Crunchyroll LLC
Formerly |
|
---|---|
Company type | Joint venture[1] |
Industry | Entertainment |
Genre | Anime |
Founded | May 9, 1994Silicon Valley, California, U.S.[2] | , in
Founder |
|
Headquarters | , U.S. |
Key people |
|
Products |
|
Brands | Crunchyroll |
Services |
|
Owners |
|
Number of employees | 1500+[4] (2024) |
Divisions |
|
Crunchyroll, LLC[6] (d/b/a Crunchyroll), formerly known as Funimation,[d] is an American entertainment company based in Coppell, a suburb of Dallas, Texas,[7] focused on the distribution and licensing of anime, films, and television series.
The company was founded in May 1994 by Gen Fukunaga and his wife Cindy in Silicon Valley, with funding by Daniel Cocanougher and his family, who became investors in the company, which then relocated to North Richland Hills and later Flower Mound, Texas.[8] Funimation was acquired by Navarre Corporation in May 2005; in April 2011, Navarre sold Funimation to a group of investors that included Fukunaga for $24 million.[9] The company was acquired by Sony Pictures Television in 2017 and rebranded to Crunchyroll, LLC in March 2022 after acquiring the streaming service of the same name and its parent Ellation in August 2021.[10]
History
As Funimation
Early history
In the early 1990s, Japanese-born businessman Gen Fukunaga was approached by his uncle, Nagafumi Hori, who was working as a producer for Toei Company. Hori proposed that if Fukunaga could start a production company and raise enough money, Toei Animation would license the rights to the Dragon Ball franchise to the United States. Fukunaga met with co-worker Daniel Cocanougher, whose family owned a feed mill in Decatur, Texas, and convinced Cocanougher's family to sell their business and serve as an investor for his company.[11][12][13]
The company was founded on May 9, 1994, as Funimation Productions.[2][14][e] The company was originally based in Silicon Valley, but eventually relocated to North Richland Hills, Texas.[13][15] They initially collaborated with other companies on Dragon Ball, such as BLT Productions, Ocean Studios, Pioneer and Saban Entertainment.[16][17] After two aborted attempts to bring the Dragon Ball franchise to television via first-run syndication, Cartoon Network began airing Dragon Ball Z as part of its Toonami programming block in 1998, which quickly became the highest-rated show on the block and garnered a large following.[18][19][20] The success of Dragon Ball Z is credited for allowing Funimation to acquire other licensed titles.[20][21] Funimation also produced and distributed the direct-to-video movie Chuck E. Cheese in the Galaxy 5000, the company's first non-anime product.[22]
In May 2002, the company secured its first third-party home video deal when fellow anime dubbing company 4Kids Entertainment appointed Funimation as their exclusive home video distributor in the United States. The deal included a majority of products 4Kids licensed at the time, beginning with Yu-Gi-Oh!, Cubix, Cabbage Patch Kids, Tama and Friends, and Kirby: Right Back at Ya!.[23][24] The deal was later expanded to include Sonic X, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Ultraman Tiga.[25]
Following the success of the 4Kids deal, Funimation entered into a strategic partnership with the Canadian-based Nelvana on September 26, 2003.[26] The deal allowed the two companies to work on the production of prospective new anime, and for Funimation to distribute over forty-four titles from Nelvana's library on home video; including Redwall, Pecola, Tales from the Cryptkeeper, Timothy Goes to School and the Disney Channel TV special The Santa Claus Brothers.[27]
In July 2004, Funimation expanded its family-friendly offerings by launching a new division entitled Our Time Family Entertainment, which provided high-quality entertainment properties to the burgeoning preschool and children's market.[28] Products released under the division included the film Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland, several holiday specials, and select offerings from Nelvana (Elliot Moose, Marvin the Tap-Dancing Horse, Timothy Goes to School), WGBH (Arthur and the co-production Time Warp Trio), and Alliance Atlantis (Connie the Cow).[29]
Funimation continued into licensing non-anime material when the company was appointed as the North American license holder for the British series Make Way for Noddy by franchise owners Chorion in January 2005.[30]
Acquisition by Navarre Corporation
On May 11, 2005, Funimation was acquired by Navarre Corporation for US$100.4 million in cash and 1.8 million shares of Navarre stock. As part of the acquisition, Gen Fukunaga was retained as head of the company, transitioning to the position of CEO, and the company's name was changed from Funimation Productions to Funimation Entertainment.[31][32][f] In 2007, Funimation moved from North Richland Hills, Texas to Flower Mound.[33] Funimation moved into the Lakeside Business District with a ten-year lease.[34]
According to an interview in February 2008 with Navarre Corporation CEO Cary Deacon, Funimation was in early stage negotiations to acquire some of the titles licensed through Geneon's USA division, which ceased operations in December 2007.[35] In July 2008, Funimation confirmed that they had acquired distribution rights to several Geneon titles, including some that Geneon had left unfinished when they withdrew from the U.S. market.[36] At Anime Expo 2008, Funimation announced that it had acquired over 30 titles from the Sojitz catalog that had previously been licensed by ADV Films.[37] In 2009, Funimation signed a deal with Toei Animation to stream several of its anime titles online through the Funimation website.[38]
Navarre divesture; Nico Nico partnership
On May 27, 2010, Navarre Corporation announced that it began negotiating a potential sale of Funimation. It was also announced that if the sale took place, Funimation would be reclassified as a "discounted operation" starting in the first quarter of 2011.[39] On September 16, 2010, Navarre announced that six potential buyers were interested in acquiring Funimation.[40] In the first quarter of 2011, Navarre reclassified Funimation as "discounted operations".[41] On April 4, 2011, Navarre released a statement announcing that Funimation had been sold to a group of investors that included original owner Gen Fukunaga for $24 million.[42] It was also announced that Navarre would remain as exclusive distributor of Funimation's titles.[42]
On October 14, 2011, Funimation announced a partnership with Niconico, the English language version of Nico Nico Douga, to form the Funico brand for the licensing of anime for streaming and home video release. From this point on, virtually all titles simulcasted by Niconico were acquired by Funimation.[43] On February 18, 2012, Funimation announced that it would launch its video streaming app on April 6, 2012.[44] In 2014, Funimation released Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods to theaters in partnership with Screenvision.[45] Based on its success, Funimation launched its own theatrical division in December 2014.[46] On June 22, 2015, Funimation and Universal Pictures Home Entertainment announced a multi-year home video distribution deal. The deal allowed UPHE to manage distribution and sales of Funimation's catalog of titles.[47] Universal began distributing Funimation's titles in October of that year.[48]
In January 2016, Funimation introduced a new logo and announced their streaming service, FunimationNow.[49][50] In April 2016, they launched their service in the UK and Ireland.[51] On September 8, 2016, Funimation announced a partnership with Crunchyroll. Select Funimation titles would be streamed subtitled on Crunchyroll, while select Crunchyroll titles would be streamed on FunimationNow, including upcoming dubbed content. In addition, Funimation would act as the distributor for Crunchyroll's home video catalog.[52]
Sony ownership
In May 2017, it was reported that Universal Studios and Sony Pictures Television were interested in purchasing Funimation; however, Universal decided not to proceed with the bidding.[53] On July 31, 2017, Sony Pictures Television announced that it would buy a controlling 95% stake in Funimation for $143 million, a deal that was approved by the United States Department of Justice on August 22, 2017.[54] This deal allowed Funimation to have synergies with Sony's Animax and Kids Station divisions and "direct access to the creative pipeline".[55] The deal was closed on October 27, 2017.[56]
On February 16, 2018, it was reported that Shout! Factory's Shout! Studios division acquired the U.S./Canadian distribution rights to Big Fish & Begonia and partnered with Funimation Films again for distribution.[57] On July 12, 2018, it was announced that Funimation Films had picked up licensing rights for Dragon Ball Super: Broly in North America and that its English dub would premiere in theaters sometime in January 2019 in the United States and Canada, only around a month after its national premiere in Japan.[58] On August 7, AT&T fully acquired Otter Media, owner of Crunchyroll.[59] On October 18, 2018, Funimation and Crunchyroll announced that their partnership with would end on November 9, 2018, as a result of Sony Pictures Television's acquisition of Funimation.[60] Despite the home video releases being unaffected and still going on as planned, select Funimation content would be removed from Crunchyroll, and subtitled content would return to FunimationNow. Additionally, it was also announced that Funimation would be removed from Otter Media-owned streaming service VRV entirely, being replaced by Hidive.[60] In December 2018, it was reported that another reason the partnership ended was due to a dispute concerning international expansion.[61] On December 4, 2018, Funimation inked an exclusive multi-year first-look SVOD deal with Hulu.[62]
On February 1, 2019, Gen Fukunaga announced that he would be stepping down as general manager, and transitioning to chairman of the company,[63] with Colin Decker assuming the role of general manager in May 2019.[64] On March 23, 2019, at AnimeJapan 2019, Funimation announced that they had partnered with Chinese streaming service Bilibili to jointly license anime titles for both the U.S. and Chinese markets.[65] On May 29, Funimation announced that they had acquired Manga Entertainment's UK branch, and immediately consolidated the former's UK business into the latter's.[66] On July 5, 2019, Funimation announced at Anime Expo that they had reached a streaming partnership with Right Stuf, with select titles from Nozomi Entertainment being made available on FunimationNow later in the year.[67] On August 31, 2019, Aniplex of America announced on Twitter that they would be partnering with Funimation Films to co-release Rascal Does Not Dream of a Dreaming Girl theatrically in the U.S. on October 2, 2019, and in Canada on October 4, 2019.[68]
Aniplex/SPT joint venture and international expansion; move to Coppell
On September 24, 2019, Sony Pictures Television and Aniplex announced that they were consolidating their international anime streaming businesses under a new joint venture, Funimation Global Group, LLC., with Funimation general manager Colin Decker leading the joint venture. The joint venture would operate under Funimation's branding, and allow Funimation to acquire and distribute titles with Aniplex subsidiaries Wakanim, Madman Anime and AnimeLab. The first title under the joint venture, Fate/Grand Order - Absolute Demonic Front: Babylonia, would receive a 30-day exclusivity on FunimationNow, AnimeLab and Wakanim, and provide Funimation exclusive rights to the English dub for one year.[1] In December, Funimation launched a "Decade of Anime" poll in which fans voted for their favorite anime across multiple categories.[69][70]
On January 24, 2020, Funimation announced it would be merging its online catalog into AnimeLab for Australian and New Zealand audiences, and would shut down FunimationNow for Australia and New Zealand on March 30.[71] On May 1, Funimation announced that they formed a partnership with Kodansha Comics to host a series of weekly watch parties.[72] On May 4, Funimation announced that they had struck a deal with NIS America to stream select titles on FunimationNow.[73] Funimation would also announce that same day that they would hold a virtual anime convention called "FunimationCon" on July 3–4, 2020. It was one of several virtual events taking the place of that year's Anime Expo, which announced its cancellation on April 17.[74] On July 3, Funimation announced at FunimationCon that they would expand their streaming service to Latin America, starting with Mexico and Brazil in Q4 2020, with one of the first dubbed titles released being Tokyo Ghoul:re.[75][76] Funimation later revealed that they would launch their Latin American services in December 2020.[77] However, they launched their service early on November 18, 2020.[78] On September 9, Funimation announced that they had reached a distribution partnership with Viz Media, with Viz Media titles being made available to stream on Funimation's website.[79] The deal was made after select Viz titles such as Part I of Naruto and the first 75 episodes of Hunter × Hunter were previously made available on FunimationNow. On December 2, 2020, Brazilian TV channel Loading announced a content partnership with Sony Pictures Entertainment. Funimation titles being included in the partnership was hinted at, but not confirmed.[80] Five days later, it was officially confirmed that Funimation titles would be included in the partnership.[81] On November 24, Funimation announced they had partnered with Sunrise to stream select Gundam titles such as Mobile Suit Gundam, Mobile Suit Gundam SEED, and later Mobile Suit Gundam Wing and Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam. Some Gundam titles already streamed on Funimation prior to said partnership like Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans.[82]
In November 2020, it was reported that Funimation began the process of relocating to a new office building in the Cypress Waters development complex in Coppell, Texas, which opened in 2021.[7]
To unify the company's image abroad, Manga Entertainment was rebranded as Funimation UK in the UK and Ireland, on April 19, 2021, with AnimeLab relaunched under the Funimation brand in Australia and New Zealand, from June 17, 2021.[83][84] Afterwards, Funimation launched their streaming services to three South American countries of Colombia, Chile, and Peru on June 16, 2021.[85] On September 1, Funimation and Gonzo announced a partnership to upload select remastered titles on their respective YouTube channels until November 30. These titles were Ragnarok the Animation, Witchblade and Burst Angel.[86]
As Crunchyroll
Rebranding
On December 9, 2020, Sony Pictures Entertainment announced that it would acquire Ellation and the anime streaming service Crunchyroll from WarnerMedia (later spun out by AT&T and merged with Discovery, Inc. to form Warner Bros. Discovery) for a total of US$1.175 billion in cash, placing the company under Funimation once the acquisition was finalized.[87] However, on March 24, 2021, it was reported that the United States Department of Justice had extended its antitrust review of the acquisition.[88] The acquisition of Crunchyroll was completed on August 9, 2021, with Sony stating in their press release that they would create a unified anime subscription using their anime businesses as soon as possible.[89] Crunchyroll confirmed four days later that VRV was included in the acquisition.[90]
On January 25, 2022, Crunchyroll announced that they were going to release Jujutsu Kaisen 0 in theaters on March 18, 2022, in the United States and Canada. The film launched in over 1,500 theaters, as well as some IMAX theatres, in both sub and dub. They also stated that the feature would be coming soon to theaters in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, France, Germany, and Latin America among other countries. This is the first Crunchyroll film to be distributed in association with Funimation Films.[91]
On March 1, 2022, it was announced that the Funimation, Wakanim and VRV SVOD services would be consolidated into Crunchyroll. Additionally, it was announced that Funimation Global Group, LLC had legally changed its name to Crunchyroll, LLC, which occurred on February 24.[92][93][6] Fourteen days later, it was announced that Funimation's home video releases would be distributed under the Crunchyroll banner, with the latter's logo replacing that of the former on the spine and back of the covers for each new release that comes out starting with its June 2022 slate.[94] Following the Russian military invasion of Ukraine, Crunchyroll announced on March 11, 2022, that it would halt services in Russia, thus shutting down operations of Wakanim and Crunchyroll EMEA entirely, in line with global sanctions.[95] Its parent company Sony donated $2 million in humanitarian aid to Ukraine.[96]
On April 5, 2022, the company announced that Funimation's YouTube channel was rebranded as "Crunchyroll Dubs", and that it would serve as Crunchyroll's channel for English-dubbed content; while English-subtitled content would still be uploaded to their "Crunchyroll Collection" channel.[97] The company also stated that they would release an English-dubbed first episode of an anime series every Saturday at 3:00 pm. ET on the channel, starting with Re:Zero − Starting Life in Another World on April 9, 2022. Three days later, another announcement was made in that the Funimation Shop would be moved to the Crunchyroll Store.[98] Two weeks later, CEO Colin Decker stepped down from his position. He was replaced by COO Rahul Purini.[99] As a result of the merger in March 2022, pre-existing titles such as My Hero Academia, Uzaki-chan Wants to Hang Out!, and others that were streaming on Funimation remained along with newer seasons until a full migration of its licensed catalog was transferred over to Crunchyroll. New series such as A Couple of Cuckoos and Spy × Family were only released on Crunchyroll, albeit with the dubbing production done in the Coppell studios.[100][101][102] On August 4, 2022, Crunchyroll acquired anime eCommerce retailer and distributor Right Stuf. Right Stuf's adult/hentai sales and distribution were spun off to a separate company as part of the deal.[103][104]
On September 20, 2022, Kyle McCarley's contract to voice Shigeo Kageyama, the protagonist of Mob Psycho 100, was not renewed by Crunchyroll. McCarley, who is a member of SAG-AFTRA, had offered to work on a non-union contract for the third season, on the condition that Crunchyroll meet with SAG-AFTRA representatives to discuss potential future contracts. Crunchyroll refused the offer, sparking criticism from anime fans and media outlets.[105]
In February 2023, Crunchyroll laid off 85 staff as part of employee redundancy between the 12 offices including its main Coppell headquarters and Culver City offices.[106]
Distribution
In July 2008, Funimation and Red Planet Media announced the launch of a mobile video on demand service for AT&T Mobility and Sprint mobile phone subscribers. Three titles were part of the launch, Gunslinger Girl, Tsukuyomi: Moon Phase, and The Galaxy Railways, with entire seasons of each made available.[107]
Until 2016, Funimation did not directly release its properties in non-North American (English language speaking) markets, and instead sub-licensed its properties to other companies such as the UK branch of Manga Entertainment and Anime Limited in the United Kingdom.[108]
In 2016, Funimation began directly releasing some of its titles in the United Kingdom and Ireland with Funimation branding, with Funimation handling licensing and localization, and Anime Limited handling distribution and classification.[109] Funimation later distributed My Hero Academia in the region through Universal Pictures UK in 2017,[110] and later through Sony Pictures UK, along with other select titles, in 2018.[111] Funimation later began sub-licensing titles to Manga Entertainment's UK branch in late 2018, before acquiring the company on May 29, 2019, and releasing titles directly.[66] On September 24, 2019, Sony Pictures Television and Aniplex consolidated their international anime streaming businesses, with Funimation becoming the leading company for the group.[1]
Funimation also began directly distributing its titles in Australia and New Zealand in 2017. Similar to the UK and Ireland, select titles were released through Universal Sony Pictures Home Entertainment from 2017 to 2018. From September 2018, Funimation transferred distribution to Madman Anime, with the company handling distribution and classification within the region.[112][113] Madman Anime was later consolidated into Funimation in 2019.[1]
Notable titles
- 86 -Eighty Six- (streaming rights)
- A Couple of Cuckoos
- A Sign of Affection
- Adachi and Shimamura
- Air
- Akame ga Kill! (streaming rights previously in North America)
- Akira
- Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian
- Amagi Brilliant Park (in Australia, streaming rights previously in North America)
- Angel Beats! (streaming rights)
- Arifureta: From Commonplace to World's Strongest
- Ascendance of a Bookworm
- Asobi Asobase
- Assassination Classroom
- Attack on Titan (streaming and home video rights in conjunction with Kodansha)
- Attack on Titan: Junior High
- BanG Dream! series
- Berserk: The Golden Age Arc - Memorial Edition
- Beyond the Boundary (streaming rights previously in North America)
- Black Butler
- Black Cat
- Black Clover
- Black Lagoon
- Bleach (home video rights in conjunction with VIZ Media)
- Blue Lock
- Bocchi the Rock!
- Bottom-tier Character Tomozaki
- Buddy Daddies
- Bungo Stray Dogs
- Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card
- Cat Planet Cuties
- Chainsaw Man
- Chivalry of a Failed Knight (streaming rights previously in North America)
- Clannad (in Australia)
- Classroom of the Elite
- Code Geass
- Cowboy Bebop
- Date A Live
- Death Note (home video rights in conjuction with VIZ Media)
- Demon King Daimao (streaming rights previously in North America)
- Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba (home video rights in conjunction with Aniplex of America)
- Dr. Stone
- Dragon Ball series (home video and streaming rights in conjunction with Toei Animation Inc.)
- Dragon Ball
- Dragon Ball Z
- Dragon Ball GT
- Dragon Ball Z Kai
- Dragon Ball Super
- Eden of the East
- Eden's Zero (season 2 only)
- Fairy Tail
- Fire Force
- Food Wars!: Shokugeki no Soma (seasons 3–5, streaming rights)
- Frieren: Beyond Journey's End
- Fruits Basket (2001 and 2019)
- Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
- Future Diary
- Gakuen Alice
- Ghost Hunt
- Gintama
- Girls und Panzer (streaming rights previously in North America)
- Given
- Golden Kamuy
- Grimgar, Ashes and Illusions
- Haganai: I Don't Have Many Friends
- Haikyu!! (streaming rights)
- Hana-Kimi
- Heaven's Lost Property
- Hellsing Ultimate
- Hitori Bocchi no Marumaru Seikatsu
- Higurashi: When They Cry - Gou
- Higurashi: When They Cry - Sotsu
- Horimiya
- How Heavy Are the Dumbbells You Lift?
- Hyouka
- In/Spectre
- Initial D
- Isekai Quartet
- Josee, the Tiger and the Fish
- Jujutsu Kaisen
- Kaiju No. 8
- Kaguya-sama: Love Is War (streaming rights, dub production)
- Kanon
- Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! (streaming rights)
- Kingdom
- K-On! (UK and Australia)
- KonoSuba: God's Blessing on This Wonderful World!
- Laid-Back Camp
- Legend of the Galactic Heroes: Die Neue These
- Link Click
- Log Horizon (seasons 1 and 3)
- Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions! (Australia, formerly had the streaming rights in North America)
- Love Live! series
- Lucky Star
- Lycoris Recoil (streaming rights)
- Majikoi: Oh Samurai Girls (streaming rights previously in North America)
- Maken-ki!
- Mashle: Magic and Muscles (streaming rights)
- MF Ghost
- Mieruko-chan
- Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid
- Mob Psycho 100
- Mobile Suit Gundam series (home video and streaming rights in conjunction with Sunrise):
- Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury (dub production)
- Monster Musume (streaming rights previously in North America)
- Moriarty the Patriot
- Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation
- My Bride is a Mermaid
- My Deer Friend Nokotan (streaming rights in conjunction with Remow)
- My Dress-Up Darling
- My Hero Academia
- My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU Climax (streaming rights)
- Mysterious Girlfriend X (streaming rights previously in North America)
- Nakaimo – My Sister Is Among Them! (streaming rights previously in North America)
- Naruto series (home video rights in conjunction with VIZ Media)
- Nichijou: My Ordinary Life
- Non Non Biyori Nonstop (streaming rights)
- Noragami
- One Piece (home video and streaming rights in conjunction with Toei Animation Inc.)
- Ouran High School Host Club
- Overlord
- Overtake!
- Persona anime series:
- Persona 4: The GOLDEN Animation (streaming rights)
- Persona 5: The Animation (streaming rights)
- Psycho-Pass
- Puella Magi Madoka Magica (streaming rights)
- Ranking of Kings
- Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai (streaming rights)
- Re:Zero − Starting Life in Another World
- Rent-A-Girlfriend
- Rurouni Kenshin (2023 TV series)
- Saint Seiya
- Samurai Champloo
- Sasaki and Miyano
- School Rumble
- Seraph of the End
- Serial Experiments Lain
- Sgt. Frog
- Shadows House
- Shangri-La Frontier
- Shikimori's Not Just a Cutie
- Shōshimin: How to Become Ordinary
- Show by Rock!!
- Solo Leveling
- Soul Eater
- Sonny Boy
- Sound! Euphonium (seasons 1 and 2 - streaming rights; season 3 only)
- Space Dandy
- Spice and Wolf
- Spy × Family
- Steins;Gate
- Steins;Gate 0
- Super Cub
- Super HxEros (streaming rights)
- Suzume (streaming rights)
- Sword Art Online series (home video rights in conjunction with Aniplex of America)
- Tales of Wedding Rings
- Teasing Master Takagi-san (season 1 only)
- That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime
- The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Love You
- The Ancient Magus' Bride
- The Apothecary Diaries
- The Daily Life of the Immortal King
- The Detective Is Already Dead
- The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya
- The Duke of Death and His Maid
- The Heike Story
- The Irregular at Magic High School (streaming rights)
- The Honor Student at Magic High School (streaming rights)
- The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
- The Millionaire Detective Balance: Unlimited
- The Misfit of Demon King Academy (streaming rights)
- The Promised Neverland (streaming rights)
- The Quintessential Quintuplets
- The Rising of the Shield Hero
- The Saga of Tanya the Evil
- The Seven Deadly Sins (home video rights)
- To Love Ru (streaming rights previously in North America)
- To Your Eternity
- Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun
- Tokyo Ghoul
- Tomo-chan Is a Girl!
- Tonikawa: Over the Moon for You
- Toradora! (streaming rights)
- Tower of God
- Trigun
- Tsukimichi: Moonlit Fantasy
- Uzaki-chan Wants to Hang Out!
- Vinland Saga (season 2 only)
- Violet Evergarden (home video rights)
- Wanna Be the Strongest in the World!
- We Without Wings
- Welcome to the N.H.K.
- Witch Hat Atelier
- Wind Breaker (streaming rights)
- Wonder Egg Priority
- xxxHolic
- Yamada's First Time: B Gata H Kei
- Your Lie in April
- Your Name
- YuYu Hakusho
- Yuuna and the Haunted Hot Springs (streaming rights)
- Yuri on Ice
- Zombie Land Saga
- Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead (streaming rights in conjunction with VIZ Media)
Lawsuits
Anti-piracy
In 2005, Funimation's legal department began to pursue a more aggressive approach toward protecting the company's licensed properties. They started sending "cease and desist" (C&D) letters to sites offering links to fansubs of their titles. This move was similar to that taken by the now-defunct ADV Films several years before with several major torrent sites.[114]
Funimation's legal department served C&D letters for series that had not yet been advertised or announced as licensed, including Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle, Black Cat, and SoltyRei, with a few known series also mentioned in the letter.[115] Funimation revealed more licenses on October 6, 2006, when it sent letters to torrent sites demanding that distribution of xxxHolic's TV series, Mushishi, Ragnarok the Animation, and other series cease.[116]
Since October 2009, Funimation has routinely filed DMCA takedown notices to get unauthorized distributions of its and its partners' properties removed from Google search results.[g]
In January 2011, Funimation filed a lawsuit against BitTorrent users in the U.S. for allegedly downloading and uploading One Piece.[117] Funimation dropped the suit in March after a Northern Texas judge, having already indicated that the court would appoint attorneys for the defendants,[118] ruled that the defendants were not "acting in concert" and thus could not be sued as a group; each would have to be sued separately.[119]
The One Piece film at issue was a fansub, an unauthorized copy distributed with fan-produced, translated subtitles. Soon after the lawsuit was abandoned, Funimation was reported to have long been deriving dubs from fansubs.[120] Nevertheless, Funimation continues to hold their stance that fansubbing is harmful to the anime industry, stating "The practices of illegal downloads and 'fansubbing' are very harmful to our Japanese partners and [...] we have been asked to monitor and take action against unauthorized distribution of these titles. Because we believe that this will benefit the industry, we have agreed to do so."[121] Sites which distribute fansubs or separate fan-created subtitles remain a frequent target of civil actions by Funimation and other anime companies, as well as criminal prosecution in at least one case.[122]
Two months after failing to sue BitTorrent users in the North Texas district, Funimation engaged in forum shopping and proceeded to sue 1,427 defendants in the neighboring East Texas district for acting "in concert" to infringe copyright on The Legend Is Born: Ip Man. This case was allowed to proceed. However, the court dismissed the case against all remaining defendants with prejudice, on October 17, 2013.[123]
Disputes with partners
In November 2011, Funimation sued A.D. Vision, AEsir Holdings, Section23 Films, Valkyrie Media Partners, Seraphim Studios, Sentai Filmworks and its CEO, John Ledford and Switchblade Pictures for a sum of $8 million, citing "breach of contracts" and other issues. Funimation said that ADV's transfer of assets were made with "the intent to defer, hinder or defraud the creditors of ADV [Films]." Funimation sought ADV's sale of assets as void.[124] The lawsuit was settled in mediation in 2014. The terms of the settlement were not disclosed.[125]
Vic Mignogna lawsuit
In early 2019, allegations of sexual misconduct against voice actor Vic Mignogna were brought forward on Twitter with the MeToo movement. Funimation conducted an internal investigation of the matter and announced on February 11, 2019, that they had ended their relations with Mignogna.[126] Mignogna had already been dismissed from the company in January 2019.[127] On April 19, 2019, Mignogna filed a civil suit against Funimation and voice actors Jamie Marchi, Monica Rial, and Rial's fiancé, Ron Toye. Mignogna and his attorney were seeking a monetary relief of over $1 million.[128] On June 12, 2019, Funimation filed a response denying Mignogna's allegations.[129] On July 1, 2019, Funimation filed an anti-SLAPP motion for Mignogna to dismiss his lawsuit.[130] Rial, Marchi, and Toye then filed their anti-SLAPP motions on July 19, 2019.[131] A hearing to consider the defendants's anti-SLAPP motions took place on September 6, 2019,[132] presiding Tarrant County judge John P. Chupp dismissed the civil suit against Marchi.[133] On October 4, 2019, the civil suit against Funimation, Rial, and Toye was dismissed.[134]
On October 24, 2019, Mignogna filed an appeal against the dismissal.[135] On October 30, 2019, Rial, Toye, Marchi, and Funimation filed a motion to have Mignogna's appeal dismissed, which was subsequently denied.[135][136] On November 5, 2019, Funimation filed a motion to recover attorney's fees, costs, and sanctions related to the lawsuit.[137] On November 27, 2019, Tarrant County judge John P. Chupp ruled that Mignogna had to pay a total of $238,042.42 in attorney's fees and sanctions to Rial, Toye, Marchi, and Funimation.[138]
Kojicast lawsuit
On April 24, 2019, Kojicast filed a lawsuit against Funimation claiming that the company's FunimationNow streaming service was an infringement on Kojicast's patent.[139]
Shop lawsuit
On January 13, 2021, Jenisa Angeles filed a class-action lawsuit against Funimation, claiming that their online store failed to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act.[140] The suit was settled out of court. The terms of the settlement were not disclosed.[141]
See also
- List of anime distributed in the United States
- List of anime releases made concurrently in the United States and Japan
Notes
- ^ Exact name as shown on the Delaware corporations registry under file no. 2672363.
- ^ Itself a division of Sony Music Entertainment Japan.
- ^ Crunchyroll, LLC and Game Show Network, LLC parent company Sony formed Crunchyroll Channel through a partnership between the two companies, despite both of them being owned by different divisions of Sony. Crunchyroll, LLC is owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment and Sony Music Entertainment Japan's Aniplex, while Game Show Network, LLC is owned by the Sony Pictures Television Networks division of Sony Pictures Television.
- ^ The Funimation name continued to be used for its streaming service from 2020 until its closure in 2024.
- ^ Stylized as FUNimation Productions
- ^ Stylized as FUNimation Entertainment
- ^ As of October 2012, the Chilling Effects search engine is broken, but Google search results for site:lumendatabase.org funimation reveal the DMCA notices received and processed so far.
References
- ^ a b c d Spangler, Todd (September 24, 2019). "Sony Merges Anime Streaming Businesses Under Funimation-Led Joint Venture (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on December 20, 2019. Retrieved September 24, 2019.
- ^ a b "20 Years of the Best in Anime". Funimation. Archived from the original on May 19, 2014. Retrieved May 21, 2014.
- ^ "Terms of Use". Funimation. Archived from the original on February 29, 2024. Retrieved February 29, 2024.
- ^ "Crunchyroll". LinkedIn. Retrieved July 15, 2024.
- ^ "CRUNCHYROLL GAMES TERMS OF SERVICE". Crunchyroll Games. Archived from the original on July 22, 2022. Retrieved July 22, 2022.
- ^ a b Brett (March 1, 2022). "Anime Fans Win as Funimation Global Group Content Moves to Crunchyroll Starting Today". Crunchyroll. Sony Pictures. Archived from the original on April 15, 2022. Retrieved March 1, 2022.
- ^ a b Brown, Steve (November 5, 2020). "Sony-owned Funimation is latest to make move to Cypress Waters mega-development". The Dallas Morning News. Archived from the original on February 1, 2022. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
- ^ David, Eric (September 9, 2016). "How Funimation Made DFW an Anime Production Hub". Dallas Innovates. Archived from the original on August 10, 2021. Retrieved August 10, 2021.
- ^ Warren, Emily (April 8, 2011). "Navarre Sells Anime Studio FUNimation". Asia Pacific Arts. Archived from the original on April 13, 2014. Retrieved April 17, 2011.
- ^ Mateo, Alex (August 9, 2021). "Sony's Funimation Global Group Completes Acquisition of Crunchyroll from AT&T". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on August 9, 2021. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
- ^ Green, Scott (November 11, 2017). "Funimation Initial Investor Allen Cocanougher Passes Away". Crunchyroll. Archived from the original on September 30, 2019. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
- ^ Rogers, Bruce (January 14, 2019). "The Man Who Brought Anime To America: Sony Pictures Television's Funimation CEO Gen Fukunaga". Forbes. Archived from the original on September 29, 2019. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
- ^ a b Jones, Terry Lee (August 9, 1995). "Japanese cartoon requires PC touch for U.S. viewers". Ft. Worth Star Telegram. Archived from the original on May 18, 2006. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
- ^ "Interview with Gen Fukunaga, Part 1". ICv2. November 1, 2004. Archived from the original on June 8, 2019. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
- ^ "Animerica October 1995 – Sailor Moon Dragon Ball TV Edit News & scans". Practice Makes Awesome. May 13, 2012. Archived from the original on December 3, 2013. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
- ^ "Pioneer announces last Dragonball Z release". Anime News Network. November 14, 1998. Archived from the original on October 6, 2019. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
- ^ Fowler, Jimmy (January 20, 2000). "International incident". Dallas Observer. Archived from the original on October 6, 2019. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
- ^ Alverson, Brigid (September 18, 2016). "20 Years Ago, Dragon Ball Z Came to America to Stay". CBR.com. Archived from the original on October 8, 2019. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
- ^ Watson, Elijah (March 21, 2017). "The Oral History of Cartoon Network's Toonami". Complex. Archived from the original on October 6, 2019. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
- ^ a b Abril, Danielle. "How Gen Fukunaga Turned an Interest Into a $100M Venture". D Magazine. Archived from the original on November 28, 2020. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
- ^
- "New Anime Series Acquired". Anime News Network. January 11, 2001. Archived from the original on December 6, 2008. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
- "Funimation News". Anime News Network. January 31, 2001. Archived from the original on October 6, 2019. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
- "Lupin Licenced by Funimation". Anime News Network. August 19, 2001. Archived from the original on October 6, 2019. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
- ^ Funimation (January 28, 2015). "5 Things You Might Not Know About FUNimation". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on November 17, 2022. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
- ^ Godfrey, Leigh (May 20, 2002). "4Kids Launches 4Kids Home Video Business". Animation World Network. Archived from the original on May 16, 2024. Retrieved July 25, 2024.
- ^ "4Kids Entertainment Home Video Announces Kirby's Home Video Debut with Kirby Comes to Cappy Town" (PDF). 4Kids Entertainment. November 12, 2002. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 14, 2006. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
- ^ DeMott, Rick (May 27, 2004). "4Kids Announces Home Entertainment Releases For June 2004". Animation World Network. Archived from the original on February 12, 2015. Retrieved August 20, 2021.
- ^ Macdonald, Christopher (September 26, 2003). "Nelvana & FUNimation teamup". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on December 28, 2021. Retrieved December 28, 2021.
- ^ Ball, Ryan (September 25, 2003). "Nelvana Home Entertainment Launched". Animation Magazine. Archived from the original on October 6, 2018. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
- ^ Baisley, Sarah (July 19, 2004). "FUNimation Launches Our Time Family Ent". Animation World Network. Archived from the original on March 17, 2023. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
- ^ Ball, Ryan (July 20, 2004). "FUNimation Launches New Division". Animation Magazine. Archived from the original on July 25, 2024. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
- ^ Ball, Ryan (January 25, 2005). "FUNimation Gets Noddy for U.S." Animation Magazine. Archived from the original on July 25, 2024. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
- ^ "Navarre Corporation Acquires Funimation, and Provides Financial Update and Guidance". Navarre Corporation (Press release). May 11, 2005. Archived from the original on July 10, 2012. Retrieved July 8, 2006.
- ^ "Navarre Completes Funimation Acquisition". ICv2 (Press release). May 12, 2005. Archived from the original on August 23, 2018. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
- ^ "Funimation Gets New HQ". ICv2. June 10, 2007. Archived from the original on February 27, 2023. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
- ^ Estridge, Holli L. (June 8, 2007). "FUNimation Entertainment scripts HQ move" (PDF). Dallas Business Journal. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 19, 2009. Retrieved June 20, 2008.
- ^ "Navarre/FUNimation Interested in Some Geneon Titles". ICv2. February 8, 2008. Archived from the original on December 8, 2012. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
- ^ "FUNimation Entertainment and Geneon Entertainment Sign Exclusive Distribution Agreement for North America". Funimation (Press release). July 3, 2008. Archived from the original on July 7, 2008. Retrieved July 3, 2008.
- ^ Loo, Egan (July 4, 2008). "Funimation Picks Up Over 30 Former AD Vision Titles". Anime News Network (Press release). Archived from the original on October 6, 2009. Retrieved July 4, 2008.
- ^ Loo, Egan (April 3, 2009). "Funimation Adds Toei's Air Master, Captain Harlock". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on June 20, 2012. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
- ^ Loo, Egan (May 27, 2010). "Navarre Evaluates Sale of Funimation in Current Quarter". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on October 7, 2019. Retrieved October 7, 2019.
- ^ Browning, Jacob (September 16, 2010). "Navarre Has 6 Interested Buyers for Funimation". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on October 7, 2019. Retrieved October 7, 2019.
- ^ "navarre corporation". SEC.gov. Archived from the original on July 5, 2020. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
- ^ a b "Navarre Corporation Announces Sale of FUNimation Entertainment". NBC News. Globe Newswire. April 4, 2011. Archived from the original on October 19, 2019. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
- ^ Loo, Egan (October 14, 2011). "Funimation, Niconico to Jointly License Anime". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on December 14, 2017. Retrieved October 7, 2019.
- ^ Sevakis, Justin (February 18, 2012). "Funimation.com to Launch Mobile Video App in March". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on June 11, 2019. Retrieved October 7, 2019.
- ^ "Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on December 27, 2018. Retrieved January 5, 2019.
- ^ "About Us: Funimation Films". Funimation Films. Archived from the original on January 24, 2016. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
- ^ "Funimation and Universal Pictures Home Entertainment Enter Into Multi-Year Distribution Agreement". PR Newswire. June 22, 2015. Archived from the original on June 23, 2015. Retrieved June 22, 2015.
- ^ Beveridge, Chris (July 17, 2015). "FUNimation Reveals (First?) October 2015 Anime Releases". The Fandom Post. Archived from the original on October 9, 2015. Retrieved December 30, 2016.
- ^ "Introducting The Face Of Funimation!". Funimation. January 7, 2016. Archived from the original on January 3, 2022. Retrieved March 6, 2022.
- ^ "Introducing Funimation's New Streaming Experience – FunimationNow". Funimation. January 7, 2016. Archived from the original on January 2, 2022. Retrieved March 6, 2022.
- ^ "Funimation Now Launches in the U.K. and Ireland". Anime News Network. April 7, 2016. Archived from the original on November 26, 2020. Retrieved January 20, 2021.
- ^ Hodgkins, Crystalyn (September 8, 2016). "Crunchyroll, Funimation Announce Partnership to Share Content Via Streaming, Home Video, Est". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on September 19, 2016. Retrieved September 9, 2016.
- ^ Sakoui, Anousha (May 4, 2017). "Universal and Sony Are Eyeing 'Dragon Ball' Importer Funimation". Bloomberg. Archived from the original on August 5, 2017. Retrieved August 4, 2017.
- ^ Eggerton, John (August 22, 2017). "Feds OK Sony Purchase of Funimation". Multichannel. Archived from the original on August 9, 2020. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
- ^ Petski, Denise (July 31, 2017). "Sony Pictures TV Networks To Acquire Majority Stake in Funimation". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on August 2, 2017. Retrieved August 1, 2017.
- ^ Green, Scott (October 27, 2017). "Funimation Agrees To Be Acquired By Sony Pictures Television Networks". Crunchyroll. Archived from the original on September 25, 2019. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
- ^ Frater, Patrick (February 16, 2018). "Chinese Animation 'Big Fish & Begonia' Set for April U.S. Release". Variety. Archived from the original on April 28, 2018. Retrieved May 14, 2018.
- ^ Griffin, David; Stevens, Colin (July 12, 2018). "Funimation Is Bringing Dragon Ball Super: Broly to North American Theaters in 2019". IGN. Archived from the original on July 29, 2018. Retrieved July 23, 2018.
- ^ Hipes, Patrick (August 7, 2018). "AT&T Acquires Rest Of Otter Media To Fold Into New WarnerMedia". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on September 17, 2018. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
- ^ a b Ressler, Karen (October 18, 2018). "Funimation, Crunchyroll End Content-Sharing Partnership (Update)". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on October 18, 2018. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
- ^ Martinez, Phillip (December 13, 2018). "Funimation President Gen Fukunaga on Crunchyroll Split and Why Hulu Deal 'Makes Sense'". Newsweek. Archived from the original on December 11, 2019. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
- ^ Spangler, Todd (December 4, 2018). "Hulu Lands Funimation First-Look Deal for Japanese Anime Series (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on March 7, 2019. Retrieved March 9, 2019.
- ^ Spangler, Todd (February 1, 2019). "Funimation Founder Gen Fukunaga Moves Into Chairman Role, Sony Seeks New GM for Anime Service (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on February 1, 2019. Retrieved February 2, 2019.
- ^ Spangler, Todd (May 6, 2019). "Sony's Funimation Taps Ex-Crunchyroll Exec Colin Decker as GM (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on May 6, 2019. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
- ^ Antonio Pineda, Rafael (March 23, 2019). "Funimation, bilibili Establish Partnership for Joint Anime Licensing". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on March 23, 2019. Retrieved March 23, 2019.
- ^ a b Wright, Marshall (May 29, 2019). "Funimation Acquires UK Anime Distributor Manga Entertainment Limited". Funimation. Archived from the original on March 7, 2022. Retrieved March 6, 2022.
- ^ Antonio Pineda, Rafael (July 5, 2020). "Funimation, Right Stuf/Nozomi Ent. Announce Partnership for Anime Streaming". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on July 31, 2020. Retrieved March 6, 2020.
- ^ Aniplex USA [@aniplexUSA] (August 31, 2019). "#NEWS: Aniplex of America in partnership with Funimation Films proudly presents Rascal Does Not Dream of a Dreaming Girl, coming to select theaters in the U.S. on October 2 and 3 and in Canada on October 4 and 5. Tickets go on sale September 6th!" (Tweet). Retrieved August 31, 2019 – via Twitter.
- ^ "A Decade of Anime: Your Favorites of the 2010s". Funimation. December 9, 2019. Archived from the original on March 2, 2022. Retrieved March 2, 2022.
- ^ Morrissy, Kim (December 31, 2019). "Funimation Reveals Results of 'Decade of Anime' Fan Polls". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on March 2, 2022. Retrieved March 2, 2022.
- ^ Sherman, Jennifer (January 25, 2020). "FunimationNow Streaming Content Moves to AnimeLab in Australia, New Zealand". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on January 24, 2020. Retrieved January 25, 2020.
- ^ "Join the Home Anime Club Watch-Along with Kodansha Comics and Funimation!". Funimation. May 1, 2020. Archived from the original on March 7, 2022. Retrieved March 6, 2022.
- ^ "Toradora!, Cardcaptor Sakura and More from the NIS America Catalog Come to Funimation". Funimation. May 4, 2020. Archived from the original on March 7, 2022. Retrieved March 6, 2022.
- ^ Peters, Megan (May 4, 2020). "Funimation Announces FunimationCon, a Virtual Anime Convention, for July". Comicbook.com. Archived from the original on May 6, 2020. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
- ^ Hayes, Dade (July 2, 2020). "Anime Specialist Funimation Plans Fall Streaming Expansion To Mexico And Brazil". Yahoo Sports. Archived from the original on July 3, 2020. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
- ^ Rios, Josellie (July 3, 2020). "Siempre Más Anime: Funimation Streaming Arrives in Mexico and Brazil Fall 2020". Funimation. Archived from the original on March 7, 2022. Retrieved March 6, 2022.
- ^ Friedman, Nicholas (September 28, 2020). "Siempre Más Anime: Funimation Launches in Brazil and Mexico This December!". Funimation. Archived from the original on March 7, 2022. Retrieved March 6, 2022.
- ^ Funimation BR [@funimation_bra] (November 18, 2020). "Queremos agradecer todo o seu apoio com a melhor notícia que poderíamos dar: nosso serviço para web está estreando antes do esperado! Convidamos você para conferir o site com um teste grátis" (Tweet) (in Portuguese). Retrieved November 19, 2020 – via Twitter.
- ^ Antonio Pineda, Rafael (September 9, 2020). "Funimation Adds Terraformars, Coppelion, Gargantia, Megalobox Anime". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on September 29, 2020. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
- ^ @loading52x (December 2, 2020). "Twittando rapidinho só pra soltar um spoiler: fechei uma super parceria com a Sony Pictures Entertainment e tô trazendo mais de 100 títulos pra vocês. Eu prometo, eu cumpro, valeu?" (Tweet) (in Portuguese). Retrieved January 14, 2021 – via Twitter.
- ^ @loading52x (December 7, 2020). "Loading + @funimation_bra? É real! Vou trazer cerca de 30 títulos pra vocês, além do programa Funimation TV com notícias, comentários de dublagens e novas temporadas. E aí. Gostaram?" (Tweet) (in Portuguese). Retrieved January 14, 2021 – via Twitter.
- ^ Mateo, Alex (November 24, 2020). "Funimation Adds Mobile Suit Gundam, Gundam Unicorn, Gundam Seed, Gundam Seed Destiny Anime". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on October 4, 2021. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
- ^ "Manga Entertainment Rebrands to Funimation in UK/Ireland". Anime UK News. April 12, 2021. Archived from the original on April 12, 2021. Retrieved April 12, 2021.
- ^ Antonio Pineda, Rafael (June 10, 2021). "Australia, New Zealand Anime Streaming Service AnimeLab Rebrands as Funimation". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on June 10, 2021. Retrieved June 10, 2021.
- ^ Friedman, Nicholas (June 17, 2021). "Funimation Launches Today in Colombia, Chile and Peru". Funimation. Archived from the original on March 7, 2022. Retrieved March 6, 2022.
- ^ Saabedra, Humberto (September 2, 2021). "Animation Studio GONZO and Funimation Team Up To Remaster Mid-2000s Anime And Upload To YouTube". Crunchyroll. Archived from the original on September 2, 2021. Retrieved September 3, 2021.
- ^ Spangler, Todd (December 9, 2020). "AT&T to Sell Crunchyroll to Sony's Funimation for $1.175 Billion". Variety. Archived from the original on December 10, 2020. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
- ^ Mateo, Alex (March 24, 2021). "Report: U.S. Justice Department Extends Antitrust Review of Sony's Proposed Acquisition of Crunchyroll". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on July 13, 2021. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
- ^ "Sony's Funimation Global Group Completes Acquisition of Crunchyroll from AT&T". Sony Pictures Entertainment. August 9, 2021. Archived from the original on August 9, 2021. Retrieved August 18, 2021.
- ^ Mateo, Alex (August 13, 2021). "Crunchyroll Confirms VRV as a Part of Sony Following Acquisition". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on August 15, 2021. Retrieved August 15, 2021.
- ^ Luster, Joseph (January 25, 2022). "Crunchyroll to Bring JUJUTSU KAISEN 0 Movie to Theaters on March 18". Crunchyroll. Archived from the original on January 25, 2022. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
- ^ "Registration Statement". Archived from the original on July 25, 2024. Retrieved May 1, 2024.
- ^ Spangler, Todd (March 1, 2022). "Crunchyroll Adds All Funimation Anime Content, Sony Starts to Phase Out Funimation Brand". Variety. Archived from the original on May 10, 2022. Retrieved March 1, 2022.
- ^ Antonio Pineda, Rafael (March 16, 2022). "Funimation's Anime Titles Now Listed Under Crunchyroll for Home Video in June". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on June 12, 2022. Retrieved March 17, 2022.
- ^ Mateo, Alex (March 11, 2022). "Crunchyroll, Wakanim Suspend Services in Russia". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on June 6, 2022. Retrieved March 12, 2022.
- ^ "Donation to Humanitarian Aid in Ukraine Emergency". Sony Group Portal – Sony Global Headquarters. March 2, 2022. Archived from the original on February 7, 2023. Retrieved October 14, 2022.
- ^ Mateo, Alex (April 5, 2022). "Funimation's YouTube Channel Becomes 'Crunchyroll Dubs' Channel". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on May 16, 2022. Retrieved April 8, 2022.
- ^ Crunchyroll [@Crunchyroll] (April 8, 2022). "The Funimation Shop has moved its merch to @ShopCrunchyroll for the ultimate anime shopper's dream. Get new merch, figures, and more—all in one place! 👉 GO: https://got.cr/nextlevelstore-twm" (Tweet). Retrieved April 8, 2022 – via Twitter.
- ^ Hayes, Dave (April 19, 2022). "Crunchyroll CEO Colin Decker Steps Down, Passing Baton To Funimation Vet Rahul Purini As Sony Anime Integration Continues". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on April 19, 2022. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
- ^ "UPDATE: Funimation Titles Now Available on Crunchyroll (5/31)". Crunchyroll. March 1, 2022. Archived from the original on March 22, 2022. Retrieved June 5, 2023.
- ^ "Your Guide to the Spring 2022 Anime Season on Crunchyroll and Funimation". Funimation. March 22, 2022. Archived from the original on July 25, 2023. Retrieved June 5, 2023.
- ^ McLoughlin, Aleksha (May 4, 2022). "Is Funimation free? How to get the best prices online in 2023". GamesRadar+. Archived from the original on June 5, 2023. Retrieved June 5, 2023.
- ^ "Crunchyroll Closes Deal to Acquire Anime Superstore Right Stuf". Crunchyroll. August 4, 2022. Archived from the original on August 4, 2022. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
- ^ Mateo, Alex (August 4, 2022). "Crunchyroll Purchases Anime Retailer Right Stuf". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on January 27, 2023. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
- ^
- Mateo, Alex (September 20, 2022). "Kyle McCarley May Not Star in Mob Psycho 100 III Anime Due to Disagreement with Crunchyroll about Union Dubs (Updated)". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on September 21, 2022. Retrieved September 23, 2022.
- Baker-Whitelaw, Gavia (September 22, 2022). "Crunchyroll is under fire for allegedly refusing to employ union contracts for voice actors". MSN. The Daily Dot. Archived from the original on September 23, 2022. Retrieved September 23, 2022.
- Egan, Toussaint (September 21, 2022). "Crunchyroll's Mob Psycho 100 season 3 recasting strikes a nerve with the anime world". MSN. Polygon. Archived from the original on September 23, 2022. Retrieved September 23, 2022.
- Colbert, Isaiah (September 20, 2022). "Mob Psycho 100's English Voice Actor Probably Isn't Coming Back Because Of Crunchyroll". Kotaku. Archived from the original on September 20, 2022. Retrieved September 23, 2022.
- ^ Loveridge, Lynzee (February 21, 2023). "Crunchyroll Lays off Approximately 85 Employees Globally". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on February 22, 2023. Retrieved February 22, 2023.
- ^ "Full Seasons of the Best Anime from FUNimation Channel Launch on JumpInMobile.TV – The New Mobile Video-on-Demand Service from Red Planet Media". Anime News Network. July 9, 2008. Archived from the original on July 10, 2008. Retrieved July 9, 2008.
- ^ Sevakis, Justin (April 29, 2016). "Is Funimation Entering the UK Market?". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on April 21, 2023. Retrieved April 21, 2023.
- ^ Osmond, Andrew (May 13, 2016). "Anime Limited to Distribute Funimation Titles". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on March 2, 2019. Retrieved March 2, 2019.
- ^ NormanicGrav (April 13, 2017). "My Hero Academia Season 1 smashes its way to the UK this May!". Anime UK News. Archived from the original on April 3, 2019. Retrieved March 2, 2019.
- ^ Stevens, Josh A. (March 5, 2019). "Sony Confirms My Hero Academia Season 2, Part 1 for April Release". Anime UK News. Archived from the original on April 3, 2019. Retrieved March 2, 2019.
- ^ Slykura (December 14, 2018). "Some insights". Madboards. Archived from the original on February 12, 2019. Retrieved March 2, 2019.
- ^ Slykura (January 7, 2019). "In short, we have a new distribution agreement with Funimation which means that we are their local distributors NOT licensee, but distributor for their products". Madboards. Archived from the original on February 12, 2019. Retrieved March 2, 2019.
- ^ Roth, Daniel (October 15, 2008). "Bittorrent: The Great Disrupter". danielroth.net. Archived from the original on October 15, 2008. Retrieved June 25, 2019.
- ^ Macdonald, Christopher (December 7, 2005). "Funimation Enforces Intellectual Property Rights". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on August 6, 2020. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
- ^ Macdonald, Christopher (October 6, 2006). "Funimation Sends out Cease & Desist Letters For Multiple Anime". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on March 6, 2007. Retrieved October 14, 2006.
- ^ Manry, Gia (May 9, 2011). "Interview: Evan Stone". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on October 18, 2012. Retrieved October 19, 2012.
- ^ McSherry, Corynne (February 15, 2011). "Don't Mess With Texas: Another Texas Judge Scrutinizes Mass Copyright Litigation". EFF. Archived from the original on May 23, 2012. Retrieved October 19, 2012.
- ^ Manry, Gia (March 24, 2011). "Funimation Dismisses Its One Piece BitTorrent Lawsuit". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on October 31, 2012. Retrieved October 19, 2012.
- ^ Manry, Gia (March 22, 2011). "Downloaded Sora no Otoshimono Copy Shown at Funimation Studio". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on October 31, 2012. Retrieved October 19, 2012.
- ^ Loo, Egan (August 18, 2008). "3 Titles' Fansubs Pulled on Behalf of Japan's d-rights". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on October 25, 2012. Retrieved October 19, 2012.
- ^ Enigmax (June 8, 2012). "Student Fined For Running Movie & TV Show Subtitle Download Site". TorrentFreak. Archived from the original on October 14, 2012. Retrieved October 19, 2012.
- ^ "FUNimation Entertainment v. DOES 1 – 1,427 (2:11-cv-00269)". courtlistener. Archived from the original on October 18, 2021. Retrieved October 18, 2021.
- ^ Hodgkins, Crystalyn (January 13, 2012). "Funimation Sues A.D. Vision, Sentai, Others for US$8 Million". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on January 15, 2012. Retrieved January 13, 2012.
- ^ Loveridge, Lynzee (May 20, 2014). "Funimation v. ADV Lawsuit Settled, Dismissed". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on May 30, 2014. Retrieved May 29, 2014.
- ^ Funimation [@FUNimation] (February 11, 2019). "Everyone, we wanted to give you an update on the Vic Mignogna situation. Following an investigation, Funimation recast Vic Mignogna in Morose Mononokean Season 2. Funimation will not be engaging Mignogna in future productions" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ Loveridge, Lynzee (July 29, 2019). "Mignogna Deposition: The Funimation Investigation". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on July 29, 2019. Retrieved July 30, 2019.
- ^ Hodgkins, Crystalyn (April 19, 2019). "Vic Mignogna Sues Funimation, Jamie Marchi, Monica Rial, Ronald Toye". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on April 19, 2019. Retrieved April 19, 2019.
- ^ Sherman, Jennifer (June 12, 2019). "Funimation Files Response to Vic Mignogna's Lawsuit". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on July 1, 2019. Retrieved July 3, 2019.
- ^ Pineda, Rafael Antonio (July 3, 2019). "Funimation Files Anti-SLAPP Motion to Dismiss Vic Mignogna's Lawsuit". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on July 3, 2019. Retrieved July 4, 2019.
- ^ Pineda, Rafael Antonio (July 22, 2019). "Monica Rial, Ronald Toye, Jamie Marchi Also File Motions to Dismiss Vic Mignogna's Lawsuit". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on July 22, 2019. Retrieved July 28, 2019.
- ^ Grisby, Sharon (August 3, 2019). "Anime gets its #MeToo moment in clash between Dallas-area voice actors". The Dallas Morning News. Archived from the original on August 4, 2019. Retrieved August 4, 2019.
- ^ Loveridge, Lynzee (September 6, 2019). "Mignogna's Civil Case Against Voice Actress Jamie Marchi Dismissed". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on September 20, 2019. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
- ^ Mateo, Alex (October 4, 2019). "Vic Mignogna's Civil Case Against Funimation, Voice Actress Monica Rial, Ron Toye Dismissed". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on October 6, 2019. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
- ^ a b Pineda, Rafael Antonio (October 30, 2019). "Monica Rial, Ron Toye, Jamie Marchi, Funimation File Motion to Dismiss Vic Mignogna's Appeal". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on January 2, 2020. Retrieved December 31, 2019.
- ^ "2nd Court Of Appeals' Order Denying Appellee's Motion to Dismiss". Second Court of Appeals, Fort Worth. December 11, 2019. Archived from the original on July 6, 2020. Retrieved April 10, 2020.
- ^ Sherman, Jennifer (November 5, 2019). "Funimation Files Motion to Recover Attorney's Fees for Vic Mignogna's Lawsuit (Update)". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on November 5, 2019. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
- ^ Sherman, Jennifer (November 27, 2019). "Judge Rules Vic Mignogna Must Pay US$238,042 to Defendants in Lawsuit". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on December 15, 2019. Retrieved December 18, 2019.
- ^ Pineda, Rafael Antonio (May 26, 2019). "Kojicast Sues Funimation Over Alleged Patent Infringment for Media Casting". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on May 26, 2019. Retrieved May 26, 2019.
- ^ Hodgkins, Crystalyn (February 8, 2021). "Funimation Faces Class-Action Lawsuit for Allegedly Violating Americans with Disabilities Act (Updated)". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on February 9, 2021. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
- ^ Mateo, Alex (April 6, 2021). "Funimation Reaches Settlement in Class-Action Lawsuit Over Allegedly Violating Americans with Disabilities Act". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on April 6, 2021. Retrieved April 6, 2021.
External links
- Crunchyroll LLC at Anime News Network's encyclopedia
- Crunchyroll
- 1994 establishments in California
- 2005 mergers and acquisitions
- 2017 mergers and acquisitions
- American companies established in 1994
- Anime companies
- Aniplex
- Companies based in Coppell, Texas
- Companies based in Culver City, California
- Entertainment companies established in 1994
- Home video companies of the United States
- Home video distributors
- Joint ventures
- Mass media companies established in 1994
- Sony subsidiaries