Toon Boom

**Toon Boom Animation Inc.**, also known as **Toon Boom**, is a Canadian animation studio. It was founded in 1994. It is based in Ottawa, Ontario. It specializes in the development and production of animation and storyboarding software for film, television, the World Wide Web, video games, mobile devices, training and education.

Its software like _Toon Boom Harmony_ is used in many countries. It was awarded the Primetime Engineering Emmy Awards in 2005 and 2012.

## History

In 1996, Toon Boom purchased the software development business of USAnimation Studio. Its animation production services were to be merged into CST Entertainment according to a premature press release from CST. That merge never took place, and USAnimation's studio changed its name to VirtualMagic Animation in 1996 and operated independently. Toon Boom Animation continued the development of USAnimation software, which became Toon Boom Opus. It has since become Toon Boom Harmony.

Founding president and chief executive officer Jacques Bilodeau left the company in May 2003, and the company's board of directors appointed chief operating officer Joan Vogelesang to take his place. In 2004, Corus Entertainment, owner of Canadian animation studio Nelvana, acquired a 50% stake in the company.

In 2006, Toon Boom acquired French company Pegs'n Co, developer of the 2D bitmap animation software Pegs. Since the acquisition, the software has not been updated and can no longer be purchased.

In 2009, Toon Boom acquired the British company Cambridge Animation Systems, developer of Animo. Since the acquisition, the software has not been updated and can no longer be purchased.

In 2012, Corus acquired the remaining 50% stake of Toon Boom it did not already own, giving it full ownership. Chief Executive Officer and President Joan Vogelesang stepped down in September 2014 after over 16 years at Toon Boom, and Paul Gardner was appointed as interim CEO.

On March 9, 2016, Toon Boom acquired all the related IP for the TACTIC Studio product, an asset management, production tracking and review tool from Toronto-based Southpaw Technology and planned to re-launch the product as Toon Boom Producer. On June 13, 2017, Toon Boom re-branded and launched Producer.

On July 13, 2023, Corus announced that it would sell Toon Boom to International Media Company (IMC), a portfolio of private equity firm TPG Inc., for US$111 million (CA$147.5 million). Corus stated that the sale would be used to cover debt and "advance our strategic plan and priorities".

### Historical products

- Toon Boom Opus (1996-2008) - formerly USAnimation, it was used in the traditional film/TV animation industry.
- Tic Tac Toon (1996-2001) was succeeded by Toon Boom Studio.
- Toon Boom Studio (2001-2015) was aimed at home users and individuals, and succeeded by Toon Boom Harmony Essentials.
- Toon Boom Concerto (2004-2005).
- Toon Boom Solo (2005-2007) was aimed at small studios. It was succeeded by Toon Boom Digital Pro.
- Toon Boom Digital Pro (2007-2009) was succeeded by Toon Boom Animate Pro.
- Toon Boom Pencil Check Pro (2008-2014) was a line testing software product.
- Toon Boom Animate (2008-2015) was aimed at professional animators, boutique studios, students, and educators. Succeeded by Toon Boom Harmony Advanced.
- Toon Boom Manager (2009-2014) was a production tracking system for the entertainment industry.
- Toon Boom Animate Pro (2009-2015) was aimed at animation studios and freelancers.
- Flip Boom product line (discontinued in 2014): entry-level animation software
- Garfield's Comic Boom (discontinued in 2014) is a comic strip or album creation software product developed with cartoonist Jim Davis. The application included built-in video tutorials by the cartoonist.

### Harmony

Harmony contains the tools required to handle cutout (puppet), paperless frame-by-frame, and traditional animation workflows from scanning to composing and 2D/3D integration. Its toolset includes pencil lines with textures, deformation tools, morphing, inverse kinematics, particles, built-in compositor, 3D camera, and 2D-3D integration. Users can draw animation directly into the software, using a graphics tablet.

### Harmony Server

This software provides additional capabilities for teams of animators using Harmony who want to share files and manage assets from a central database that is located on a server. Its centralized database system allows the sharing of assets between scenes and enables the workload to be shared across a studio or between studios. It also includes production controls for managing rendering jobs and coordinating batch scanning of paper drawings. Harmony Server is available as an add-on for users of Harmony Advanced and Harmony Premium.

### Storyboard Pro

This software is used in pre-production to create storyboards for a wide variety of project types including 2D and 3D animation, stop motion, and live action productions. Storyboard Pro contains all the tools required to create storyboards and animatics. Its toolset includes vector and bitmap drawing tools, pencils and textured brushes, a built-in camera, audio tools, a timeline for timing control, and a 3D toolset to integrate imported 3D models.

### Producer

Producer is a web-based production tracking and digital asset management tool.

## Series/films animated (in whole, or in part) with this program

- _101 Dalmatian Street_
- _101 Dalmatians II: Patch's London Adventure_
- _50/50 Heroes_
- _6teen_
- _Aikatsu!_ - Episode 42 onward (Episodes 1 to 41 used Retas)
- _American Dad!_ (season 3 in production order onwards; the first two production seasons were tradtionally animated with digital ink-and-paint)
- _Amphibia_ - Only in the season 3 episodes "Adventures in Catsitting", "Spider-Sprig / Olivia & Yunan" and "Froggy Little Christmas". "The New Normal" actually uses a mixture of Harmony and traditional animation, rather than purely using one style or the other. All of the aforementioned episodes were credited to Saerom. All other episodes of the series, even all the other ones outsourced to Saerom, are instead traditionally animated with digital ink and paint.
- _The Angry Birds Movie_ (2D sequences)
- _Angry Birds Toons_
- _Astro Boy_ (2003 series)
- _Archer_
- _Arthur_ - used traditional animation with digital ink and paint from season 1 to 15. When 9 Story took over production from CINAR/Cookie Jar starting with season 16, the show switched to Adobe Flash, but when Oasis Animation took over starting with season 20, it switched to Harmony.
- _Atlantis: Milo's Return_
- _Atomic Puppet_
- _The Awesomes_
- _Big Blue_
- _Big City Greens_ - Only in the season 2 episode "Chipocalypse Now," which was outsourced to Sugarcube and animated in a very similar fashion to that studio's work on _The Owl House_ and _Star vs. the Forces of Evil_ (see below). All other episodes of the series, even the other ones outsourced to Sugarcube, are instead traditionally animated with digital ink and paint.
- _Big Hero 6: The Series_
- _Blazing Dragons_
    - _Blazing Dragons: The Movie_ (Only the movie was outsourced and animated by Yeson Animation Studios, Hanho Heung-Up Co., Ltd., Studios Animage and Le Studio Ellipse; the rest of the movie is traditionally animated with digital ink and paint, much like the main series)
- _Bob's Burgers_ - Season 2 onward (season 1 used Adobe Flash)
    - _The Bob's Burgers Movie_
- _Brickleberry_ (seasons 2 and 3 <sup>note</sup> )
- _Bro Town_
- _Caillou_ - First three seasons were traditionally animated with digital ink and paint by SMEC Media in Taiwan before production was moved to Clockwork Zoo in South Africa. Season 4 was animated using Adobe Flash, but Season 5 switched to _Harmony_.
- _Camp Lakebottom_
- _Cats Don't Dance_
- _Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2017)_
- _Corn & Peg_
- _The Cuphead Show!_
- _Curious George_
    - _Curious George (TV series)_
- _Danger Mouse_ (2015 reboot)
- _Dave the Barbarian_
- _The Day My Butt Went Psycho!_
- _Detentionaire_
- _Di-Gata Defenders_
- _Dorg Van Dango_
- _Dragon Hunters_
- _Droners_
- _DuckTales (2017)_
- _Elinor Wonders Why_
- _Empress Chung_
- _Esme & Roy_
- _Ever After High_
- _F is for Family_
- _The Fairly OddParents_ - Only seasons 1-10a was traditionally animated with digital ink-and-paint by Yeson Animation Studios.
    - _The Fairly OddParents: Abra Catastrophe!_
    - _The Fairly OddParents: Channel Chasers_
    - _The Fairly OddParents: School's Out! The Musical_
    - _The Fairly OddParents: Fairy Idol_
    - _The Fairly OddParents: Wishology_
- _Family Guy_ (season 8 onwards <sup>note</sup> ; seasons 1-7 were traditionally animated with digital ink-and-paint)
- _Fangbone!_
- _Fatherhood_
- _Fire Ball_ (2005 film)
- _Fishtronaut_
- _Flag_
- _Funky Cops_
- _Futari wa Pretty Cure_ (English Dub)
- _Future-Worm!_
- _Galactik Football_
- _Gerald McBoing-Boing_ (the 2005 series)
- _Geronimo Stilton_ (the animated series based on the book)
- _Get a Horse!_
- _Godspeed_
- _Grossology_
- _Gravity Falls_
- _The Ghost and Molly McGee_
- _HarmonQuest_
- _Hilda_
- _Hit-Monkey_
- _Hotel Transylvania: The Series_
- _House of Mouse_
- _How to Hook Up Your Home Theater_
- _Inside Job (2021)_
- _Invader Zim_
- _Jorel's Brother_
- _Jimmy Two-Shoes_ - Season 1 only. Switched to Adobe Flash in Season 2.
- _Johnny Test_, beginning with season 7, the first season of the 2021 revival (season 1 was traditionally animated with digital ink-and-paint, and seasons 2-6 used Adobe Flash)
- _JoJo's Bizarre Adventure_ (2012 series onward)
- _The Jungle Book 2_
- _Kid Cosmic_
- _King of the Hill_ (season 13 only; seasons 1-7 used traditional cel animation, and seasons 8-12 were hand-drawn with digital ink-and-paint; switched to Adobe Flash beginning with the revival)
- _Klaus (2019)_
- _Kung Foot_
- _Kuu Kuu Harajuku_ (Seasons 2 and 3)
- _Legends of Chamberlain Heights_
- _The Legend Of Ponnivala Death And The Queen_
- _Lemmings_ (short film)
- _Leroy & Stitch_
- _The Leotits: Answer Time!_
- _Lifeboat Luke_
- _Lilo & Stitch: The Series_
- _Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitch_
- _The Lion Guard_
- _The Lion King II: Simba's Pride_
- _The Lion King 1½_
- _Little Amadeus_
- _LoliRock_
- _Looney Tunes Cartoons_
- _The Loud House_ - Seasons 1-present; switched to Adobe Flash for season 4-10 removed.
    - _The Casagrandes_
    - _The Loud House Movie_
    - _The Casagrandes Movie_
    - _No Time to Spy: A Loud House Movie_
- _Mickey Mouse (2013)_: The title cards even says it's "in Harmonic Mercurivision"
- _Mike Tyson Mysteries_
- _Mixels_ - Season 1 and the Season 2 episode "Mixel Moon Madness", switched to Adobe Flash in the next episode onward.
- _Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur (2023)_ - According to producer Steve Loter, a mixture of Toon Boom Harmony (for staging and head-rigging) and hand-drawn animation (character bodies) is used.
- _My Life Me_
- _My Little Pony: The Movie (2017)_
- _Mysticons_
- _Nature Cat_
- _Neighbors from Hell_
- _O Jii San No Lamp_
- _Ollie's Pack_
- _Once Upon a Studio_
- _Oswaldo_
- _Overlord (2012)_ (Seasons 2 & 3)
- _The Owl House_ (only the episodes that were animated by Sugarcube <sup>list</sup>; the rest of the series is hand-drawn with digital ink-and-paint)
- _Phineas and Ferb_
- _Phineas and Ferb: The Movie_
- _Phineas and Ferb The Movie: Across the 2nd Dimension_
- _Phineas and Ferb The Movie: Candace Against the Universe_ (only the parts outsourced to Snipple Animation; the rest of the movie is traditionally animated with digital ink and paint, much like the main series)
- _Pickle and Peanut_
- _Pikwik Pack_
- _Pinocchio (2012)_
- _Pokémon: The Series_
    - _Pokémon Generations_
- _The Powerpuff Girls_
    - _The Powerpuff Girls Movie_
- _The Princess and the Frog_ - Uses frame by frame animation shots through the program rather than tweening.
- _Producing Parker_
- _The Proud Family_ (only the content for the series provided by Liquid Animation<sup>List</sup>; the rest of the series was traditionally animated with digital ink-and-paint)
    - _The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder_
- _Puffin Rock_
- _Recess: School's Out_
- _Rescue Heroes_ - Seasons 2 and 3 only.
- _Return To Never Land_
- _Rick and Morty_
- _Robotboy_
- _Robot Chicken_ (2D animation only)
- _Ruby Gloom_
- _Rugrats Go Wild!_
- _Santapprentice_
- _Saving Me_
- _Scaredy Squirrel_
- _The Secret of Kells_
- _The Simpsons_ (season 19 onwards; most of the episodes from the first 13 seasons and the first half of season 14<sup>note</sup>  used traditional cel animation, and "Radioactive Man", "Tennis the Menace", "Treehouse of Horror XIII", and all the episodes from the second half of season 14<sup>note</sup>  until season 18 were traditionally animated with digital ink-and-paint)
    - _The Simpsons Movie_
- _Skunk Fu!_
- _Solar Opposites_
- _South Park_
- _Space Hip Hop Duck_
- _Spliced_
- _SpongeBob SquarePants_ (seasons 5-9 from "Pest of the West" to "Yeti Krabs"; season 1 was done with traditional cel animation, and seasons 2-5a and Season 9b-present are traditionally animated and digitally inked and painted)
    - _The Patrick Star Show_
- _Star vs. the Forces of Evil_ (except for the episodes that were animated by Rough Draft Korea<sup>List</sup>, which are hand-drawn with digital ink and paint)
- _Stitch! The Movie_
- _The Strange Chores_
- _Summer Memories_
- _The Tigger Movie_
- _Tokyo Ghoul:re_
- _Total Drama_ and its spinoff, _The Ridonculous Race_
- _Tom_
- _Transformers: Prime_
- _Transformers: Rescue Bots_ (only for the first season)
- _The Triplets and Gaudi_
- _The Triplets of Belleville_
- _TRON: Uprising_ (a mixture of cel-shaded CGI and Toon Boom Harmony for 2D animation)
- _Trunk Train_
- _The Unstoppable Yellow Yeti_
- _Van Helsing: The London Assignment_
- _Vikingskool_
- _Voltron: Legendary Defender_
- _Wander over Yonder_
- _Wayside_ - Season 1 only. Switched to Adobe Flash in Season 2.
- _Weird Years_
- _Wild Kratts_
- _Winnie the Pooh (2011)_ - Uses frame by frame animation shots through the program rather than tweening.
- _Wishfart_
- _Work It Out Wombats!_
- _Yvon of the Yukon_
- _The ZhuZhus_
- _Zig & Sharko_
- _Zombie Hotel_