Sony Pictures Animation Inc. is an American animation studio owned by

Sony Entertainment Sony Entertainment, Inc. is an American entertainment company established in 2012. It focuses on most of Sony's motion picture, television and music businesses. It is a subsidiary of the Japanese Sony Group Corporation, managed by Sony's Americ ...

Sony Pictures Entertainment Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Sony Pictures or SPE, and formerly known as Columbia Pictures Entertainment, Inc.) is an American diversified multinational mass media and entertainment studio Conglomerate (company), conglom ...

through their Motion Picture Group division and founded on May 9, 2002. The studio's films are distributed worldwide by

Sony Pictures Releasing Sony Pictures Entertainment Motion Picture Group (commonly known as Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, formerly known as the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group until 2013, and abbreviated as SPMPG) is a division of Sony Pictures Entertainmen ...

under their

Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production studio that is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is one of the Big Five studios and a subsidiary of the mu ...

label, while all direct-to-video releases are released by

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (abbreviated as SPHE) is the home video distribution division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation. Background SPHE is responsible for the distribution of the Sony Pictures l ...

. The first film produced by the studio, '' Open Season'', was released on September 29, 2006, and their most recent film was '' Hotel Transylvania: Transformania'' on January 14, 2022. Their upcoming slate of films includes '' Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse'' on June 2, 2023, and ''Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse'' on March 29, 2024.

History

In 2001,

Sony Pictures Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Sony Pictures or SPE, and formerly known as Columbia Pictures Entertainment, Inc.) is an American diversified multinational mass media and entertainment studio conglomerate that produces, acq ...

considered selling off its visual effects facility Sony Pictures Imageworks but after failing to find a suitable buyer, having been impressed with the CGI sequences of ''

Stuart Little 2 ''Stuart Little 2'' is a 2002 American live action/ computer-animated comedy film directed by Rob Minkoff and starring Geena Davis, Hugh Laurie, and Jonathan Lipnicki, and the voices of Michael J. Fox as Stuart Little and Nathan Lane as Snowb ...

'' and seeing the box office successes of

DreamWorks Animation DreamWorks Animation LLC (DWA, also known as DreamWorks Animation Studios and simply known as DreamWorks) is an American animation studio that produces animated films and television programs and is a subsidiary of Universal Pictures, a divisio ...

's ''

Shrek ''Shrek'' is a 2001 American computer-animated comedy film loosely based on the 1990 book of the same name by William Steig. It is the first installment in the ''Shrek'' franchise. The film was directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jen ...

'' and

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...

Pixar Pixar Animation Studios (commonly known as Pixar () and stylized as P I X A R) is an American computer animation studio known for its critically and commercially successful computer animated feature films. It is based in Emeryville, Californ ...

's '' Monsters, Inc.'', SPI was reconfigured to become an animation studio. ''

Astro Boy ''Astro Boy'', known in Japan by its original name , is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Osamu Tezuka. It was serialized in Kobunsha's ''Shōnen'' from 1952 to 1968. The 112 chapters were collected into 23 '' tankōbon'' ...

'', which had been in development at Sony since 1997 as a live-action film, was set to be SPI's first all-CGI film, but never made it to fruition. On May 9, 2002, Sony Pictures Animation was established to develop characters, stories and movies with SPI taking over the digital production while maintaining its visual effects production. Meanwhile, SPI produced two short films, the

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

-winning '' The ChubbChubbs!'' and '' Early Bloomer'', as a result of testing its strengths and weaknesses in producing all-CGI animation. Sony Pictures Animation 2006 logo

On its first anniversary on May 9, 2003, Sony Pictures Animation announced a full slate of animated projects in development: '' Open Season'', an adaptation of a Celtic folk ballad '' Tam Lin'', '' Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs'', '' Surf's Up'', and a feature-length film version of ''The ChubbChubbs!''. Sony Pictures Animation 2011 logo

On November 3, 2014, the studio collaborated with Frederator Studios'

Cartoon Hangover Cartoon Hangover is a Frederator internet television channel and adult animation division, part of the YouTube Original Channel Initiative, launched in February 2012. Frederator produced two animated series exclusively for the Internet: '' Brave ...

on '' GO! Cartoons'', an incubator series consisting of 12 short films, with at least one short film being developed into a series. The short films were funded by SPA, with the additional goal of attracting new talent for the studio. In June 2019, Sony Pictures Animation announced that they had launched an "International" division headed by Aron Warner at the 2019

Annecy International Animated Film Festival The Annecy International Animation Film Festival (french: Festival international du film d'animation d'Annecy, officially abbreviated in English as the Annecy Festival, or simply Annecy) was created in 1960 and takes place at the beginning of J ...

, with '' Wish Dragon'' set to be the division's first film. The same day, they also announced an "Alternative" division aimed at producing adult animated content, headed by Katie Baron and Kevin Noel. In addition to Tartakovsky's films ''Black Knight'' and ''Fixed'', the division's TV shows are set to include ''

The Boondocks Boondocks are remote, usually brushy areas. Boondocks may also refer to: * The Boondocks (band), an Estonian rock band * ''The Boondocks'' (comic strip), a comic strip by Aaron McGruder ** ''The Boondocks'' (2005 TV series), the television ser ...

'', a reboot of the original TV series that originally aired on

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, ...

Adult Swim Adult Swim (AS; stylized as dult swim'' and often abbreviated as s'') is an American adult-oriented night-time cable television channel that shares channel space with the basic cable network Cartoon Network and is programmed by its in-house ...

programming block from 2005 to 2014; ''Superbago'', a co-production with Stoopid Buddy Stoodios that was originally greenlit as a feature film; and ''Hungry Ghosts'', a series based on the

Dark Horse A dark horse is a previously lesser-known person or thing that emerges to prominence in a situation, especially in a competition involving multiple rivals, or a contestant that on paper should be unlikely to succeed but yet still might. Origin Th ...

graphic novel by

Anthony Bourdain Anthony Michael Bourdain (; June 25, 1956 – June 8, 2018) was an American celebrity chef, author, and travel documentarian who starred in programs focusing on the exploration of international culture, cuisine, and the human condition. Bourda ...

and

Joel Rose Joel Rose is an American novelist. Career His novels include ''The Blackest Bird'' (2007), '' Kill the Poor'' (1988), and '' Kill Kill Faster Faster'' (1988). He also authored the urban historical, ''New York Sawed in Half: An Urban Historical'' ...

. They had previously announced their plans to produce adult content at the 2017 Annecy festival. According to

Kristine Belson Kristine Belson is a film producer and the president of Sony Pictures Animation. Belson's mother was a member of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, and her father, Jerry Belson, was a comedy writer for television and film. Belson graduat ...

, president of SPA, the studio produces films on a 1:1 development-to-production ratio, meaning that the studio puts films into development as much as it places films in production, unlike other animation studios. Following the support of video game works, Pixelopus is partnering with SPA, working an untitled PS5-exclusive video game with

Unreal Engine 5 Unreal Engine (UE) is a 3D computer graphics game engine developed by Epic Games, first showcased in the 1998 first-person shooter game ''Unreal (1998 video game), Unreal''. Initially developed for Personal computer, PC first-person shooters, i ...

Projects

Sony Pictures Animation's first feature film was ''Open Season'', released in September 2006, which became Sony's second-highest-grossing home entertainment film in 2007 and spawned three

direct-to-video Direct-to-video or straight-to-video refers to the release of a film, TV series, short or special to the public immediately on home video formats rather than an initial theatrical release or television premiere. This distribution strategy w ...

sequel A sequel is a work of literature, film, theatre, television, music or video game that continues the story of, or expands upon, some earlier work. In the common context of a narrative work of fiction, a sequel portrays events set in the same ...

s. Its second feature film, ''Surf's Up'' was released in June 2007, was nominated for an

Academy Award for Best Animated Feature The Academy Award for Best Animated Feature is given each year for animated films. An animated feature is defined by the Academy as a film with a running time of more than 40 minutes in which characters' performances are created using a frame-by- ...

, and won two Annie Awards. SPA's first 3D movie since the IMAX 3D release of ''Open Season'', ''Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs'', was released in September 2009 and was nominated for four Annie Awards, including Best Animated Feature. ''

The Smurfs ''The Smurfs'' (french: Les Schtroumpfs; nl, De Smurfen) is a Belgian comic franchise centered on a fictional colony of small, blue, humanoid creatures who live in mushroom-shaped houses in the forest. ''The Smurfs'' was first created and in ...

'' (2011) was the studio's first CGI/live-action hybrid. SPA's parent company Sony Pictures had partnered in 2007 with

Aardman Animations Aardman Animations Limited (also known as Aardman Studios, simply Aardman or Aardman Animation and stylised as AARDMAN as of 2022) is a British animation studio based in Bristol, England. It is known for films made using stop-motion and clay ani ...

to finance, co-produce and distribute feature films. Together, they produced two films: ''Arthur Christmas'' (2011), and ''The Pirates! In An Adventure With Scientists!'' (2012), the latter which was SPA's first stop-motion film. In 2012, SPA released ''Hotel Transylvania'', which grossed over $350 million worldwide and launched a successful franchise with three sequels and a

TV series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed b ...

. Two sequels were released in 2013: ''The Smurfs 2'' and ''Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2''. SPA's latest releases are ''Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse'', an animated superhero film based on the

Spider-Man Spider-Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appeared in the anthology comic book ''Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962) in the Si ...

comics and featuring the Miles Morales incarnation of the character, ''The Angry Birds Movie 2'', a sequel to the 2016 film '' The Angry Birds Movie'' produced by Rovio Animation, ''The Mitchells vs. the Machines'', a robot apocalypse/road trip film written and directed by Michael Rianda and Jeff Rowe while produced by longtime collaborators

Phil Lord and Christopher Miller Philip Lord (born 12 July 1975) and Christopher Miller (born 23 September 1975) are an American filmmaking duo. After a meeting at Dartmouth College, they are known for creating the adult animated sitcom ''Clone High'' (2002–2003), directing an ...

, ''Wish Dragon'', a co-production with

Base FX Base FX is a visual effects and animation company with production studios in Beijing, Kuala Lumpur, Wuxi and Xiamen, and an office in Los Angeles. The company was founded in 2006 and has completed more than 150 films. Base FX specializes in high-e ...

, and the

musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, but in some cases, they serve merely as brea ...

Lin-Manuel Miranda Lin-Manuel Miranda (; born January 16, 1980) is an American songwriter, actor, playwright and filmmaker. He is known for creating the Broadway musicals ''Hamilton'' (2015) and '' In the Heights'' (2005), and the soundtracks for the Disney animat ...

's ''Vivo'', which marks Sony Pictures Animation's first musical film. SPA has since signed Genndy Tartakovsky to a long-term deal with the studio to develop and direct original films.

Upcoming projects

, the studio is working on projects such as '' Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse'', which will be released on June 2, 2023, and its sequel '' Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse'' on March 29, 2024. It has as well other projects in development, including an animated '' Ghostbusters'' spin-off film; a musical comedy ''K-Pop: Demon Hunters''; another R-rated comedy ''

Bubble Bubble, Bubbles or The Bubble may refer to: Common uses * Bubble (physics), a globule of one substance in another, usually gas in a liquid ** Soap bubble * Economic bubble, a situation where asset prices are much higher than underlying fund ...

'', a co-production with Point Grey Pictures based on the podcast of the same name, ''Tao'', a China-set science-fiction adventure film directed by '' The Lego Movie 2'' story artist Emily Dean, and ''Tut'', an afro-futuristic coming-of-age story set in ancient Egypt directed by ''

Hair Love ''Hair Love'' is a 2019 American animated short film directed by Matthew A. Cherry, Everett Downing Jr., and Bruce W. Smith, and written by Cherry. It follows the story of a man who must do his daughter's hair for the first time, and it features ...

'' creator Matthew A. Cherry.

Process

In a similar fashion to the

Warner Animation Group The Warner Animation Group (WAG) is an American animation studio serving as the computer-animated feature film label of Warner Bros.' theatrical film production and distribution division, Warner Bros. Pictures. Established on January 7, 2013, ...

and Paramount Animation, the studio outsources their films to other animation companies and visual effects studios, with the majority of their films being animated by Sony Pictures Imageworks (its sister company). Some films, such as '' Arthur Christmas'' and '' The Pirates! Band of Misfits'' were acquired by Sony Pictures Animation to be released under their banner while others, such as '' Goosebumps'' and '' Peter Rabbit'', were made with no involvement from the studio.

Franchises

Filmography

Notes

References

External links

* * {{Authority control 2002 establishments in California American companies established in 2002 Mass media companies established in 2002 Sony Pictures Entertainment Sony subsidiaries American animation studios Film production companies of the United States Entertainment companies based in California Companies based in Culver City, California