Walden Media
 | |
| Company type | Film Financing Publishing Company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Film |
| Founded | 2000 |
| Founder | Micheal Flaherty Cary Granat |
| Headquarters | |
Key people | Frank Smith (President & CEO) Naia Cucukov (SVP, Development & Production) |
| Owner | |
| Divisions | Walden Pond Press |
| Website | walden |
Walden Media, LLC or Walden Media is an American film investor, distributor, and publishing company. Its films are based on notable classic or award-winning children's literature, compelling biographies or historical events, as well as documentaries and some original screenplays.
The corporate headquarters of Walden Media are located in Los Angeles, California. The company is owned by the Christian conservative Philip Anschutz, who has said he expects their movies "to be entertaining, but also to be life affirming and to carry a moral message."[1]
Walden Media's publishing enterprise, Walden Pond Press, publishes the next generation of middle grade books—fast paced, funny, engaging, compulsively readable stories by well-established authors and new talent.[2] The two marked characteristics of the imprint are its high quality titles and its embrace of a multi-platform approach to storytelling. From 2004-2008, Walden Media published books in partnership with Penguin Books for Young Readers.
Company history
Walden Media was founded in 2000 by Micheal Flaherty and Cary Granat.[3] Granat was president of Miramax's Dimension Films division,[3][4] and Flaherty came from the world of education. The two were housemates at Tufts University before following different paths and then reuniting to form Walden Media as a movie, television, publishing and Internet enterprise whose goal is to teach and entertain kids.
In late 2001, Anschutz Entertainment Group purchased a majority stake in the company leaving the founders minority shareholders.[3]
The company's notable releases include Holes in 2003, Because of Winn-Dixie in 2005,[4] Charlotte's Web in 2006, Bridge to Terabithia, in 2007, three adaptations of The Chronicles of Narnia in 2005, 2008 and 2010, Ramona and Beezus in 2010, and both A Dog's Purpose and Wonder in 2017.[5] All of these films are adaptations of popular children's books.
Walden agreed to a marketing partnership with Fox in 2006 under the Fox Walden name. Several movies flopped under the partnership, so in October 2008, Fox Walden shrunk its staffing.[3]
In March 2008, Michael Bostick, formerly from Imagine Films, was hired on as creative officer then added co-CEO title. Co-CEO Cary Granat was released from the job effective December 1, 2008. He was replaced by Bostick.[3] Also in 2008, Walden Media entered into a join publishing venture called Walden Pond Press with HarperCollins.[6]
Education program
Walden Media is unique among film production and distribution companies in that it works with teachers, museums, and national organizations to develop supplemental educational programs and materials associated with its films and the original events and/or novels that inspire the films.[7]
Walden Media offers in-class teaching tools like educational guides and teacher kits[8] and sponsors seminars and forums for teachers to discuss their craft and to trade ideas on using media in the classroom. Directors, writers, and stars of the productions participate in these events.
In 2006, Walden Media sponsored the "Break the World Reading Record with Charlotte's Web". At noon on Wednesday, December 13, 547,826 readers in 2,451 locations, 50 states and 28 countries read an excerpt from Charlotte's Web, breaking the world record of 155,528 students from 737 schools in the United Kingdom who read William Wordsworth's poem, "Daffodils" in 2004.[9]
Etymology and logo
The company is named after Walden Pond in Concord, Massachusetts. Its logo is a rock skipping across a pond.
Filmography
| Films | Release date | Co-produced with |
|---|---|---|
| Ghosts of the Abyss | April 11, 2003 | co-production with Walt Disney Pictures, Earthship Productions, Ascot Elite Entertainment Group, Golden Village, Telepool and UGC PH |
| Holes | April 18, 2003 | co-production with Walt Disney Pictures, Phoenix Pictures and Chicago Pacific Entertainment |
| Around the World in 80 Days | June 16, 2004 | co-production with Walt Disney Pictures, Spanknyce Films, and Mostow/Lieberman Productions |
| I Am David | December 3, 2004 | co-production with Lions Gate Films and Film and General |
| Because of Winn-Dixie | February 18, 2005 | co-production with 20th Century Fox |
| Aliens of the Deep | January 28, 2005 | co-production with Walt Disney Pictures and Earthship Productions |
| The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe | December 9, 2005 | co-production with Walt Disney Pictures |
| Hoot | May 5, 2006 | co-produced by New Line Cinema and The Kennedy/Marshall Company |
| How to Eat Fried Worms | August 25, 2006 | co-production with New Line Cinema and Gran Via Productions |
| Charlotte's Web | December 15, 2006 | co-production with Paramount Pictures, The K Entertainment Company, and Nickelodeon Movies |
| Bridge to Terabithia | February 16, 2007 | co-production with Walt Disney Pictures |
| The Seeker: The Dark is Rising | October 5, 2007 | co-production with 20th Century Fox |
| Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium | November 16, 2007 | co-production with 20th Century Fox, Mandate Pictures and FilmColony |
| The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep | December 25, 2007 | co-production with Columbia Pictures, Revolution Studios, Strike Entertainment, Ecosse Films, Weta Workshop and Beacon Pictures |
| Nim's Island | April 4, 2008 | co-production with 20th Century Fox |
| The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian | May 16, 2008 | co-production with Walt Disney Pictures |
| Journey to the Center of the Earth | July 11, 2008 | co-production with New Line Cinema |
| City of Ember | October 10, 2008 | co-production with 20th Century Fox and Playtone |
| Bandslam | August 14, 2009 | co-produced by Summit Entertainment |
| Tooth Fairy | January 22, 2010 | co-production with 20th Century Fox, Mayhem Pictures, Blumhouse Productions and Dune Entertainment |
| Ramona and Beezus | July 23, 2010 | co-production with 20th Century Fox, Di Novi Pictures and Dune Entertainment |
| Waiting for "Superman" | September 24, 2010 | co-production with Paramount Vantage and Participant Media |
| The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader | December 10, 2010 | co-production with 20th Century Fox and Dune Entertainment |
| Journey 2: The Mysterious Island | February 10, 2012 | co-production with Warner Bros. Pictures, New Line Cinema and Contrafilm |
| Tooth Fairy 2 | March 6, 2012 | Direct-to-video; co-production with 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment |
| Won't Back Down | September 28, 2012 | co-production with 20th Century Fox and Gran Via Productions |
| Chasing Mavericks | October 26, 2012 | co-production with 20th Century Fox |
| Parental Guidance | December 25, 2012 | co-production with 20th Century Fox, Chernin Entertainment, Face Productions and Dune Entertainment |
| Return to Nim's Island | March 15, 2013 | Direct-to-video; co-production with ARC Entertainment |
| The Giver | August 15, 2014 | co-production with The Weinstein Company |
| Everest | September 18, 2015 | co-production with Universal Pictures, Cross Creek Pictures, and Working Title Films |
| The BFG | July 1, 2016 | co-production with Walt Disney Pictures, Amblin Entertainment, Reliance Entertainment and The Kennedy/Marshall Company |
| The Resurrection of Gavin Stone | January 20, 2017 | co-production with Blumhouse Tilt, WWE Studios, and Vertical Church Films |
| A Dog's Purpose | January 27, 2017 | co-production with Universal Pictures, Amblin Entertainment, Reliance Entertainment, and Pariah Entertainment Group |
| Wonder | November 17, 2017 | co-production with Lionsgate, Participant Media, and Mandeville Films |
| The Star | co-production with Columbia Pictures, Sony Pictures Animation, Affirm Films, Franklin Entertainment, and The Jim Henson Company[10] | |
| A Dog's Journey | May 17, 2019 | co-production with Universal Pictures, Amblin Entertainment and Alibaba Pictures |
| Dora and the Lost City of Gold | August 9, 2019 | co-production with Paramount Pictures, Paramount Players, Nickelodeon Movies and Media Rights Capital |
| Playing with Fire[11] | November 8, 2019 | co-production with Paramount Pictures, Paramount Players, Nickelodeon Movies and Broken Road Productions |
Upcoming
| Films | Release date | Co-produced with |
|---|---|---|
| Clifford the Big Red Dog | November 13, 2020 | Paramount Pictures, Entertainment One,[12] Scholastic Entertainment, The Kerner Entertainment Company and Silvertongue Films[13][14][15][16] |
| Rumble[17][18] | January 29, 2021 | Paramount Pictures, Paramount Animation, Reel FX Animation Studios, and WWE Studios |
| Spirit Riding Free | May 14, 2021 | Universal Pictures and DreamWorks Animation |
| A Babysitter's Guide to Monster Hunting | TBA | Netflix |
| How the Girl Guides Won the War[19] | Lionsgate | |
| Billion Dollar Spy[20] | Weed Road Pictures | |
| Atlantis 7 | 21 Laps Entertainment and The Gotham Group | |
| Simon Bloom: The Gravity Keeper | The Gotham Group |
Published books
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PENGUIN BOOKS FOR YOUNG READERS
- The White Giraffe by Lauren St John
- Paddywhack Lane by Bob Fuller
- Jim Thorpe: Original All American by Joseph Bruchac
- Simon Bloom, the Gravity Keeper by Michael Reisman
- Simon Bloom: The Octopus Effect by Michael Reisman
- Savvy by Ingrid Law
- Scumble by Ingrid Law
- Dolphin Song by Lauren St. John
- Mike Lupica's Comeback Kid Book Series: Two-Minute Drill by Mike Lupica
- Mike Lupica's Comeback Kid Book Series: Safe at Home by Mike Lupica
- Mike Lupica's Comeback Kid Book Series: Hot Hand by Mike Lupica
- Mike Lupica's Comeback Kid Book Series: Shoot Out by Mike Lupica
- Dolphin Song Lauren St. John
- The Last Leopard by Lauren St. John
- The Elephant's Tale by Lauren St. John
- Raspberries by Jay O'Callahan
- Cosmic by Frank Cottrell Boyce
- Max Cassidy: Escape from Shadow Island by Paul Adam
References
- ^ Berkowitz, Bill. "The movie, the media, and the conservative politics of Philip Anschutz". Media Transparency, 2 December 2005.
- ^ HarperCollins Children's Imprints
- ^ a b c d e Eller, Claudia (November 14, 2008). "Granat out at Walden Media". LA Times Blogs - Company Town. Retrieved June 13, 2019.
- ^ a b Jensen, Jeff. "The Family Business". Entertainment Weekly, 28 April 2006: 58–61.
- ^ Between Hollywood and Godlywood: the Case of Walden Media by Nathalie Dupont, Peter Lang, 2015
- ^ "Walden Media partners with HarperCollins". Los Angeles Times. 2008-05-13. Retrieved 2019-08-22.
- ^ ""Our Company"". Walden Media. Archived from the original on February 20, 2007.
- ^ Deahl, Rachel. "Walden Media Works to Make Moviegoers Readers". Publishers Weekly, 16 January 2006.
- ^ Toomey, Shamus. "I've Never Broken a World Record". Chicago Sun-Times, 14 December 2006.
- ^ "The Star - Official Site - Sony Pictures".
- ^ "Paramount Dates 'Crawl' & 'Playing With Fire', Moves 'Loud House' Off Schedule". Deadline. 18 January 2019. Retrieved 19 January 2019.
- ^ "Dylan O'Brien's 'Monster Problems,' 'Clifford' Backed by Paramount, eOne". Variety. Retrieved June 20, 2019.
- ^ Fleming, Jr., Mike (June 30, 2016). "'Clifford The Big Red Dog' Movie Unleashed At Paramount With Scribe Justin Malen". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved September 6, 2016.
- ^ "7 Days of Deals", The Hollywood Reporter, 27 September 2017, page 30.
- ^ N'Duka, Amanda (May 29, 2018). "Reel FX Rehires Jared Mass As Company Aims To Ramp Up Original Content Slate". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved September 24, 2018.
- ^ McClintock, Pamela (27 February 2019). "'Clifford the Big Red Dog' Movie Lands November 2020 Release Date". Variety. Retrieved 28 February 2019.
- ^ Dave Mcnary. "Paramount Grows Its Animation Slate With 'Monster on the Hill,'". Retrieved April 25, 2018.
- ^ Giardina, Carolyn (June 12, 2019). "'Spice Girls' Movie in the Works as Paramount Unveils Animation Slate (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 12, 2019.
- ^ Anita Busch (March 13, 2018). "Lionsgate Options 'Girl Guides' Book For Producer Marc Platt & Walden Media; Screenwriter Hired To Adapt". Retrieved May 9, 2018.
- ^ Dave Mcnary (March 15, 2018). "Amma Asante to Direct 'Billion Dollar Spy' Film Adaptation". Retrieved May 9, 2018.