Movie Land Animation Studios

Movie Land Animation Studios, Ltd. (MLAS; stylized as MOViE LAND ANIMATION STUDIOS) is an American animation studio and a film production company operated as a subsidiary of Sony Pictures Animation, a division of Sony Entertainment. Based in San Diego, California, it produces computer-animation and 2D animated feature films, short films and television series. The studio was founded on September 7, 2005, as Movie Land Productions, by Ted V. Miller and is best known for producing animated television series, feature films, shorts, and video games. Movie Land Animation Studios is a member of the Motion Picture Association (MPA).
==History==
===Early years (1980-2009)===
Movie Land's predecessor Ted-LaPai Productions was founded on January 21, 1980 as a division of Hanna-Barbera by animators Ted V. Miller and Michael LaPai, who wanted to realize their dream of producing an animated feature-length film. On February 13, 2005, after leaving Hanna-Barbera due to financial reasons, Ted and Michael opened their own studio named Movie Land Productions, which would develop characters, stories, and productions, and some of the animators who worked for Ted and Michael at Hanna-Barbera came to the studio at the time. Until in 2010, Ted and Michael opened their next studio named Movie Land Animation Studios, which would develop characters, stories, and productions, and some of the animators who worked for Ted and Michael came to the studio at the next month.
===Movie Land Productions and Movie Land Animation Studios (2005-present)===
On September 7, 2009, Movie Land Animation Studios was established to develop characters, stories and movies, with Movie Land Digital Production Services taking over the digital production while maintaining its visual effects production.
Ever since films like Pixar's Cars 2, Sony Pictures Animation's Hotel Transylvania and the Disney Animation's Wreck-It Ralph were released, Movie Land Animation Studios always wanted to produce an computer-animation and 2D and 3D animated feature-length film. A handful of employees were offered positions doing computer animation and 2D and 3D animation in the studio. During the film in production of January 1, 2013, MLAS made its first film, Stickman: The Movie.
Since May 2013, Movie Land Animation Studios was acquired by Warner Bros. Entertainment and AT&T as part of their 2013 acquisition of Movie Land by Warner Bros., which concluded on April 30, 2013. On May 2, 2013, Warner Bros. Entertainment announced that Movie Land Animation Studios and its subsidiary of Movie Land would be integrated as units within the Warner Bros. Entertainment with Alan F. Horn continuing to lead the studio reporting to Shaun MacDougall.
Following the Sony Pictures hack on November 24, 2014, Movie Land announced for a distribution deal with Columbia Pictures in which it will market, co-finance, and distribute films from the company's Movie Land Animation Studios label. The Animals in the Attic, which was originally set to be distributed by Warner Bros. before the split, was the first film released under the new agreement.
In April 2015, Movie Land Animation Studios announces plans to produce an PG-13-rated film with its first film called Major Lazer: The Movie, directed by Stephen Heneveld. In 2016, Movie Land Animation Studios has received 18 nominations. On May 14, 2017, Movie Land Animation Studios announces plans to make an R-rated comedy titled Black vs. White, released in March 2022, an untitled Dead or Alive film, and a New Line Cinema film titled Extinction.
On July 28, 2019, it was announced that the Movie Land will design a new logo for Movie Land, as the Comfortaa font, which is created by Shiyoon Kim. On May 1, 2021, Movie Land announced to updates its new logo as a Futura font starting with the 2021 film, Sushi.
On April 7, 2022, Warner Bros. Discovery updated the animated logo opening for Movie Land Animation Studios, although it was acquired in April 2013, as part of the mergers between Warner Media and Discovery, which Ghost in the Shell was the first film from the studio to use the Warner Bros. Discovery byline.
On May 7, 2022, Movie Land announced to expand its presence to Los Angeles, California alongside Movie Land Digital Production Services. Its presence will include 130 new employees based at the new location. It was grand opened on May 10, 2022. Four days later after MLAS Los Angeles' grand opening, Movie Land signed a deal with Fortiche to help them work on animation services for Animals vs. Monsters: Most Wanted, which was released in May 2023.
===Sony acquisition (2022-present)===
The company eventually became a part of Sony's Movie Land Universe, which in turn, became a division of Sony Pictures Animation. On December 3, 2022, Sony entered negotiations to acquire the studio. On December 16, it was officially announced that MLAS will be acquired by Sony for $8.45 billion, subject to regulatory approvals and other routine closing conditions; with the studio continuing to operate as a label under Sony's existing content arm, complementing Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Animation. It is set to finalize on October 6, 2023, with the release of The Hollow: A New World.
==Subsidiary==
===Kumar Coca===
In India, Movie Land Animation Studios was originally set to open as Movie Land Animation Studios India (MLASI) before it was renamed as "Kumar Coca", which was established on October 31, 2020, with its first feature project was Two Brothers.
===Movie Land Animation Software===
In 2017, it was announced that Movie Land will establish a new company called, Movie Land Animation Software, a American animation and graphic software company that it was based in Los Angeles, California and was founded by Movie Land. The company established on July 13, 2019.
===Movie Land Animation Studios Canada===
On April 20, 2015, MLAS opened Movie Land Animation Studios Canada (MLASC) in the downtown area of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The roughly 2,000 square meters studio produced ten short films based on the characters. On March 21, 2019, the studio was closed down to refocus Movie Land Animation Studios' efforts at its main headquarters. Apparently on April 1, 2019, MLASC was merged into The Bellas VFX Studios until May 5, 2023. However, on October 3, 2022 at the Movie Land's Investor Day presentation, it was announced that it would be re-established these companies in Canada as Movie Land Animation Studios Vancouver in British Columbia, Movie Land Animation Studios Toronto in Ontario and Movie Land Animation Studios Montreal in Quebec, and was founded by Villads Spangsberg and Kenny Park on October 27, 2022.
==Related media and projects==
===Birdy Animation===
In 2002, Birdy Animation was founded by Michael LaPai in May 5th in Santa Monica, California. Every since Monsters, Inc. was released, Birdy Animation always wanted to produce an computer-animation and 2D animated feature-length film. A handful of employees were offered positions doing computer animation and 2D animation in the studio. This is the first Birdy Animation film to be created, it was called Once Upon a Bird, the movie released in March 2004 and to be composed by John Powell. In 2006, this is the first Birdy Animation film to be created by Industrial Light & Magic starting with, Rock-a-Bye. In 2009, it was also created by Sony Pictures Imageworks starting with, Day of the Beach. On December 9th, 2012, Birdy Animation are about to shut down since it was defuncted for Michael's graduation and it will be merged with Touchstone Animation Studios.
===Touchstone Animation Studios===
Touchstone Animation Studios is a animation division of Touchstone Pictures and was founded by Ray Schumann at Sacramento, California on January 23, 2013. TAS produced five feature films. Due to the critical and commercial failure of Strange Magic and a string of box-office bombs of most films produced by the company, Touchstone Animation was filled for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on August 2, 2016. After the bankruptcy and sale, American actress and singer Anna Kendrick sued TAS for just $300,000. A month later, Touchstone Animation Studios ceased operations and then folded into 20th Century Fox Animation.
===Sphere Ball Studios===
Sphere Ball Studios is a division of MLAS and was founded by Michael LaPai in March 6, 2017 at Sacramento, California and it will be making of this motion picture. Ever since films like the Disney Animation's Zootopia and Lucasfilm's Star Wars: The Force Awakens were released, Sphere Ball Studios always wanted to produce an computer-animation and 2D and 3D animated feature-length film. A handful of employees were offered positions doing computer animation and 2D and 3D animation in the studio. In January 2017, it was acquired by The Walt Disney Company and then sold to WarnerMedia for over US$2 billion. In December 2020, Sphere Ball Studios ceased operations to fold the company into Movie Land Animation Studios.
===Shank Films===
Shank Films is an American film production company that is a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company. It was established and founded by the filmmaker, Rich Moore on March 9, 2018, with the release of Disney's A Wrinkle in Time. Shank Films was acquired by The Walt Disney Company on March 20, 2019 alongside 21st Century Fox during the acquisitions of 21st Century Fox by Disney. In March 2022, Shank Films ceased operations to fold the company into Walt Disney Animation Studios.
==Projects==
Movie Land Animation Studios' first feature film was Stickman: The Movie, released in October 2014. The film received mixed reviews from critics, but was a box-office success, and spawned a sequel titled Stickman 2: Larry's Adventure, released in April 2019. In February 2011, Ted and LaPai brought the 2D animation back for its first feature film. Starting with its second feature film, Go Touching 8, which was released on December 26, 2014, Ted and LaPai announced that they will start using computer animation in May 2011. Go Touching 8 received positive reviews from critics, making it its first film to give a film a positive review, and was a commercial success. Its third feature film, Reggie and the Penguin, released in October 2015 and met with negative reviews from critics, but was a financial success. Nearly all the MLAS film was a commercial success and will feature the several slow-motion scenes in the film.
Its seventh feature film, Major Lazer: The Movie, was released in April 2018. It received generally positive reviews from critics, was a commercial success, and received a PG-13 rating from the MPAA, making it first film from the studio to give such a rating and its first adult-animated film.
Unlike its first ten feature films, which uses computer animation, its eleventh feature film, Sarcastics, was the first film from the studio to use the live-action photography. It was released on December 14, 2018 to critical and commercial success and spawned two released sequels plus one upcoming sequel (with a total of three), one spin-off (The Sarcastics Adventures of Alexa), and television series.
During the Sony Pictures hack in November 2014, Sony announced a deal with Movie Land Animation Studios to kickstart the Sony's Movie Land Universe franchise, starting with the short film The Bunnies in a Christmas Caper, released in theaters on December 14, 2018 with Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.
Its twelfth feature film, The Animals in the Attic, released on February 21, 2019 to positive reviews from critics, with Sony Pictures Animation producing, after Movie Land announced for a five-year distribution deal with Columbia Pictures in which it will market, co-finance, and distribute films from the company's Movie Land Animation Studios label, making it the first film from the studio to be distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing. Following the critical and commercial success of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Sony's Movie Land Universe continued their projects, with its second Sony's Movie Land Universe film and its thirteenth feature film from the studio, Carmen Sandiego, which was released in North America on June 28, 2019.
Its sixteenth feature film, The JH Movie Collection Movie 2: The Second Part, was released on August 16, 2019 and met with positive reviews from critics, achieving "100%" on Rotten Tomatoes, making it its first film to have a "100%" rating review on Rotten Tomatoes. Following the success of the first film, it was announced that Movie Land Animation Studios will release the film under their banner, despite having dropped out of co-producing the project beforehand and had not co-produced the first film either.
Its twenty-fourth feature film, Cool Girls, released on January 17, 2020, to critical and box-office success, alongside Bad Boys for Life, which also released by Columbia Pictures. Rather than using computer-animation like that, MLDPS will start combining computer-animation with film inspiration style from Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. The film was followed by League of Techs, Ghost in the Shell, The JH Movie Collection Movie: Homecoming, Spy Land, Krishna and the Twelve Elements, The Tibet Code, The Pencilmation Movie and others.
Its twenty-eighth feature film, Las Vegas, released on July 31, 2020 on Disney+. After the theatrical release was cancelled and sell it to Disney+, it received negative reviews from critics and became the first Movie Land Animation Studios film to fail to recoup its budget, making it its first box-office bomb, grossing just $65.3 million worldwide. Due to that along with The Hollow's cancellation after the second seasonThe Hollow discontinuation announcement on Twitter, a sequel to the first film was cancelled after it was scheduled for the release date of August 2023, originally released by Sony Pictures.
Its thirty-third feature film, Famous 5, a computer-animated mystery film based on the show Famous 5: On the Case, was released on March 5, 2021. It was the first Sony Pictures Animation and Movie Land Animation Studios film to release simultaneously available in theaters and on demand, and the first Movie Land Animation Studios film to feature the LGBTQ character and was noted for introducing MLAS's first openly LGBTQ lead character.
On May 12, 2018, That Hashtag Show reported that MLAS was developing an animated film titled Laser Empire before renamed to Krishna and the Last Lion in January 2020. In November 2020, they started a deal with Kumar Coca. Its thirty-fourth feature film, Krishna and the Last Lion, was released on March 12, 2021 by Warner Bros. Pictures in the United States.
Following the positive reception for Major Lazer: The Movie, which was rated PG-13, MLAS announced to make a R-rated movie, starting with Black vs. White. It was released on March 25, 2022 and met with mixed reviews from critics, but still proved to be a commercial success, grossing $397.9 million worldwide. It was rated R from the MPA, making it its first film to give such a rating.
MLAS' 68th project was Spider-Gwen 2, a sequel to 2019's Spider-Gwen, was released on September 9, 2022, with all of the casts reprised their roles. Spider-Gwen 2 received positive reviews from critics, like its predecessor.
In May 2019, Sony Pictures Animation and Panko and Panda Studios announced to take over DreamWorks Animation, like they did with Vivo, after the cancellation, and its seventy-fifth feature film, The Tibet Code will premiere on Regency Village Theater on February 24, 2023, and is scheduled to be released on March 3, 2023.
Its seventy-seventh feature film based on series Æon Flux, after the critical and commercial failure of the 2005 live-action film, the 2023 computer-animated film is currently slated for a North American release on March 17, 2023, by Paramount Pictures, making it the first film from the studio to be distributed by another film company rather than Warner Bros. Pictures or Sony Pictures. Rumors of a theatrical animated Æon Flux film began in late 2017, with Paramount Animation announced its partnership with Skydance Animation before Apple TV+ taking over. In April 2018, Nickelodeon Movies and Movie Land Animation Studios announced they will release a computer-animated Æon Flux film. The first teaser trailer for the film was revealed live in the 2022 Annual Movie Land's Investor Day presentation.
Its seventy-eighth feature film based on the series of short, The Pencilmation Movie, is scheduled for release in the United States on April 14, 2023 by Sony Pictures Releasing under its Columbia Pictures label.
Following the commercial success of F9, Fast & Furious Spy Racers, the seventy-ninth feature film based on the television series of its same name from DreamWorks Animation Television, is set to be released on April 21, 2023 by Universal Pictures, making it the second film from the studio to be distributed by another film company rather than Warner Bros. Pictures or Sony Pictures.
Following the cancellation of Q-Force, it was announced for a film adaptation based on the show of its same name, with Rawson Marshall Thurber is hired from the film's direction and screenwriting and is set to be released on May 26, 2023 by Universal Pictures under Illumination, making it the third film from the studio to be distributed by another film company rather than Warner Bros. Pictures or Sony Pictures, with all of the original voice casts reprised their roles from it.
===Upcoming projects===
An animated reboot, Pitch Perfect: The Mighty Music is set to be released on June 21, 2024 by Universal Pictures, making it the sixth film from the studio to be distributed by another film company rather than Warner Bros. Pictures or Sony Pictures.
A film adaptation based on the video game Kena: Bridge of Spirits, developed and published by Ember Lab, is in post-production and its set for release on December 25, 2024.
==Logo==
In August 2014, Movie Land Animation Studios introduced its first official logo, with Scott Watanabe served as an art director. The logo's animation was designed by Jin Kim and was created by The Bellas VFX Studios in Canada. It first debuted on-screen with Stickman: The Movie, which was released on October 10, 2014.
On August 12, 2019, Movie Land Animation Studios introduced a new animated logo featuring Jin from DreamWorks Animation's Abominable. When Danny J. Rodriguez came to Movie Land Animation Studios, one of the first goals set by Ted V. Miller was to make a logo for the division. The crew wanted to put a male character in the logo because the studio’s team is mostly male, and according to Renschen, it captures "the magic" of the division. The logo and the character of Jin were designed by Shiyoon Kim and animated by Movie Land Digital Production Services, Trollback + Company and PictureMill. It first debuted on Chocolate Fever in August 2019. Henry Jackman composed the logo's fanfare.
On May 1, 2021, Movie Land announced to introduce a new logo as a Futura font created and designed by William Renschen. The logo's animation was handled by directors Eusong Lee & Manddy Wyckens at Chromosphere Studio in Los Angeles, with Sylvia Liu and Eastwood Wong served as an art directors. It first debuted on-screen with Sushi, which was released on June 18, 2021.
Starting with Ghost in the Shell in August 2022, Movie Land Animation Studios updated an animated logo on July 15, 2022, featuring Yaz and Sammy from Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous and Echo from Fast & Furious Spy Racers. Its new logo were designed by MOCEAN, with characters done by MLDPS San Francisco and 88 Pictures.
On August 2, 2023, following the upcoming acquisition of Movie Land by Sony Pictures, Movie Land Animation Studios updated a new animated opening logo produced by Julie Zackary from Nimona and Justin K. Thompson from Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse served as the production designer. Henry Jackman composed the logo's new fanfare on August 8, 2023. The logo's animation was made by Pascal Charrue, Jérôme Combe, and Arnaud Delord at Fortiche. The logo appeared on-screen with Sarcastics 4: A New Student on August 25, 2023.
On January 6, 2024, after the conclusion of the acquisition of Movie Land by Sony Pictures, a new logo was announced. Henry Jackman returned to composed the logo's fanfare. The logo was created by production designer Tomé Costa (Mech Cadets), art director Tohru Patrick Awa (Mech Cadets), producer Cassie Price (Carmen Sandiego), and the team at Fortiche, returning from their previous logo, and MLDPS Vancouver taking six months to complete. It made its debut on January 12, 2024, as an unlisted video on Movie Land's YouTube channel and will debut on-screen on Baywatch, which was released in China in February 2024 and the US in April.
==Animation process==
While the animation services were mainly created by its visual effects subsidiary Movie Land Digital Production Services, Kumar Coca, La Femme Rouge VFX (formerly known as The Bellas VFX Studios), and RedCrackle VFX helped them with their animation services. Additionally, Movie Land occasionally outsources its animation production to other studios.
==Partnerships==
Movie Land Animation Studios has an current partnership with Vision Research that has been active since August 12, 2022, with a release of Ghost in the Shell, which Movie Land exclusively uses the Phantom cameras to provide slow-motion segments in most live-action films and some computer-animated films. Movie Land also has a partnership with NetApp in order to supply cloud-based storage that allows the company to complete its films.
==Filmography==
==Franchises==
Franchise title 	Date
Stickman 	2014-present
Loppy the Dog 	2016-present
The JH Movie Collection Movie	2018-2022
Sony's Movie Land Universe 	2019-present
==List of staff==
People 	Occupation
Ted V. Miller 	Founder
George Gipson 	Chief Executive Officer
James Yang 	President
Bret Haaland 	Vice President
Micah Gunnell 	Executive Vice President
Leo Riley 	Senior Vice President
Duncan Rouleau 	Chief Operating Officer
Shiyoon Kim 	Chief Creative Officer
William Renschen	Additional President
Sunny Park 	Vice President, Music Unit
Henry Jackman 	Film Score Composing Collaborator
Joseph Nguyen 	President, Streaming
==References==
==External links==
* Official website
Category:American animation studios
Category:WarnerMedia
Category:Warner Bros.
Category:Warner Bros. Animation
Category:Film production companies of the United States
Category:Entertainment companies based in California
Category:Companies based in San Diego
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Category:Warner Bros. acquisitions
Category:Members of the Motion Picture Association of America
Category:Television production companies of the United States
Category:2013 mergers and acquisitions
Category:2023 mergers and acquisitions
Category:Sony subsidiaries
Category:Former WarnerMedia subsidiaries
Category:Former Warner Bros. Discovery subsidiaries
Category:Movie Land
Category:Entertainment companies established in 2005
Category:Mass media companies established in 2005