Warner Animation Group

Warner Animation Group (WAG) is an American animated film production company that is the feature animation label of the Warner Bros. Pictures Group, a division of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which is part of AT&T's WarnerMedia. Established on January 7, 2013, the studio is the successor to the dissolved 2D traditional hand-drawn animation studio Warner Bros. Feature Animation, which shut down in 2004, and is also a sister to the regular Warner Bros. Animation studio.
Its first film, The Lego Movie, was released on February 7, 2014, and its most recent film was Space Jam: A New Legacy on July 16, 2021; their upcoming slate of films includes DC League of Super-Pets on May 20, 2022, and Coyote vs. Acme on July 21, 2023. Films produced by WAG have grossed a total of $1.7 billion 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. The group includes John Requa, Glenn Ficarra, Nicholas Stoller, Jared Stern, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller. Warner Bros. created the group with the hope that the box office reception of their films will be competitive with other animation studios' releases.
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 spinoffs. It was met with positive reviews and proved to be a box office success.
WAG's second film, Storks, was released September 23, 2016. It received mixed reviews from critics.
On February 10, 2017, Warner Animation Group released The Lego Batman Movie, which received positive reviews from critics and was a box office success. On December 14, 2017, Warner Bros. announced Allison Abbate had been named Executive Vice President, and Chris Leahy has been named Senior Vice President.
The Lego Ninjago Movie, based on the Lego Ninjago toys, was released on September 22, 2017. Upon release, the film was met with mixed reviews from critics and became the first film from the studio and franchise to fail to recoup its budget.
Smallfoot, released September 28, 2018, earned a 75% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes with mostly positive reviews from critics and has grossed over $214 million worldwide.
The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part, a sequel to The Lego Movie, was released February 8, 2019 and earned an 85% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes with generally positive reviews from critics but only grossed around $192.3 million worldwide, almost barely recouping its budget and becoming the studio and franchise's second box office disappointment.
In October 2019, Locksmith Animation formed a multi-year production deal with Warner Bros., which will distribute Locksmith's films.
An animated reboot of the Scooby-Doo film series titled Scoob! was initially set for a theatrical release on May 15, 2020, but then it was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On April 21, 2020 it was announced that it would instead go to video on demand in response to the pandemic. It received mixed reviews from critics.
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, which 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. Just like its regular WB logo, which was revamped earlier that year with Locked Down, it is made by Devastudios, with clouds created using Terragen. It received mostly negative reviews from critics.
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 mostly negative reviews from critics.
== Production ==
Similar to Disney's 20th Century Animation, Universal's DreamWorks Animation and Illumination, Paramount Animation and Sony Pictures Animation, WAG outsources their animated films' production to other studios, such as Animal Logic (The Lego Movie franchise, DC's League of Super-Pets and Toto), Sony Pictures Imageworks (Storks and Smallfoot), Reel FX Creative Studios (Scoob!), Framestore (Tom & Jerry) and Industrial Light & Magic (Space Jam: A New Legacy).
The budgets for their films tend to range within $60–80 million. Their most expensive films to date, The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part, Scoob! and Space Jam: A New Legacy, cost $99 million, $90 million and $150 million respectively.
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".
==Filmography==
=== Released ===
*The Lego Movie (2014)
*Storks (2016)
*The Lego Batman Movie (2017)
*The Lego Ninjago Movie (2017)
*Teen Titans Go! to the Movies (2018)
*Smallfoot (2018)
*The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part (2019)
*Scoob! (2020)
*Tom & Jerry (2021)
*Space Jam: A New Legacy (2021)
*DC League of Super-Pets (2022)
===In Development===
Title 	Notes
Metal Men 	Co-production with DC Entertainment
The Flintstones 	
Funko 	
The Ice Dragon 	
The Jetsons 	Co-production with Hanna-Barbera
Wacky Races 	
Zero 	Co-production with Imagine Entertainment
That Christmas 	Co-production with Locksmith Animation
Untitled Locksmith Animation original musical-comedy film	Co-production with Locksmith Animation
Untitled third Space Jam film 	
The Cat in the Hat 	
Oh, the Places You'll Go 	
Wed Wabbit 	Co-production with Locksmith Animation
===Short Films===
# 	Title 	Release date 	Type of short
1 	Enter the Ninjago 	June 17, 2014 	Direct-to-video short
2 	The Lego Movie: 4D - A New Adventure 	January 29, 2016 	4D attraction
3 	The Master 	September 23, 2016	Theatrical short
4 	Pigeon Toady's Guide to Your New Baby 	December 6, 2016 	Direct-to-video short
5 	Dark Hoser 	June 13, 2017 	Direct-to-video short
6 	Batman is Just Not That Into You 	June 13, 2017 	Direct-to-video short
7 	Cooking with Alfred 	June 13, 2017 	Direct-to-video short
8 	Movie Sound Effects: How Do They Do That? 	June 13, 2017 	Direct-to-video short
9 	Shark E. Shark in "Which Way to the Ocean?" 	December 19, 2017 	Direct-to-video short
10	Zane's Stand Up Promo 	December 19, 2017 	Direct-to-video short
11	Turkish Airlines: Safety Video with The LEGO Movie Characters	August 1, 2018 	Internet short
12	Emmet's Holiday Party 	December 10, 2018 	Internet short
13	Super Soozie 	December 11, 2018 	Direct-to-video short
14	"Everything is Awesome" Dance Together Music Video 	January 8, 2019 	Internet short
==Franchises==
Title 	Films	Short films	TV Seasons	Release dates
The Lego Movie	4 	11 	3 	2014–2019
DC Comics 	1 	0 	0 	2017–present
Hanna-Barbera 	1 	0 	0 	2020–present
Looney Tunes 	1 	0 	0 	2021–present
==Awards==
===The Lego Movie===
Awards	Awards 	Awards 	Awards 	Awards
Year 	Association 	Award Category 	Recipient (if any) 	Status
2015 	AACTA Awards 	Best Visual Effects or Animation 	Chris McKay, Amber Naismith, Aidan Sarsfield and Grant Freckelton 	Won
2015 	Academy Awards 	Best Original Song 	"Everything is Awesome" written and lyrics by Shawn Patterson 	Nominated
2015 	American Cinema Editors 	Best Edited Animated Feature Film 	David Burrows, Chris McKay 	Won
2015 	42nd Annual Annie Awards 	Best Animated Feature 	The Lego Movie 	Nominated
2015 	42nd Annual Annie Awards 	Animated Effects in an Animated Feature Production 	Jayandera Danappal, Matt Ebb, Christian Epunan Hernandez, Danielle Brooks, and Raphael Gadot	Nominated
2015 	42nd Annual Annie Awards 	Directing in an Animated Feature Production 	Phil Lord and Christopher Miller Directors;
Chris McKay, Co-Director 	Nominated
2015 	42nd Annual Annie Awards 	Production Design in an Animated Feature Production 	Grant Freckelton 	Nominated
2015 	42nd Annual Annie Awards 	Writing in an Animated Feature Production 	Phil Lord and Christopher Miller 	Won
2015 	42nd Annual Annie Awards 	Editorial in an Animated Feature Production 	David Burrows, Todd Hansen, Doug Nicholas, Jonathan Tappin and Courtney O'Brien-Brown 	Nominated
2015 	Austin Film Critics Association 	Best Animated Film 	The Lego Movie 	Won
2015 	BAFTA Awards 	Best Animated Film 	The Lego Movie 	Won
2015 	Black Reel Awards 	Best Voice Performance 	Morgan Freeman 	Won
2015 	45th Annual British Academy Children's Awards	Kid's Vote — Film in 2014 	The Lego Movie 	Nominated
2015 	45th Annual British Academy Children's Awards	Children's Feature Film in 2014 	The Lego Movie 	Won
2015 	Broadcast Film Critics Association 	Best Animated Feature 	The Lego Movie 	Won
2015 	Broadcast Film Critics Association 	Best Song 	"Everything Is Awesome" 	Nominated
2015 	Chicago Film Critics Association 	Best Animated Feature 	The Lego Movie 	Won
2015 	Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association 	Best Animated Film 	The Lego Movie 	Won
2015 	Dublin Film Critics Circle 	Top Ten Films 	The Lego Movie 	4th Place
2015 	Empire Awards 	Best Comedy 	The Lego Movie 	Nominated
2015 	Florida Film Critics Circle 	Best Animated Film 	The Lego Movie 	Won
2015 	Golden Globe Awards 	Best Animated Feature Film 	The Lego Movie 	Nominated
2015 	Golden Tomato Awards 2014 	Best Animated Film 	The Lego Movie 	Won
2015 	Golden Tomato Awards 2014 	Best Wide Release 2014 	The Lego Movie 	2nd Place
2015 	Grammy Awards 	Best Song Written for Visual Media 	"Everything Is Awesome" 	Nominated
2015 	Heartland Film Festival 2014 	Truly Moving Picture Award 	Phil Lord and Christopher Miller 	Won
2015 	Houston Film Critics Society 	Best Animated Feature Film 	The Lego Movie 	Won
2015 	Houston Film Critics Society 	Best Original Song 	"Everything is Awesome" 	Won
2015 	Hollywood Music in Media Awards 	Best Original Song in an Animated Film 	Everything is Awesome 	Won
2015 	Hollywood Music in Media Awards 	Best Original Score in an Animated Film 	Mark Mothersbaugh 	Nominated
2015 	Kerrang! Awards 	Best Film 	The Lego Movie 	Won
2015 	Kids' Choice Awards 	Favorite Animated Movie 	The Lego Movie 	Nominated
2015 	Kids' Choice Awards 	Favorite Movie Actor 	Will Arnett (also for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) 	Nominated
2015 	National Board of Review 	Best Original Screenplay 	Phil Lord and Christopher Miller 	Won
2015 	National Board of Review 	Top Ten Films 	The Lego Movie 	Won
2015 	New York Film Critics Circle Awards 	Best Animated Film 	The Lego Movie 	Won
2015 	New York Film Critics Online 	Best Animated Film 	The Lego Movie 	Won
2015 	Online Film Critics Society 	Best Picture 	The Lego Movie 	Nominated
2015 	Online Film Critics Society 	Best Animated Feature 	The Lego Movie 	Won
2015 	People's Choice Awards 	Favorite Family Movie 	The Lego Movie 	Nominated
2015 	Producers Guild of America 	Best Outstanding Producer of Animated Theatrical Motion Pictures 	Dan Lin 	Won
2015 	San Diego Film Critics Society 	Best Animated 	The Lego Movie 	Nominated
2015 	San Francisco Film Critics Circle 	Best Animated Feature 	The Lego Movie 	Won
2015 	Satellite Awards 	Best Motion Picture Animated or Mixed Media 	The Lego Movie 	Nominated
2015 	Satellite Awards 	Best Original Screenplay 	Phil Lord and Christopher Miller 	Nominated
2015 	Satellite Awards 	Best Original Song 	"Everything Is Awesome" 	Nominated
2015 	Saturn Awards 	Best Animated Film 	The Lego Movie 	Won
2015 	St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association 	Best Animated Film 	The Lego Movie 	Won
2015 	16th SXSW Film Festival 	SXSW Film Design Award
(Special Jury Recognition) 	Brian Mah (Designer) 	Won
2015 	Teen Choice Awards 	Choice Movie: Animated 	The Lego Movie 	Nominated
2015 	Teen Choice Awards 	Choice Movie: Voice 	Chris Pratt 	Nominated
2015 	Toronto Film Critics Association 	Best Animated Feature 	The Lego Movie 	Runner-Up
2015 	13th Visual Effects Society Awards 	Outstanding Animation in an Animated Feature Motion Picture 	Chris McKay, Amber Naismith, Jim Dodd, David Williams 	Nominated
2015 	13th Visual Effects Society Awards 	Outstanding Effects Simulations in an Animated Feature Motion Picture	Carsten Kolve, Jayandera Danappal, Matt Ebb, Miles Green 	Nominated
2015 	Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association	Best Animated Feature 	The Lego Movie 	Won
2015 	Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association	Best Original Screenplay 	Phil Lord and Christopher Miller 	Nominated
===Storks ===
Awards	Awards 	Awards 	Awards 	Awards
Year 	Association 	Award Category 	Recipient (if any) 	Status
2016 	Annie Awards 	Outstanding Achievement, Voice Acting in an Animated Feature Production	Katie Crown 	Nominated
2016 	Heartland Film Festival 2016	Truly Moving Picture Award 	Nicholas Stoller 	Won
2016 	Hollywood Film Awards 	Hollywood Film Composer Award 	Mychael Danna (also for Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk)	Won
2016 	Village Voice Film Poll 	Best Animated Feature 	Storks 	Nominated
===The Lego Batman Movie===
Awards	Awards 	Awards 	Awards 	Awards
Year 	Association 	Award Category 	Recipient (if any) 	Status
2017 	AACTA Awards 	Best Sound 	Gregg Landaker, Rick Lisle, Wayne Pashley, Fabian Sanjurgo and Michael Semanick 	Nominated
2017 	AACTA Awards 	Best Visual Effects or Animation 	Rob Coleman, Damien Gray, Miles Green, Amber Naismith and Craig Welsh 	Nominated
2017 	Detroit Film Critics Society 	Best Animated Film 	The Lego Batman Movie 	Won
2017 	Florida Film Critics Circle 	Best Animated Film 	The Lego Batman Movie 	Nominated
2017 	Golden Trailer Awards 	Best Animation/Family 	The Lego Batman Movie 	Won
2017 	Golden Trailer Awards 	Most Original Trailer 	The Lego Batman Movie 	Nominated
2017 	Heartland Film Festival 	Truly Moving Picture Award 	Chris McKay 	Won
2017 	Hollywood Music in Media Awards 	Best Original Score - Animated Film 	Lorne Balfe 	Nominated
2017 	IGN Awards 	Best Animated Movie 	The Lego Batman Movie 	Runner-up
2017 	MTV Movie & TV Awards 	Best Comedic Performance 	Will Arnett 	Nominated
2017 	Online Film Critics Society 	Best Animated Film 	The Lego Batman Movie 	Nominated
2017 	St. Louis Film Critics Association 	Best Animated Feature 	Chris McKay 	Nominated
2017 	Teen Choice Awards 	Choice Movie Actor: Comedy 	Will Arnett 	Nominated
2017 	Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association	Best Animated Feature 	The Lego Batman Movie 	Nominated
2017 	Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association	Best Animated Voice Performance 	Will Arnett 	Nominated
2017 	Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association	Best Animated Voice Performance 	Michael Cera 	Nominated
2018 	American Cinema Editors 	Best Edited Animated Feature Film 	David Burrows, Matt Villa and John Venzon 	Nominated
2018 	Annie Awards 	Directing in a Feature Production 	Chris McKay 	Nominated
2018 	Annie Awards 	Voice Acting in an Animated Feature Production 	Zach Galifianakis 	Nominated
2018 	Annie Awards 	Editorial in an Animated Feature Production 	David Burrows, Matt Villa and John Venzon 	Nominated
2018 	Art Directors Guild 	Excellence in Production Design for an Animated Film 	Grant Freckelton 	Nominated
2018 	Cinema Audio Society Awards 	Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for a Motion Picture – Animated	Jason Oliver, Michael Semanick, Gregg Landaker, Wayne Pashley, Stephen Lipson and Lisa Simpson 	Nominated
2018 	Critics' Choice Movie Awards 	Best Animated Film 	Chris McKay 	Nominated
2018 	Empire Awards 	Best Animated Film 	The Lego Batman Movie 	Nominated
2018 	Georgia Film Critics Association 	Best Animated Film 	The Lego Batman Movie 	Nominated
2018 	Golden Reel Awards 	Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Feature Animation 	Wayne Pashley, Rick Lisle, Fabian Sanjurjo, Andrew Miller, Mario Gabrieli, Jared Dwyer, Emma Mitchell, Nigel Christensen, Terry Rodman, Christopher S. Aud, F. Hudson Miller, Beth Bezzina, Sonal Joshi, Derryn Pasquill, Linda Yeaney, John Simpson and Will Kaplan	Nominated
2018 	Golden Tomato Awards 	Best Animated Film 	The Lego Batman Movie 	2nd Place
2018 	Houston Film Critics Society 	Best Animated Film 	The Lego Batman Movie 	Nominated
2018 	Kids' Choice Awards 	Favorite Animated Film 	The Lego Batman Movie 	Nominated
2018 	Movieguide Awards 	Best Movie for Families 	The Lego Batman Movie 	Nominated
2018 	Producers Guild of America Award 	Outstanding Producer of Animated Theatrical Motion Picture 	Dan Lin, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller 	Nominated
2018 	Satellite Awards 	Best Animated or Mixed Media Feature 	The Lego Batman Movie 	Nominated
2018 	Visual Effects Society 	Outstanding Visual Effects in an Animated Feature 	Rob Coleman, Amber Naismith, Grant Freckelton and Damien Gray 	Nominated
2018 	 	 	 	Nominated
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2018 	 	 	 	Nominated
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===The Lego Ninjago Movie===
Awards	Awards 	Awards 	Awards 	Awards
Year 	Association 	Award Category 	Recipient (if any) 	Status
2017 	16th Visual Effects Society Awards	Outstanding Visual Effects in an Animated Feature 	Gregory Jowle, Fiona Childton, Miles Green, Kim Taylor 	Nominated
2017 	16th Visual Effects Society Awards	Outstanding Animated Character in an Animated Feature 	Arthur Terzis, Wei Hei, Jean-Marc Ariu, Gibson Radsavanh for "Garma Mecha Man" 	Nominated
2017 	16th Visual Effects Society Awards	Outstanding Animated Character in an Animated Feature 	Matthew Everitt, Christian So, Loic Miermont, Fiona Darwin for "Garmadon" 	Nominated
2017 	16th Visual Effects Society Awards	Outstanding Created Environment in an Animated Feature	Kim Taylor, Angela Ensele, Felicity Coonan, Jean Pascal leBlanc for "Ninjago City"	Nominated
===Smallfoot===
Awards	Awards 	Awards 	Awards 	Awards
Year 	Association 	Award Category 	Recipient (if any) 	Status
2018 	Detroit Film Critics Society 	Best Animated Feature 	Smallfoot 	Nominated
2018 	Heartland Film Festival 	Truly Moving Picture Award 	Smallfoot 	Won
2018 	Hollywood Music in Media Awards 	Original Score – Animated Film 	Heitor Pereira 	Nominated
2018 	Hollywood Music in Media Awards 	Original Song – Animated Film 	Niall Horan 	Nominated
2019 	Alliance of Women Film Journalists	Best Animated Feature Film 	Karey Kirkpatrick
Jason Reisig 	Nominated
2019 	Alliance of Women Film Journalists	Best Animated Female 	Zendaya as Meechee 	Nominated
2019 	Annie Awards 	Annie Award for Music in a Feature Production 	Heitor Pereira, Karey Kirkpatrick, Wayne Kirkpatrick 	Nominated
2019 	Kids' Choice Awards 	Favorite Male Voice from an Animated Movie 	Channing Tatum 	Nominated
2019 	Kids' Choice Awards 	Favorite Female Voice from an Animated Movie 	Zendaya 	Nominated
2019 	Kids' Choice Awards 	Favorite Female Voice from an Animated Movie 	Yara Shahidi 	Nominated
2019 	Visual Effects Society Awards 	Outstanding Effects Simulations in an Animated Feature	Henrik Karlsson, Theo Vandernoot, Martin Furness, Dmitriy Kolesnik	Nominated
===The Lego Movie 2:The Second Part===
Awards	Awards 	Awards 	Awards 	Awards
Year 	Association 	Award Category 	Recipient (if any) 	Status
2019 	DiscussingFilm Critic Awards 	Best Animated Film 	The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part 	Nominated
2019 	Golden Trailer Awards 	Best Animation/Family 	The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part 	Nominated
2019 	International Online Cinema Awards 2019	Best Animated Film 	Mike Mitchell 	Nominated
2019 	People's Choice Awards 	Favorite Family Movie 	The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part 	Nominated
2019 	People's Choice Awards 	Best Animated Movie Star of 2019 	Chris Pratt 	Nominated
2019 	IGN Awards 	Best Animated Movie 	The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part 	Nominated
2020 	Chicago Indie Critics 	Best Animated Film 	Dan Lin, Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, Roy Lee and Jinko Gotoh	Nominated
2020 	Chicago Indie Critics 	Best Original Song 	Catchy Song by Jon Lajoie 	Nominated
2020 	Chicago Indie Critics 	Best Original Song 	Not Evil by Jon Lajoie 	Nominated
2020 	Golden Tomato Awards 	Best Animated Movie 2019 	The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part 	4th Place
2020 	Hollywood Critics Association 	Best Original Song 	Catchy Song by Jon Lajoie 	Nominated
2020 	Movieguide Awards 	Best Movie for Families 	Mike Mitchell and Trisha Gum 	Won
2020 	North Carolina Film Critics Association	Best Animated Film 	Mike Mitchell 	Nominated
2020 	Visual Effects Society 	Outstanding Visual Effects in an Animated Feature	David Burgess, Tim Smith, Mark Theriault and John Rix 	Nominated
2020 	SXSW Film Festival 	Excellence in Title Design 	Brain Mah 	Nominated
2020 	2020 Kids' Choice Awards 	Favorite Animated Movie 	The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part 	Nominated
2020 	2020 Kids' Choice Awards 	Favorite Female Voice for an Animated Movie 	Tiffany Haddish as Queen Watevra Wa’Nabi 	Nominated
2020 	2020 Kids' Choice Awards 	Favorite Male Voice for an Animated Film 	Chris Pratt as Emmet Brickowski/Rex Dangervest 	Nominated
2020 	 	 	 	
===Scoob!===
Awards	Awards 	Awards 	Awards 	Awards
Year 	Association 	Award Category 	Recipient (if any) 	Status
2020 	People's Choice Awards 	Favorite Family Movie 	Scoob! 	Nominated
2020 	People's Choice Awards 	The Soundtrack Song of 2020	On Me (feat. Ava Max) Thomas Rhett and Kane Brown	Nominated
2021 	2021 Kids' Choice Awards 	Favorite Animated Movie 	Scoob! 	Nominated
2021 	Music City Film Critics Association	Best Animated Film 	Tony Cervone, Pam Coats and Allison Abbate 	Nominated
2021 	NAACP Image Awards 	Favorite Animated Movie 	Scoob! 	Nominated
2021 	SXSW Film Festival 	Excellence in Title Design 	Jon Berkowitz and Brad Colwell 	Nominated
Category:Companies
Category:Film production companies