Film Roman

**Film Roman** is an American animation studio owned by Waterman Entertainment, the company of Steve Waterman. The animation studio was founded by veteran animator and director Phil Roman in early 1984, and was best known for producing the source animation of films and TV shows such as The Simpsons for Gracie Films and 20th Century Fox Animation, King of the Hill for 20th Century Fox Animation, Ultimate Spider-Man and other animated Marvel Comics shows for Disney and Marvel Studios, and Steven Spielberg's animated TV series, The Adventures of Leah Thompson for Glass Ball Productions and Universal Studios.

Film Roman was also known for producing the source animation of TV specials, direct-to-video films, web series, and animated shorts, as well as the Garfield and Peanuts animated TV specials for Paws Inc. and Peanuts Worldwide.

## History

### Beginning

Phil Roman, veteran alumnus of Chuck Jones Enterprises and Bill Melendez Productions, originally founded Film Roman in 1984 as a means to continue the production of the *Garfield* series of animated prime time television specials, since Melendez's own studio was unable to work on both the *Garfield* and *Peanuts* series of specials. *Peanuts* executive producers Lee Mendelson and Bill Melendez and their aforementioned studio had produced the first two Garfield specials (*Here Comes Garfield* (1982) and *Garfield on the Town* (1983) respectively, both specials directed by Roman), but due to the wishes of both *Peanuts* creator Charles M. Schulz and *Garfield* creator Jim Davis' concerns about conflicting interests in allocating production priority at Melendez's boutique studio, the production had to be moved. While he was leaving him and Melendez for his already-established studio, Roman was offered the opportunity to produce the next *Garfield* prime time special, *Garfield in the Rough* (1984), for CBS by Mendelson, which he accepted and went on to produce and direct it all by himself, winning an Emmy in the process.

### Formation

In 1985, CBS' head of children's programming Judy Price had commissioned an animated television series based on the *Garfield* prime time special series, later ultimately titled *Garfield and Friends*, which took three years for Roman to decide developing and producing the program before it eventually aired on the network's Saturday morning time slot, premiering on September 17, 1988. The aforementioned show was Film Roman's first regular series. In 1986, in an effort to expand and diversify the studio, Roman hired Marvel Productions VP of Business Affairs and his own personal attorney, Michael Wahl, as President and Bill Schultz, Marvel's Director of Development, to join in the company as the fledgling studio's VP of Production and Development. *Garfield and Friends* was expanded to an hour on CBS' number one rated Saturday Morning block and the studio grew to increase its capacity.

In 1988, the new management team developed, sold and produced a new series, *Bobby's World*, to the brand new Fox Kids Network, headed up by former Marvel Productions executive producer Margaret Loesch. In 1992, Film Roman took over the source production of 20th Century Fox's *The Simpsons* from Klasky-Csupo who had produced the one-minute teaser cartoon shorts on *The Tracey Ullman Show* as well as the animation for the first three seasons and the first two episodes of the fourth season (in total 61 episodes). The studio went on to grow and produce many popular animated series now seen all around the world.

### Location

The original studio was located on Riverside Drive in Toluca Lake, California, where Roman was also joined by Melendez producer Lee Mendelson. Years later, the studio moved to a new location on Chandler Blvd. in Studio City, before settling into its present location at Starz Plaza on Hollywood Way in Burbank, which it shares with the Hub Network and Hasbro Studios.

## Projects

### Television shows

* *Garfield and Friends* (1988–1994)
* *Bobby's World* (1990–1998)
* *Zazoo U* (1990-1991)
* *Mother Goose and Grimm* (1991–1993)
* *The Simpsons* (1992–present; since season 4)
* *Mighty Max* (1993–1994)
* *The Critic* (1994–1995)
* *The Mask: The Animated Series* (1995–1997)
* *The Twisted Tales of Felix the Cat* (1995–1997)
* *The Baby Huey Show* (1995–1996)
* *Klutter* (1995-1996) (as part of *Eek! Stravaganza*)
* *The Spooktacular New Adventures of Casper* (1996–1998) (animation sequences)
* *C Bear and Jamal* (1996–1999)
* *Richie Rich* (1996)
* *Bruno the Kid* (1996–1997)
* *Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm* (1996)
* *The Blues Brothers Animated Series* (1997)
* *King of the Hill* (1997–2012)
* *The Adventures of Leah Thompson (1997; cel-shaded CGI animation for Shh...Quiet and The Talent Show only) (2000-present; since season 4)*
* *The Mr. Potato Head Show* (1998)
* *Family Guy* (1999–2000; seasons 1–2 only)
* *Mission Hill* (1999–2002)
* *X-Men: Evolution* (2000–2003)
* *The Oblongs* (2001–2002)
* *Free For All* (2003)
* *Tripping the Rift* (2004–2007)
* *Wow! Wow! Wubbzy!* (2006–2010)
* *Eloise: The Animated Series* (2006)
* *Slacker Cats* (2007)
* *The Goode Family* (2009)
* *The Super Hero Squad Show* (2009–2011)
* *The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes* (2010–2012)
* *Dan Vs.* (2011–2013)
* *Beavis and Butt-head* (2011)
* *Ultimate Spider-Man* (2012–present)

### Television specials

#### *Garfield* specials

* *Garfield in the Rough* (1984, the studio's inaugural production)
* *Garfield's Halloween Adventure* (1985)
* *Garfield in Paradise* (1986)
* *Garfield Goes Hollywood* (1987)
* *A Garfield Christmas* (1987)
* *Happy Birthday, Garfield* (1988)
* *Garfield: His 9 Lives* (1988)
* *Garfield's Babes and Bullets* (1989)
* *Garfield's Thanksgiving* (1989)
* *Garfield's Feline Fantasies* (1990)
* *Garfield Gets a Life* (1991)

#### Other specials

* *Nick and Noel* (1993)
* *A Cool Like That Christmas* (1994)
* *Izzy's Quest for Olympic Gold* (1995)
* *The Story of Santa Claus* (1996) (co-production with Arnold Sharpio and CBS Productions)
* *The Magic Pearl* (1997)
* *Hairballs* (2000) (Unsold TV series pilot created by Mr. Lawrence)
* *Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer* (2000)
* *American Dad!* (2004) (Pilot episode only)

### Films

#### Direct-to-video

* *The Happy Elf* (2005, co-production with IDT Entertainment)
* *Hellboy Animated* (2006–2007)
* *Dead Space: Downfall* (2008, co-production with Electronic Arts)
* *The Haunted World of El Superbeasto* (2009) (Planned for theatrical release)
* *Dante's Inferno: An Animated Epic* "Prologue", "The Arrival", "Entry to Hell" (2010, co-production with Electronic Arts)
* *Dead Space: Aftermath* (2011, co-production with Electronic Arts)

#### TV movies

* *The Geo Team Halloween Special* (2013)

#### Theatrical features

* *Tom & Jerry: The Movie* (1992/1993, co-production with Miramax Films, LIVE Entertainment, Turner Pictures, WMG and Turner Entertainment)
* *The Geo Team Movie* (2001, co-production with Universal Studios, 2BIG3k Animation and Glass Ball Productions, co-animation with Sony Pictures Imageworks and Rough Draft Studios)
* *The Simpsons Movie* (2007, co-production with 20th Century Fox, 20th Century Fox Animation and Gracie Films, co-animation with AKOM and Rough Draft Studios)
* *The Geo Team Movie 2* (2013, co-production with Universal Studios, 2BIG3k Animation and Glass Ball Productions, co-animation with Reel FX Creative Studios, AKOM and Rough Draft Studios)

### Rides and Attractions

* *The Simpsons Ride* (2008, amusement simulator ride film produced for Blur Studio and Universal Creative based on the television series of the same name at Universal Orlando Resort and Universal Studios Hollywood)
* *The Adventures of Leah Thompson Ride* (2015, 3D dark roller coaster ride produced for Blur Studio and Universal Creative based on the television series of the same name at Universal Orlando Resort and Universal Studios Hollywood)