List of animation studios owned by NBCUniversal
NBCUniversal, a major media company owned by Comcast, has owned and operated several animation studios.
Its flagship feature animation studio, Universal Animation Studios through Universal 1440 Entertainment, a division of Universal Pictures Home Entertainment via Universal Pictures, outputs television, direct-to-video, and animated feature film releases. Currently, NBCUniversal also owns Illumination and DreamWorks Animation as part of the Universal Filmed Entertainment Group. This article does not include other independently owned animation studios whose films were only released by Universal Pictures.
Full list
Current Animation studios
| Studio | Established | Parent Unit |
|---|---|---|
| Universal Animation Studios | 1991 | Universal Pictures |
| Animation: Feature films and short films in Hand drawn and CGI Former Names: Universal Cartoon Studios (1991–2006) | ||
| DreamWorks Animation | 1994 |
|
| Animation: Theatrical feature films, short films, and TV series in CGI and Hand drawn Founded by Steven Spielberg, Jeffery Katzenberg, and David Geffen in 1994, Universal Studios distributes and owns its films. Acquired in 2016. Units: DreamWorks Animation Television, DreamWorks Classics (Big Idea Entertainment, Harvey Entertainment, Bullwinkle Studios (50%)) Former units: Pacific Data Images, DreamWorks Classics: UPA and Entertainment Rights (Filmation, Woodland Animations and Tell-Tale Productions) | ||
| Illumination | 2007 | Universal Pictures |
| Animation: Computer generated animated theatrical feature films and short films Founded by Chris Meledandri in 2007 as an all audience film production company, co-owned by Universal, which fully finances and owns films. Former Names: Illumination Entertainment (2007–2016) Units: Illumination Mac Guff | ||
Divested or defunct animation studios
| Studio | Established | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Walter Lantz Productions | 1929 | closed in 1972 |
| Animation: Hand-drawn theatrical short films and TV series Founded in 1929 as an independent studio and principal supplier of animation for Universal. The company currently exists name only under Universal Animation Studios, handling rights to studio characters and films. Former Names: Universal Studio Cartoons (1929–1935) | ||
| Amblimation (minority stake) | 1989 | closed in 1997 |
| Animation: Theatrical feature films and TV series in Hand drawn Founded in 1989 by Steven Speilburg, Amblimation was a British animation studio subsidiary of Amblin Entertainment. Within its run, the studio released three theatrical films all through Universal Pictures. Amblimation is considered the predecessor to DreamWorks Animation. In 2017, Comcast/NBCUniversal purchased a minority stake of Amblin Partners (the parent company) to strengthen its relationship with Universal Pictures. | ||
Universal Filmed Entertainment Group
Universal Animation Studios
Founded in 1990, Universal Animation Studios (formally Universal Cartoon Studios) is the primary animation division of Universal 1440 Entertainment through Universal Pictures.[1]
DreamWorks Animation
DreamWorks Animation Television
DreamWorks Classics/Classic Media
Big Idea Entertainment
Harvey Films
Illumination
Illumination Studios Paris
Notes
Walter Lantz Studio - exclusive rights to film library and assets
References
- ^ "Orlando theme park features characters". The Orlando Sentinel. Orlando, Florida. July 19, 1991. p. 35. Retrieved July 6, 2021.