WildBrain Entertainment, Inc. (stylized as W!LDBRAIN, formerly Wild Brain Productions and sometimes simply WildBrain) was an American
animation studio
An animation studio is a company producing animated media. The broadest such companies conceive of products to produce, own the physical equipment for production, employ operators for that equipment, and hold a major stake in the sales or rentals ...
that developed and produced television programming, motion pictures, commercial content, and licensed merchandise. Established in 1994, it maintained offices in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
and
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
. It had been operated in some form for 22 years before its eventual shutdown and repurposing of the brand name.
Its film productions included the
Annie Award
The Annie Awards are accolades which the Los Angeles branch of the International Animated Film Association, ASIFA-Hollywood, has presented each year since 1972 to recognize excellence in animation shown in cinema and television. Originally desi ...
-winning CGI short ''
Hubert's Brain Hubert's Brain, made in 2001, is the first and only computer-generated film made by San Francisco digital media company Wild Brain. The movie is 17 minutes long, took one year and $3,000,000 to produce, and the movie won the 2001 Annie Award fo ...
'', while its television work included the
Nick Jr.
Nick Jr. (known on-air as the Nick Jr. Channel) is an American pay television channel spun off from Nickelodeon's long-running programming block of the same name. It is run by Paramount Global through its networks division's Kids and Family Gr ...
series ''
Bubble Guppies
''Bubble Guppies'' is a CGI-animated children's television series produced for Nickelodeon and created by Jonny Belt and Robert Scull. The series is a combination of the sketch comedy, edutainment, and musical genres, and revolves around the un ...
'' and ''
Yo Gabba Gabba!
''Yo Gabba Gabba!'' is a children's musical television series created by Christian Jacobs and Scott Schultz. The series is about five costumed toys come-to-life and their friend DJ Lance Rock ( Lance Robertson). It is co-produced by Magic Stor ...
'', and the
Disney Channel
Disney Channel, sometimes known as simply Disney, is an American pay television channel that serves as the flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney General Entertainment Content division of The Walt Disney Compan ...
series ''
Higglytown Heroes
''Higglytown Heroes'' is an American CGI-animated children's television series produced by Wild Brain that aired on the Playhouse Disney block on Disney Channel in the United States. The show's characters are shaped like Russian nesting dolls ...
''. WildBrain also produced earlier animated shorts and television specials of ''
Monster High
Monster High is an American multimedia-supported fashion doll franchise created by toy designer Garrett Sander and launched by Mattel in 2010. Aimed at children aged 7 to 14, the franchise features characters inspired by monster movies, sci-fi ...
'' for
Mattel
Mattel, Inc. ( ) is an American multinational toy manufacturing and entertainment company founded in January 1945 and headquartered in El Segundo, California. The company has presence in 35 countries and territories and sells products in more ...
.
They have produced national commercials for clients like
Esurance
Esurance Insurance Services, Inc. is an American insurance company. It sells auto, home, motorcycle, and renters insurance direct to consumers online and by phone. Founded in 1999, the company was acquired by Allstate in 2011.
History
Esurance ...
,
Chiclets
Chiclets is an American brand of candy-coated chewing gum manufactured by Mondelez International. The brand was introduced in 1900 by the American Chicle Company, a company founded by Thomas Adams.
History
The Chiclets name is derived from the ...
,
Target
Target may refer to:
Physical items
* Shooting target, used in marksmanship training and various shooting sports
** Bullseye (target), the goal one for which one aims in many of these sports
** Aiming point, in field artillery, fi ...
,
Nike
Nike often refers to:
* Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory
* Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment
Nike may also refer to:
People
* Nike (name), a surname and feminine given ...
,
Honda
is a Japanese public multinational conglomerate manufacturer of automobiles, motorcycles, and power equipment, headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan.
Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, reaching a product ...
,
Kraft
The second incarnation of Kraft Foods is an American food manufacturing and processing conglomerate, split from Kraft Foods Inc. in 2012 and headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. It became part of Kraft Heinz in 2015.
A merger with Heinz, arra ...
, ''
the Wall Street Journal
''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...
'', and
Lamisil (featuring Digger the
Dermatophyte
Dermatophyte (from Greek '' derma'' "skin" (GEN ''dermatos'') and ''phyton'' "plant") is a common label for a group of fungus of ''Arthrodermataceae'' that commonly causes skin disease in animals and humans. Traditionally, these anamorphic (as ...
). Their ad work has won
Clio Awards,
ADDY Awards
The American Advertising Federation (AAF), headquartered in Washington, D.C., is the oldest national advertising trade association in the United States. The AAF also has 15 district operations, each located in and representing a different region o ...
,
BDA Awards, and
Annie Awards
The Annie Awards are accolades which the Los Angeles branch of the International Animated Film Association, ASIFA-Hollywood, has presented each year since 1972 to recognize excellence in animation shown in cinema and television. Originally desig ...
. A subsidiary,
Kidrobot
Kidrobot is a producer and retailer of designer toys, vinyl art toys and collectibles founded in 2002 by entrepreneur Paul Budnitz. The company was one of the earliest creators of designer art toys in America.
The company was acquired in November ...
, creates limited edition toys, clothing, artwork, and books. It had stores in New York City, Los Angeles,
San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
, and
Miami
Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...
.
History
In October 1994, John Hays, Phil Robinson, and Jeff Fino founded Wild Brain Productions in
San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
's
Castro
Castro is a Romance language word that originally derived from Latin ''castrum'', a pre-Roman military camp or fortification (cf: Greek: ''kastron''; Proto-Celtic:''*Kassrik;'' br, kaer, *kastro). The English-language equivalent is '' chester''.
...
district. The new company bootstrapped with contract work from local game companies such as
Broderbund
Broderbund Software, Inc. (stylized as Brøderbund) was an American maker of video games, educational software, and productivity tools. Broderbund is best known for the 8-bit video game hits ''Choplifter'', ''Lode Runner'', ''Karateka'', and '' ...
,
LucasArts
Lucasfilm Games (known as LucasArts between 1990 and 2021) is an American video game brand licensing, licensor that is part of Lucasfilm. It was founded in May 1982 by George Lucas as a video game development group alongside his film company; as ...
, and
Living Books
''Living Books'' is a series of interactive storybook, interactive read-along adventures aimed at children aged 3–9. Created by Mark Schlichting, the series was mostly developed by Living Books for CD-ROM and published by Broderbund for Mac OS ...
. In 1996, Wild Brain Productions moved to a 17,000 square foot warehouse at the corner of 18th St. and York St. in the
Mission District
The Mission District (Spanish: ''Distrito de la Misión''), commonly known as The Mission (Spanish: ''La Misión''), is a neighborhood in San Francisco, California. One of the oldest neighborhoods in San Francisco, the Mission District's name is ...
spearheading the growth of what came to be known in San Francisco as
Multimedia Gulch. In 1999,
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the county seat, seat and largest city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and Williamson County, Texas, Williamson co ...
-based Interfase Capital invested almost $17 million in Wild Brain Productions.
Over the next few years, Wild Brain Productions' staff ballooned from a staff of about 20 to about 250. It struck deals with
Yahoo!
Yahoo! (, styled yahoo''!'' in its logo) is an American web services provider. It is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California and operated by the namesake company Yahoo Inc., which is 90% owned by investment funds managed by Apollo Global Man ...
and
Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network (often abbreviated as CN) is an American cable television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. It is a part of The Cartoon Network, Inc., a division that also has the broadcasting and production activities of Boomerang, Car ...
to produce animated shorts for the web. It launched WildBrain.com, creating animated web shorts such as "Groove Monkee", "Mantelope", and numerous web series including ''Joe Paradise'', ''Glue'', ''Graveyard'', and ''Space is Dum''.
After legendary studio
Colossal Pictures
Colossal Pictures (also styled as (Colossal) Pictures or (C)P) was an entertainment company that developed and produced television programming, advertising, network branding, and visual effects. Colossal's work has won every major industry award, ...
closed down in 1999, and with the financial backing of the Interfase companies, Wild Brain Productions expanded further, providing employment for former Colossal directors and staff. Around this period, they produced the series ''
Higglytown Heroes
''Higglytown Heroes'' is an American CGI-animated children's television series produced by Wild Brain that aired on the Playhouse Disney block on Disney Channel in the United States. The show's characters are shaped like Russian nesting dolls ...
'' and ''
Poochini
''Poochini'' (also known as ''Poochini's Yard'') is a short-lived animated television series which was originally aired worldwide in February 2, 2000, but it did not air in the United States until September 1, 2002. The series follows the life of ...
''.
In 2004,
Charles Rivkin
Charles Hammerman Rivkin (born April 6, 1962) is an American media executive and former United States diplomat who is chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of the Motion Picture Association (MPA).
Rivkin served as Assistant Secretary of Stat ...
, former CEO of
The Jim Henson Company
The Jim Henson Company (formerly known as Muppets, Inc., Henson Associates, Inc., and Jim Henson Productions, Inc.; commonly referred to as Henson) is an American entertainment company located in Los Angeles, California. The company is known for ...
, joined Wild Brain Productions as president and CEO. Rivkin oversaw the creation and development of the series ''
Yo Gabba Gabba!
''Yo Gabba Gabba!'' is a children's musical television series created by Christian Jacobs and Scott Schultz. The series is about five costumed toys come-to-life and their friend DJ Lance Rock ( Lance Robertson). It is co-produced by Magic Stor ...
'' for
Nick Jr.
Nick Jr. (known on-air as the Nick Jr. Channel) is an American pay television channel spun off from Nickelodeon's long-running programming block of the same name. It is run by Paramount Global through its networks division's Kids and Family Gr ...
In 2007, former founder Jeff Fino left to start Nuvana, an educational web-based company with former Colossal Pictures producer, Joe Kwong. Wild Brain Productions rebranded to WildBrain Entertainment the same year.
In 2008, Rivkin left WildBrain after being named U.S. ambassador to France and Monaco. Michael Polis, the marketing director of WildBrain, then became the new CEO.
Around this time, John Hays left WildBrain to work on indie features ''La Mission'' and ''
Howl
Howl most often refers to:
*Howling, an animal vocalization in many canine species
*Howl (poem), a 1956 poem by Allen Ginsberg
Howl may also refer to:
Film
* ''The Howl'', a 1970 Italian film
* ''Howl'' (2010 film), a 2010 American arthouse b ...
'', which opened the
2010 Sundance Film Festival
The 26th annual Sundance Film Festival was held from January 21, 2010 until January 31, 2010 in Park City, Utah.
Award winners
*Grand Jury Prize: Documentary - '' Restrepo''
*Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic - ''Winter's Bone''
*World Cinema Jury Prize: ...
.
By 2009, the original founders of the company had all left WildBrain. The company expanded its animation studios to
Sherman Oaks
Sherman Oaks is a neighborhood in the city of Los Angeles, California located in the San Fernando Valley, founded in 1927. The neighborhood includes a portion of the Santa Monica Mountains, which gives Sherman Oaks a lower population density than ...
in March, then closed its San Francisco office in June. It had been an independent company until
DHX Media
WildBrain Ltd. (formerly known as DHX Media, Ltd.) is a Canadian media, animation studio, production, and brand licensing company, mostly associated as an entertainment company. The company is known for owning the largest library of children ...
purchased WildBrain in 2010. The same year, Phil Robinson and Amy Capen, executive producer of WildBrain's San Francisco studio, started an independent company called Special Agent Productions. Robinson died in 2015 after a short battle with
pancreatic cancer
Pancreatic cancer arises when cell (biology), cells in the pancreas, a glandular organ behind the stomach, begin to multiply out of control and form a Neoplasm, mass. These cancerous cells have the malignant, ability to invade other parts of t ...
.
In 2016, DHX Media announced the formation of a new
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
-based
multi-channel network
A multi-channel network (MCN) is an organization that works with video platforms to offer assistance to a channel owner in areas such as "product, programming, funding, cross-promotion, partner management, digital rights management, monetizati ...
under the WildBrain name, focusing primarily on
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
channels aimed towards children, such as content and original series from DHX's properties, as well as other forms of educational and toy-oriented content. In September 2019, DHX Media announced that it would change its name to WildBrain outright, with the MCN unit being renamed
WildBrain Spark
Wild Brain Family International Limited, operating as WildBrain Spark (formerly WildBrain), is a British multi-channel network owned by the Canadian media company WildBrain (formerly DHX Media). It distributes and produces children's video content ...
.
Filmography
Television series
* ''
KaBlam!
''KaBlam!'' (stylized as ''KaBLaM!'') is an American animated sketch comedy television series that ran on Nickelodeon from 1996 to 2000. The series was created by Robert Mittenthal, Will McRobb, and Chris Viscardi. The show was developed as a fu ...
'' (''The Brothers Tiki'' shorts; 1997)
* ''
O Canada
"O Canada" (french: Ô Canada, italic=no) is the national anthem of Canada. The song was originally commissioned by Lieutenant Governor of Quebec Théodore Robitaille for the 1880 Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day ceremony; Calixa Lavallée composed the mus ...
'' (opening title and bumpers; 1997)
* ''Acme Hour'' (opening, bumpers and closing; 1997)
* ''
Oh Yeah! Cartoons
''Oh Yeah! Cartoons'' is an American animated anthology series that aired on Nickelodeon. Created by Fred Seibert, it was produced by Frederator Incorporated and Nickelodeon Animation Studio, running as part of Nickelodeon's Nicktoons lineup. In t ...
'' ("Fathead"; 1998)
* ''Space is Dum'' (1999–2001)
* ''Pajama Party'' (opening title; 2000)
* ''
Poochini
''Poochini'' (also known as ''Poochini's Yard'') is a short-lived animated television series which was originally aired worldwide in February 2, 2000, but it did not air in the United States until September 1, 2002. The series follows the life of ...
'' (2000–2002)
* ''
Between the Lions
''Between the Lions'' is an American animated/live-action/puppet children's television series designed to promote reading. The show was a co-production between WGBH in Boston and Sirius Thinking, Ltd., in New York City, in association with Miss ...
'' (2000-2010) (Cliff Hanger segments)
* ''The Chuck Jones Show'' (opening title; 2001)
* ''
Higglytown Heroes
''Higglytown Heroes'' is an American CGI-animated children's television series produced by Wild Brain that aired on the Playhouse Disney block on Disney Channel in the United States. The show's characters are shaped like Russian nesting dolls ...
'' (2004–2008)
* ''
Yo Gabba Gabba!
''Yo Gabba Gabba!'' is a children's musical television series created by Christian Jacobs and Scott Schultz. The series is about five costumed toys come-to-life and their friend DJ Lance Rock ( Lance Robertson). It is co-produced by Magic Stor ...
'' (2007–2015)
* ''Team Smithereen'' (2009–2011)
* ''
The Ricky Gervais Show
''The Ricky Gervais Show'' is a comedy radio show in the UK starring Ricky Gervais, Stephen Merchant, and Karl Pilkington, later adapted into a podcast and a television series. Despite being named after the more famous Gervais, it mostly revol ...
'' (2010–2012)
* ''
The Hard Times of RJ Berger
''The Hard Times of RJ Berger'' is an American television sitcom created by David Katzenberg and Seth Grahame-Smith for MTV. The show's central character is RJ Berger (Paul Iacono), an unpopular sophomore at the fictional Pinkerton High School in ...
'' (2010–2011)
* ''
Monster High
Monster High is an American multimedia-supported fashion doll franchise created by toy designer Garrett Sander and launched by Mattel in 2010. Aimed at children aged 7 to 14, the franchise features characters inspired by monster movies, sci-fi ...
'' (2010–2012)
* ''
Bubble Guppies
''Bubble Guppies'' is a CGI-animated children's television series produced for Nickelodeon and created by Jonny Belt and Robert Scull. The series is a combination of the sketch comedy, edutainment, and musical genres, and revolves around the un ...
'' (season 1) (2011)
* ''
The Aquabats! Super Show!
''The Aquabats! Super Show!'' is an American action-comedy musical television series which aired from March 3, 2012 to January 8, 2014 on The Hub Network and resumed as an independent YouTube web series in September 2019. The series was created ...
'' (2012–2014)
* ''UMIGO'' (2012–2014)
* ''
Sheriff Callie's Wild West
''Sheriff Callie's Wild West'' is an American animated children's television series created by the combined efforts of George Evelyn, Holly Huckins and Denis Morella, the creators of Higglytown Heroes, and produced by WildBrain Entertainment. It ...
'' (season 1) (2014)
Films
* ''
FernGully 2: The Magical Rescue'' (1998)
* ''
Dudley Do-Right
Dudley Do-Right is a fictional character created by Alex Anderson, Chris Hayward, Allan Burns, Jay Ward, and Bill Scott, who appears as the main protagonist of "Dudley Do-Right of the Mounties", a segment on ''The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show.'' ...
'' (animation) (1999)
* ''
The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle'' (animation) (2000)
* ''Cats & Dogs'' (Egypt animation) (2001)
* ''
Rat Race
A rat race is an endless, self-defeating, or pointless pursuit. The phrase equates humans to rats attempting to earn a reward such as cheese, in vain. It may also refer to a competitive struggle to get ahead financially or routinely.
The term is ...
'' (opening title sequence) (2001)
* ''
Dopamine
Dopamine (DA, a contraction of 3,4-dihydroxyphenethylamine) is a neuromodulatory molecule that plays several important roles in cells. It is an organic compound, organic chemical of the catecholamine and phenethylamine families. Dopamine const ...
'' (CGI animation) (2003)
* ''
The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie
''The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie'' is a 2004 American live-action animated film, live-action/animated adventure comedy film based on the Nickelodeon animated television series ''SpongeBob SquarePants''. The film was directed, co-written, and ...
'' (TV spots) (2004)
* ''
Howl
Howl most often refers to:
*Howling, an animal vocalization in many canine species
*Howl (poem), a 1956 poem by Allen Ginsberg
Howl may also refer to:
Film
* ''The Howl'', a 1970 Italian film
* ''Howl'' (2010 film), a 2010 American arthouse b ...
'' (animation) (2010)
* ''
Happiness Is a Warm Blanket, Charlie Brown
''Happiness Is a Warm Blanket, Charlie Brown'' is a ''Peanuts'' animated television special that was released in 2011. The special is the 45th ''Peanuts'' special and the first produced without Bill Melendez on the production team. It is also the ...
'' (2011) (TV special)
Short films
*''Out in Space'' (1997)
*''Humanstein'' (1998)
*''A Dog Cartoon'' (1998)
*''El Kabong Rides Again'' (2000)
*''
Hubert's Brain Hubert's Brain, made in 2001, is the first and only computer-generated film made by San Francisco digital media company Wild Brain. The movie is 17 minutes long, took one year and $3,000,000 to produce, and the movie won the 2001 Annie Award fo ...
'' (2001)
*''Anita Bomba'' (2001)
*''Erin Esurance in "Carbon Copy"'' (2007)
*''Disrespectoids'' (2010)
Video games
*''Living Books: The Berenstain Bears Get in a Fight'' (animation) (1995)
*''Living Books: Green Eggs and Ham'' (1996)
*''
NeoHunter'' (character design and animation) (1996)
*''Play-Doh Creations'' (animation) (1996)
*''Flying Saucer'' (1997)
*''
Rugrats Adventure Game
''Rugrats Adventure Game'' is an educational adventure point and click video game based on the ''Rugrats'' television series released for Microsoft Windows and Macintosh on September 30, 1998. It was developed and published by Broderbund (then a ...
'' (additional art and animation) (1998)
*''Star Wars: Jar Jar's Journey Adventure Book'' (1999)
*''
{{R from other capitalisation ...
* Michael Polis
* Marge Dean
* David Graber
* Bob Higgins
* Amy Capen
* Jeff Fino (1994–2007)
* Scott Hyten
* Jeff Ulin
*
* Denis Morella
* Scott Schultz
* Phil Robinson (March 1995–July 2009)
* John Hays
* Ed Bell
* Robin Steele
* Dave Marshall
* Dave Thomas
*
* Dave Thomas
* Sean Dicken (August 1999–August 2001; July 2003–September 2006; May 2007–October 2009)
* Jeff Nevins
* Alex Currier
* Sam Hood
* Roque Ballesteros (1998–2000)
* Rob Lily (2009–2010)
* Nick Butera (2010–2012?)
* Lyndon Ruddy