: Ben Affleck, Martin Scorsese, And 'Monster Trucks' Flop Over MLK Weekend". Forbes.com. Retrieved May 1, 2019.
20. Lang, Brent (January 12, 2017). "Box Office: 'Hidden Figures,' 'Patriot's Day' in Tight Race, 'Monster Trucks,' 'Live by Night' Brace to Flop". Variety.com. Retrieved May 1, 2019.
21. McNary, Dave (October 10, 2017). "Skydance Hires Bill Damaschke for Animation-Family Entertainment Post". Variety. Retrieved May 1, 2019.
22. Giardina, Carolyn (January 14, 2019). "Paramount Animation Chief Says Her Team Won't Be Working With John Lasseter at Skydance Post". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 1, 2019.
23. McNary, Dave (July 20, 2020). "Skydance Animation's 'Luck,' 'Spellbound' Scheduled for 2022 Release". Variety. Retrieved Jul 24, 2020.
24. Lang, Brent (September 20, 2018). "Fox, Locksmith Animation Ink Multi-Year Production, Development Deal (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved May 1, 2019.
25. Amidi, Amid (September 20, 2017). "UK's Locksmith Animation Announces Production Agreement with 20th Century Fox". Cartoon Brew. Retrieved May 1, 2019.
26. "Sherlock Gnomes (2018)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved May 1, 2019.
27. "Sherlock Gnomes (2018)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved May 1, 2019.
28. "Wonder Park (2019)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved May 6, 2019.
29. "Wonder Park (2019)". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved May 6, 2019.
30. Donnelly, Matt (19 September 2019). "Meet Star Skipper, Paramount Animation's Magical New Trademark Logo Character". Variety. Retrieved 20 September 2019.
31. Faughnder, Ryan (January 13, 2017). "2017's first big flop? How Paramount's 'Monster Trucks' went awry". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 29, 2017.
32. Giardina, Carolyn (April 25, 2018). "Paramount Grows Its Animation Slate With 'Monster on the Hill,' 'Luck'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
33. Amidi, Amid (April 26, 2018). "Paramount Announces 3 New Animated Features". Cartoon Brew. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
34. Hopewell, John; Lang, Jamie (June 13, 2018). "Paramount Animation's 'Wonder Park' Rocks Annecy". Variety. Retrieved October 23, 2018.
35. Miller, Dylan (March 15, 2019). "Paramount's new animated movie Wonder Park doesn't have a credited director, and here's why". The A.V. Club. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
36. D'Alessandro, Anthony (July 24, 2018). "Paramount's 'The SpongeBob Movie' To Soak Up Mid-July 2020". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
37. D'Alessandro, Anthony (May 8, 2019). "Antoine Fuqua Secret Society Pic 'Infinite' Lands 2020 Release Date At Paramount; 'Coming To America 2' Shifts". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 8, 2019.
38. Giardina, Carolyn (June 12, 2019). "'Spice Girls' Movie in the Works as Paramount Unveils Animation Slate (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 12, 2019.
39. Pedersen, Erik (November 12, 2019). "Paramount Grounds 'Rugrats' Movie, Moves WWE's 'Rumble' Back Six Months & Titles Next 'SpongeBob' Pic". Deadline Hollywood.
40. D'Alessandro, Anthony (February 21, 2020). "'PAW Patrol' Movie In The Works For Summer 2021 From Spin Master, Paramount & Nickelodeon". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
41. Rubin, Rebecca (2020-04-24). "'Mission: Impossible' Sequels Get Pushed Back". Variety. Retrieved 2020-04-24.
42. Fuster, Jeremy (November 7, 2019). "Paramount Sets 2021 Dates for 'Paranormal Activity' and 'My Little Pony' Films". TheWrap. Retrieved May 6, 2020.
43. D'Alessandro, Anthony (July 23, 2020). "'A Quiet Place II' & 'Top Gun: Maverick' Moving To 2021". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
44. Pedersen, Erik (15 March 2019). "Paramount Moves 'Limited Partners' To 2020 & Dates 'The Tiger's Apprentice' Toon". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
45. Donnelly, Matt (March 28, 2017). "Paramount's 'Amusement Park' Movie to Become Nickelodeon TV Show After Theatrical Release". The Wrap. Archived from the original on April 1, 2017. Retrieved April 1, 2017.
46. "Nickelodeon Africa Slated to Premiere 'Young Dylan', 'Wonder Park' in February 2020". NickALive!. December 16, 2019. Retrieved January 18, 2020.
47. "The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water". Box Office Mojo.
48. "Monster Trucks". Box Office Mojo.
49. "Sherlock Gnomes". Box Office Mojo.
50. "Wonder Park". Box Office Mojo.
51. "The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge On The Run". Box Office Mojo.

External links

• Paramount Animation on IMDb
• Paramount Pictures Feature Films at the Big Cartoon DataBase