Blue Sky Studios

American computer animation film studioTemplate:SHORTDESC:American computer animation film studio[[Category:**Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Pagetype/config' not found.**s with short description]]

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* Carl Ludwig
* Eugene Troubetzkoy
* Alison Brown
* David Brown
* Andrew Millstein (Co-President)

**Blue Sky Studios, Inc.** is an American computer animation film studio based in Greenwich, Connecticut. It is a subsidiary of 20th Century Fox Animation, a division of The Walt Disney Studios.

The studio was founded in 1987 by Chris Wedge, Michael Ferraro, Carl Ludwig, Alison Brown, David Brown, and Eugene Troubetzkoy after their employer MAGI, one of the visual effects studios behind *Tron*, shut down. Using its in-house rendering software, the studio had worked on visual effects for commercials and films before completely dedicating itself to animated film production. The studio's first feature, *Ice Age*, was released on March 15, 2002 by 20th Century Fox. In March 2019, the studio was acquired by Disney, upon their acquisition of 21st Century Fox assets.

Blue Sky has produced 13 feature films, with its latest release being *Spies in Disguise* on December 25, 2019, and their next release being *Nimona* on January 14, 2022. *Ice Age* and *Rio* are the studio's most successful franchises, while *Horton Hears a Who!* and *The Peanuts Movie* are its most critically praised films.Template:Cn As of 2013, Scrat, a character from the *Ice Age* films, is the studio's mascot.

## History

### 1980–1989: Formation and early computer animation

In the late 1970s, Chris Wedge, then an undergraduate at Purchase College studying film, was employed by Mathematical Applications Group, Inc. (MAGI). MAGI was an early computer technology company which produced SynthaVision, a software application that could replicate the laws of physics to measure nuclear radiation rays for U.S. government contracts.Template:Rp At MAGI, Wedge met Eugene Troubetzkoy, who held a Ph.D in theoretical physics and was one of the first computer animators. Using his background in character animation, Wedge helped MAGI produce animation for television commercials, which eventually led to an offer from Walt Disney Productions to produce animation for the film *Tron* (1982). After *Tron*, MAGI hired Carl Ludwig, an electrical engineer,Template:Rp and Mike Ferraro transferred to the film division from the Cad Cam division of MAGI. As MAGI's success began to decline, the company employed David Brown from CBS/Fox Video to be a marketing executive and Alison Brown to be a managing producer.Template:Rp After MAGI was sold to Vidmax (Canada), the six individuals—Wedge, Troubetzkoy, Ferraro, Ludwig, David Brown, and Alison Brown—founded Blue Sky Studios in February 1987 to continue the software design and produce computer animation.Template:Rp

At Blue Sky, Ferraro and Ludwig expanded on CGI Studio, the studio programming language they started at MAGI and began using it for animation production.Template:Rp At the time, scanline renderers were prevalent in the computer graphics industry, and they required computer animators and digital artists to add lighting effects in manually;Template:Rp Troubetzkoy and Ludwig adapted MAGI's ray tracing, algorithms which simulate the physical properties of light in order to produce lighting effects automatically.Template:Rp To accomplish this, Ludwig examined how light passes through water, ice, and crystal, and programmed those properties into the software.Template:Rp Following the stock market crash of 1987, Blue Sky Studios did not find their first client until about two years later: a company "that wanted their logo animated so it would be seen flying over the ocean in front of a sunset."Template:Rp In order to receive the commission, Blue Sky spent two days rendering a single frame and submitted it to the prospective client. However, once the client accepted their offer, Blue Sky found that they could not produce the entire animation in time without help from a local graphics studio, which provided them with extra computer processors.Template:Rp

### 1989–2002: Television commercials and visual effects

Throughout the late 1980s and 1990s, Blue Sky Studios concentrated on the production of television commercials and visual effects for film. The studio began by animating commercials that depicted the mechanisms of time-release capsules for pharmaceutical corporations. The studio also produced a Chock Full O' Nuts commercial with a talking coffee bean and developed the first computer-animated M&M's.Template:Rp Using CGI Studio, the studio produced over 200 other commercials for clients such as Chrysler, General Foods, Texaco, and the United States Marines.

In 1996, MTV collaborated with Blue Sky Studios on the film *Joe's Apartment*, for which Blue Sky animated the insect characters. Other clients included Bell Atlantic, Rayovac, Gillette and Braun.Template:Rp The Braun commercial was awarded a CLIO Award for Advertising.Template:Rp Recalling the award, Carl Ludwig stated that the judges had initially mistaken the commercial as a live action submission as a result of the photorealism of the computer-animated razor. In August 1997, 20th Century Fox's Los Angeles-based visual effects company, VIFX, acquired majority interest in Blue Sky Studios to form a new visual effects and animation company, temporarily renamed "Blue Sky/VIFX". Following the studio's expansion, Blue Sky produced character animation for the films *Alien Resurrection* (1997), *A Simple Wish* (1997), *Mouse Hunt* (1997), *Star Trek: Insurrection* (1998) and *Fight Club* (1999).Template:Rp

Meanwhile, starting in 1990, Chris Wedge had been working on a short film named *Bunny*, intended to demonstrate CGI Studio. The film revolves around a rabbit widow who is irritated by a moth. The moth subsequently leads the rabbit into "a heavenly glow, reuniting her with her husband."Template:Rp At the time, Wedge had been the thesis advisor for Carlos Saldanha while Saldanha was a graduate student at the School of Visual Arts; Wedge shared storyboard panels for *Bunny* with Saldanha during this time. After Saldanha's graduation, Blue Sky Studios hired him as an animator, and he later directed a few commercials. It was not until 1996 when Nina Rappaport, a producer at Blue Sky Studios, assigned Wedge to complete the *Bunny* project, which required CGI Studio to render fur, glass, and metal from multiple light sources, such as a swinging light bulb and an "ethereal cloudscape". In the initial stages of the *Bunny* project, Carl Ludwig modified CGI Studio to simulate radiosity, which tracks light rays as they reflect off of multiple surfaces. Blue Sky Studios released *Bunny* in 1998, and it received the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film. *Bunny*'s success gave Blue Sky Studios the opportunity to produce feature-length films.Template:Rp

### 2002–2018: Feature films under 20th Century Fox

 File:Blue Sky Studios logo.svg
In March 1999, Fox decided to sell VIFX to another visual effects house, Rhythm & Hues Studios, while Blue Sky Studios would remain under Fox. According to Chris Wedge, Fox considered selling Blue Sky as well by 2000 due to financial difficulties in the visual effects industry in general. Instead, Wedge, film producer Lori Forte, and animation executive Chris Meledandri presented Fox with a script for a comedy feature film titled *Ice Age*. Studio management pressured staff to sell their remaining shares and options to Fox on the promise of continued employment on feature-length films. The studio moved to White Plains NY and started production on *Ice Age*. As the film wrapped, Fox feared that it might bomb at the box office. They terminated half of the production staff and tried unsuccessfully to find a buyer for the film and the studio.Template:Citation needed Instead, *Ice Age* was released by 20th Century Fox on March 15, 2002, and was a critical and commercial success, receiving a nomination for an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature at the 75th Academy Awards in 2003. The film established Blue Sky as the third studio, after Pixar and DreamWorks Animation, to launch a successful CGI franchise.

In January 2009, the studio moved from White Plains, New York to Greenwich, Connecticut, taking advantage of the state's 30 percent tax credit and having more space to grow. The studio stated in April 2017 that it intends to stay in Connecticut until 2025.

In 2013, Chris Wedge took a leave of absence to direct Paramount Animation's live-action/computer-animated film *Monster Trucks*. He has since returned to Blue Sky Studios and is working on multiple projects for the company.

### 2019–present: Disney era

Blue Sky Studios was acquired by The Walt Disney Company as part of their 2019 acquisition of 21st Century Fox, which concluded on March 20, 2019. On March 21, Disney announced that Blue Sky Studios and its parent company 20th Century Fox Animation would be integrated as units within the Walt Disney Studios with co-presidents Andrea Miloro and Robert Baird continuing to lead the studio reporting to Walt Disney Studios chairman Alan Horn. In July 2019, Miloro announced that she would be stepping down from her role as co-president leaving Baird as sole president.

In August 2019, former Walt Disney Animation Studios head Andrew Millstein was named as co-president of Blue Sky Studios alongside Baird, while Pixar Animation Studios president Jim Morris would also be taking a supervising role.

## Filmography

*See also: List of Blue Sky Studios films*

### Contributions

* *Joe's Apartment* (1996) – dancing and singing cockroaches
* *Alien Resurrection* (1997) – the aliens
* *A Simple Wish* (1997) – numerous characters and special effects
* *MouseHunt* (1997) – several mice and household effects
* *Star Trek: Insurrection* (1998) – several alien creatures
* *Jesus' Son* (1999) – sacred heart, "liquid" glass, and screaming cotton ball effects
* *Fight Club* (1999) – the "sliding" penguin
* *The Sopranos* (2000) – the "talking fish" in the episode "Funhouse"
* *Titan A.E.* (2000) – 3D animation: creation of the new world in the final "Genesis" sequence
* *Family Guy* (2006) – Scrat's cameo in the episode "Sibling Rivalry"

## See also

* 20th Century Fox Animation
* Fox Animation Studios
* Pixar
* Walt Disney Animation Studios
* List of 20th Century Fox theatrical animated features
* List of Disney theatrical animated features

## References

1. ↑ "Fox Animation Names Andrea Miloro, Robert Baird Co-Presidents", *The Hollywood Reporter* (October 30, 2017). Retrieved on March 31, 2018.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Disney shuffles animation and Blue Sky studio ranks after Fox acquisition", *Los Angeles Times* (August 9, 2019). Retrieved on August 9, 2019.
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Disney Taps Andrew Millstein, Clark Spencer for Top Animation Posts" (in en), *Variety* (August 9, 2019). Retrieved on August 9, 2019.
4. ↑ "Vanessa Morrison Re-Ups With Fox, Brian Keane With Blue Sky After ‘Ice Age 4′" (July 18, 2012). Retrieved on July 19, 2012.
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Zimmerman, Kevin (May 27, 2017). "Blue Sky Studios at 30: Moving beyond ‘Ice Age’". Westfair Online. https://westfaironline.com/89703/blue-sky-studios-30-moving-beyond-ice-age/. Retrieved May 30, 2017. "...will be released on Dec. 15, followed by “Pigeon Impossible,” scheduled for Jan. 18, 2019."
6. ↑ 6.00 6.01 6.02 6.03 6.04 6.05 6.06 6.07 6.08 6.09 6.10 6.11 6.12 6.13 6.14 6.15 Template:Cite book
7. ↑ Dumas, Timothy (October 2010). "Animation Domination". Greenwich Magazine. http://www.mofflymedia.com/Moffly-Publications/Greenwich-Magazine/October-2010/Animation-Domination/. Retrieved February 3, 2011.
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 "Our Story: Blue Sky Studios". Blue Sky Studios. http://blueskystudios.com/our-story/.
9. ↑ Ohmer, Susan (May 1, 1997). "Ray Tracers: Blue Sky Studios". Animation World Network. http://www.awn.com/articles/profiles/ray-tracers-blue-sky-studios. Retrieved September 29, 2006.
10. ↑ Mellor, Louisa (14 July 2016). "The 'Ice Age' franchise never would've happened without this movie". Business Insider. http://www.businessinsider.com/the-ice-age-franchise-never-wouldve-happened-without-this-movie-2016-7.
11. ↑ "Imaginative Pix takes interest in Blue Sky" (August 27, 1997). Retrieved on October 2, 2012.
12. ↑ Graser, Marc (March 3, 1999). "Fox to sell visual F/X division to R&H". Variety Media. Archived from the original on February 19, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170219010257/https://variety.com/1999/digital/news/fox-to-sell-visual-f-x-division-to-r-h-1117491896/. Retrieved June 10, 2018.
13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Fritz, Ben (May 2, 2008). "Fox animation soars under Blue Sky". Variety Media. Archived from the original on June 28, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170628130716/https://variety.com/2008/film/features/fox-animation-soars-under-blue-sky-1117984996/. Retrieved June 10, 2018.
14. ↑ "The 75th Academy Awards, 2003". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2003.
15. ↑ Strike, Joe (January 28, 2009). "Checking Out Blue Sky's New Connecticut Studio". Retrieved on October 2, 2012.
16. ↑ McNary, Dave (7 April 2017). "Fox’s Blue Sky Studios Staying in Connecticut Through 2025". Variety Media. https://variety.com/2017/film/news/fox-blue-sky-studios-connecticut-2025-1202026529/. Retrieved 18 April 2017.
17. ↑ Finke, Nikki (July 31, 2013). "Paramount Animation Plans ‘Monster Trucks’ Live Action-Toon Franchise: In Final Talks With Blue Sky’s Chris Wedge To Direct". Retrieved on February 24, 2014.
18. ↑ https://www.comingsoon.net/movies/features/803167-cs-interview-director-chris-wedge-talks-monster-trucks
19. ↑ Giardina, Carolyn (14 December 2017). "Disney Deal Could Redraw Fox's Animation Business". https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/disney-deal-could-redraw-foxs-animation-business-1068040. Retrieved 31 July 2018.
20. ↑ Szalai, Georg; Bond, Paul (March 20, 2019). "Disney Closes $71.3 Billion Fox Deal, Creating Global Content Powerhouse". *The Hollywood Reporter*. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/disney-closes-fox-deal-creating-global-content-powerhouse-1174498. Retrieved March 20, 2019.
21. ↑ "After Trying Day, Disney Sets Film Leadership Lineup" (in en), *Deadline* (March 22, 2019). Retrieved on August 15, 2019.
22. ↑ Keegan, Rebecca (July 25, 2019). "Fox Animation Co-President Andrea Miloro Stepping Down". *The Hollywood Reporter*. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/fox-animation-president-andrea-miloro-stepping-down-1226877. Retrieved July 25, 2019.
23. ↑ "Fox Animation Nabs 'Nimona' Adaptation With 'Feast' Director (Exclusive)", *The Hollywood Reporter* (June 11, 2015). Retrieved on June 30, 2017.
24. ↑ "Oscar Winner Patrick Osborne Returns With First-Ever VR Nominee ‘Pearl’", *Variety* (February 9, 2017). Retrieved on June 30, 2017. "I’m working with Blue Sky Animation and Fox on “Nimona,..."
25. ↑ "Fox Carves Out Dates for 6 Mystery Marvel Movies", *The Hollywood Reporter* (June 30, 2017). Retrieved on June 30, 2017.
26. ↑ "Disney Announces New ‘Star Wars’ Films, Moves ‘Avatar’ Sequels", *Variety* (May 7, 2019). Retrieved on May 7, 2019.
27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 Debruge, Peter (28 June 2012). "Ice Age: Continental Drift". https://variety.com/2012/film/reviews/ice-age-continental-drift-1117947834/. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
28. ↑ "Umbrellacorn (2013)". Blue Sky Studios. http://blueskystudios.com/films/umbrellacorn/. Retrieved October 19, 2013.
29. ↑ "Umbrellacorn". Rooftop Films. http://rooftopfilms.com/2013/works/umbrellacorn/. Retrieved October 19, 2013.
30. ↑ "Sneak peek: Scrat heads to space for 'Ice Age' short", *USA Today* (November 6, 2015). Retrieved on November 6, 2015.
31. ↑ "Ice Age: Collision Course 4K Blu-ray". Blu-ray.com. August 30, 2016. http://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=19732. Retrieved September 7, 2016.
32. ↑ "#IceAge #CollisionCourse is coming to Blu-ray & DVD Oct. 11 with all-new heroes, worlds and adventures! Here's your exclusive sneak peek at a Special Feature.". Facebook. August 30, 2016. https://www.facebook.com/IceAge/videos/1117119015041139/?permPage=1. Retrieved September 7, 2016.
33. ↑ 33.0 33.1 33.2 33.3 Template:Cite press release
34. ↑ "Blue Sky Studios' fully-CG xenomorph adds new menace to infamous alien.", *American Cinematographer*, The American Society of Cinematographers (November 1997). Retrieved on March 22, 2015.
35. ↑ Patten, Fred (November 12, 2014). "Book Review: The Art of Blue Sky Studios". Animation World Network. http://www.awn.com/animationworld/book-review-art-blue-sky-studios. Retrieved March 21, 2015.
36. ↑ "Jesus' Son (1999)", *Sight & Sound*, British Film Institute (August 2000). Retrieved on March 22, 2015.
37. ↑ Lambie, Ryan (October 2, 2014). "The Art Of Blue Sky Studios review". Den of Geek. https://www.denofgeek.com/books-comics/32299/the-art-of-blue-sky-studios-review. Retrieved March 21, 2015.
38. ↑ "The Brains Behind the Talking Fish", *New York Daily News* (April 13, 2000). Retrieved on March 22, 2015.
39. ↑ "After Earth", *Computer Graphics World* (August 2000). Retrieved on March 22, 2015.
40. ↑ Template:Cite video
41. ↑ "`Ice Age': It came, thawed, conquered", *Los Angeles Times* (April 3, 2006). Retrieved on May 1, 2015.

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