, also known as BN Pictures, is a

Japanese animation is hand-drawn and computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japanese, (a term derived from a shortening ...

studio A studio is an artist or worker's workroom. This can be for the purpose of acting, architecture, painting, pottery (ceramics), sculpture, origami, woodworking, scrapbooking, photography, graphic design, filmmaking, animation, industrial design ...

and production company. It is a spinoff of

Bandai Namco Filmworks , previously and still famously known as Sunrise Inc., is a Japanese animation studio founded in September 1972 and is based in Ogikubo, Tokyo. Its former names were also Soeisha, Nippon Sunrise and Sunrise Studio. Its primary division, , is r ...

(formerly known as Sunrise), a subsidiary of

Bandai Namco Holdings also known as the Bandai Namco Group and generally Bandai Namco, is a Japanese multinational holding company, production enterprise and entertainment conglomerate headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, formed from the merger of Bandai and Namco on S ...

. The company was formed as a part of the medium-term management plan of Bandai Namco Holdings on restructuring itself. All the anime intellectual property and production divisions of Sunrise that aims at children and family were transferred to Bandai Namco Pictures. The company began its operations in April 2015.

History

On February 12, 2015,

announced plans to restructure itself through the usage of a three-year medium-management plan. The company sought to focus its resources on creating new intellectual properties (IPs) and marketable characters, and required faster planning and development time to satisfy these demands. Bandai Namco executives also believed it was necessary for its IP Creation content area to strengthen ties with its Toy and Hobby area, as it would lead to both strong relationships between the two divisions and allow for future product collaborations. As part of its efforts to fulfill these obligations, Bandai Namco Pictures was established in April 2015 in

Nerima, Tokyo is a special ward in Tokyo, Japan. The ward refers to itself as Nerima City. , the ward has an estimated population of 721,858, with 323,296 households and a population density of 15,013 persons per km2, while 15,326 foreign residents are re ...

. Headed by Masayuki Ozaki, the representative director of animation studio

Sunrise Sunrise (or sunup) is the moment when the upper rim of the Sun appears on the horizon in the morning. The term can also refer to the entire process of the solar disk crossing the horizon and its accompanying atmospheric effects. Terminology Al ...

, the company was to lead its parent's "Strengthen IP Creation Output" project and focus on the creation of new characters and franchises, specifically those targeted towards children and families. Bandai Namco Pictures would also work together with the Toy and Hobby division of Bandai Namco Holdings to strengthen the linkage between the two areas of the latter company. Pictures absorbed Sunrise's production departments relating to children-oriented IPs, becoming a wholly owned subsidiary of Sunrise and part of Bandai Namco's IP Creation department. The company's first project was ''

Aikatsu! is an arcade collectible card game in Bandai's ''Data Carddass'' line of machines, which launched in October 2012. The game revolves around using collectible cards featuring various clothes to help aspiring idols pass auditions. An ani ...

'', an anime based on the

Bandai is a Japanese multinational toy manufacturer and distributor headquartered in Taitō, Tokyo. Its international branches, Bandai Namco Toys & Collectables America and Bandai UK, are respectively headquartered in Irvine, California and Richmond ...

trading card arcade game of the same name which had been produced by Sunrise until that point. In addition to working on pre-established franchises, Bandai Namco Pictures would produce several original projects, such as the

stop-motion animation Stop motion is an animated filmmaking technique in which objects are physically manipulated in small increments between individually photographed frames so that they will appear to exhibit independent motion or change when the series of frames i ...

series ''Milpom!''. Pictures focused primarily on series and characters targeted towards children and families, though some, such as '' Tiger & Bunny'' and the ''

Gintama is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hideaki Sorachi. It was serialized in Shueisha's ''shōnen'' manga magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' from December 2003 to September 2018, later in ''Jump Giga'' from December 2 ...

'' series, were aimed at older audiences. The company regularly collaborates with other subsidiaries within Bandai Namco Holdings; in 2016, it partnered with

Bandai Namco Entertainment is a Japanese multinational video game video game publisher, publisher headquartered in Minato-ku, Tokyo. Its international branches, Bandai Namco Entertainment America and Bandai Namco Entertainment Europe, are respectively headquartered in ...

to produce '' Dream Festival!'', a multimedia franchise centered around video games and

original net animation An original net animation (ONA), known in Japan as , is an anime that is directly released onto the Internet. ONAs may also have been aired on television if they were first directly released on the Internet. The name mirrors original video animati ...

s. In August 2018, Bandai Namco Pictures opened a division in Osaka, the Bandai Namco Pictures Osaka Studio, for the purpose of digitally transferring animation to decrease production times. The company hoped the success and productivity from the Osaka Studio could allow for additional offices to be opened in Japan and eventually overseas. A year later in October, Pictures absorbed Studio Dub, an animation subcontractor established by former Sunrise animators. The acquisition renamed the company Bandai Namco Pictures Iwaki, though it continues using the name Studio Dub for its projects.

Works

Television series

Films

* '' Kaiketsu Zorori: Uchū no Yūsha-tachi'' (2015, co-produced with

Ajia-do Animation Works is a Japanese animation studio established on October 4, 1978. It is noted for anime series including ''Spirit of Wonder'', ''Absolute Boy'', '' Izetta: The Last Witch'', and several others, including the long-running NHK series ''Nintama Rantar� ...

) * '' Aikatsu! Music Awards - The Show Where Everyone Gets an Award!'' (2015) * '' Aikatsu! The Targeted Magical Aikatsu Card'' (2016) * '' Aikatsu Stars!: The Movie'' (2016) * '' Eiga Kaiketsu Zorori ZZ no Himitsu'' (2017, co-produced with

) * '' Gintama: The Very Final'' (2021) * ''

Hula Fulla Dance is a Japanese anime film produced by Bandai Namco Pictures and directed by Seiji Mizushima and Shinya Watada. It premiered in Japanese theaters in December 2021. Cast Production and release The film was first revealed in November 2020 as part ...

'' (2021) * ''

Aikatsu Planet! The Movie is a 2022 Japanese hybrid tokusatsu/Anime, animated Musical film, musical dance film based on Aikatsu Planet!, a television series with a same name created by Bandai Namco Pictures, BN Pictures. The film is directed by Ryuichi Kimura, written by ...

'' (2022) * ''Saikyō Kamizmode: The Movie'' (2023) * '' Aikatsu! 10th Story - Starway to the Future'' (2023)

OVA/ONAs

* ''Milpom!'' (2015–2017) * '' Dream Festival!'' (2016) * '' Gintama°: Love Incense Arc'' (2016) * ''Dream Festival! R'' (2017) * ''Gintama: Monster Strike-hen'' (2019) * ''Fight League: Gear Gadget Generators'' (2019) * '' Battle Spirits: Kakumei no Galette'' (2020) * '' Aikatsu on Parade! Dream Story'' (2020) * '' Tiger & Bunny 2'' (2022) *''Pac-Man!'' (2022)

Notes

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bandai Namco Pictures Animation studios in Tokyo Japanese animation studios Bandai Namco Holdings subsidiaries Japanese companies established in 2015 Mass media companies established in 2015 Corporate spin-offs