Warner Animation Group

The **Warner Animation Group** (**WAG**) is an American animation studio that is the feature animation division of Warner Bros. Entertainment. 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 2003 and the dissolved family film division Warner Bros. Family Entertainment, which shut down in 2009. The entity is also a sister animation studio of the regular animation studio Warner Bros. Animation. Its first film *The Lego Movie* was released on February 7, 2014 and its latest release was *Scoob!* on May 15, 2020; with their next release being *Tom and Jerry* on March 5, 2021. Films produced by WAG have grossed a total of $1.4 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 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 of The Lego Movie, was released February 8, 2019 and earned an 85% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes 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.

## Upcoming releases

A live action/animated film based on *Tom and Jerry* is scheduled for release on March 5, 2021.

*Space Jam: A New Legacy*, starring LeBron James, is scheduled for release on July 16, 2021.

An animated film based on the Legion of Super-Pets titled *DC Super Pets* is scheduled for release on May 20, 2022.

## Production

Similar to Sony Pictures Animation and Paramount Animation, WAG outsources their animated films' production to other studios, such as Animal Logic (*The Lego Movie* franchise and *DC Super Pets*), Sony Pictures Imageworks (*Storks* and *Smallfoot*), Reel FX Creative Studios (*Scoob!*), Framestore (*Tom and 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* and *Scoob!*, cost $99 million and $90 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

main article: List of Warner Animation Group films

List of Warner Animation Group productions

## Accolades

Main Article: [./https://20thcenturyjuniorshowmore.fandom.com/wiki/List\_of\_WAG\_awards\_and\_nominations List of WAG awards and nominations]

## See also

* Warner Bros. Animation
* List of Warner Bros. theatrical animated feature films

## Gallery

The LEGO MovieThe Master: A LEGO Ninjago Short; AThe Master: A LEGO Ninjago Short; BThe Master: A LEGO Ninjago Short; CThe Master: A LEGO Ninjago Short; DThe Master: A LEGO Ninjago Short; ENew York BoysDorothy Gale (2015) filmStorksThe LEGO Batman MovieThe LEGO Ninjago MovieE.B. WalkerSmallfootThe LEGO Movie 2:The Second PartScoob!Super SoozieBatman BeyondThe LEGO Monkie Kid MovieThe Billion Brick RaceMy Little Pony: The Return of Queen ChrysalisThe Amazing World of Gumball: The MovieThe LEGO Movie 3: A Powerpuff AdventureThe Powerpuff Girls Movie 2: GenerationsStorks 2 (2020) and Storks 3 The Third Overload (2025)Smallfoot 2: World Tour (2021) and Smallfoot 3:The Best World (2025)The LEGO Batman Movie 2:The Gotham Returns and The LEGO Batman Movie 3:Teen Titans AdventureUnikitty: The MovieDorothy Gale 3: A Secret Returns (2024)Ferrari GTScoob! 2Green Eggs and Ham: The MovieTom & JerryThe Powerpuff Girls Movie (3D and Dolby Vision re-release)Space Jam: A New LegacyDC Super PetsLive Stream: A LEGO ShortCoyote v. AcmeDorothy Gale 2:The Second Part (2021)Young Love: A Nicole Watterson StoryFerrariScoob! 2Green Eggs and Ham: The MovieTom and Jerry 2My Little Pony: Pony LifeRepublic Rangers