List of animation studios
The following lists of animation studios presents current and former organizations similar to artists studios but principally dedicated to the production and distribution of animated films. Such studios may be actual production facilities or corporate entities. The countries with the most listed, active studios, are Japan, United States, Canada, United Kingdom and South Korea, but studios are found across all continents.
Active studios
Defunct Studios
| Studio | Country | Founded | Notes and sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adelaide Productions | United States | 1993–2019 | Formerly named Columbia TriStar Children's Television. |
| Adventure Cartoon Productions | United States | 1962(?)–1966(?) | |
| Amblimation | United States | 1989–1997 | The animation production arm of Steven Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment. Folded into DreamWorks Animation |
| Animation Collective | United States | 2003–2014 | |
| Bakshi Productions/Ralph's Spot | United States | ???? | |
| Barré Studio | United States | 1914–1923 | After 1917 called Bud Fisher Films Corporation. |
| Belvision | Belgium | 1956–2005 | |
| Bill Melendez Productions | United States | 1969 | |
| Bird Studios | United Kingdom | ???? | |
| Bray Productions | United States | 1913–1927 | |
| Burbank Films Australia | Australia | 1981–1988 | |
| Jumbo Pictures | United States | 1988–2000 | Folded into Walt Disney Television Animation |
| Chuck Jones Productions | United States | ???? | |
| CINAR Films | Canada | 1976–2004 | Merged into Cookie Jar Entertainment. |
| Circle 7 Animation | United States | 2004–2006 | Defunct subdivision of Walt Disney company |
| Colossal Pictures | United States | 1976–1999 | |
| Cosgrove Hall Films | United Kingdom | 1976–2009 | ITV owners wound down after purchase. |
| Créativité & Développement | France | 1987-1996 | Purchased by Fox Kids Worldwide in 1996 and folded into Saban International Paris |
| Curious Pictures | United States | 1978–2014 | Formerly Stowmar Enterprises and Broadcast Arts. |
| DePatie-Freleng Enterprises | United States | 1963–1981 | Re-organized as Marvel Productions. |
| DIC Audiovisuel | France | 1971–1987 | Separated when Andy Heyward purchased DIC's operations from RTL and made their US offices the main base of operations. French offices re-incorporated into Créativité & Développement |
| DIC Entertainment | United States | 1982–2008 | Founded as DIC Enterprises and later named DIC Productions. Purchased and folded by Cookie Jar Entertainment in 2008 |
| DisneyToon Studios | United States | 1988–2018 | defunct subdivision of Walt Disney Company |
| DisneyToon Studios Australia | Australia | 1988–2006 | Also known as Walt Disney Animation Australia |
| DNA Productions | United States | 1987–???? | |
| DUCK Studios | United States | 1972–2015 | Folded into Noble Animation. |
| Ellipsanime | France | 1990–2000s | |
| Fatkat | Canada | 1999–???? | |
| Filmation | United States | 1963–1989 | Folded by L'Oreal, assets now owned by DreamWorks Animation through DreamWorks Classics |
| FilmFair | United States United Kingdom |
1968-1996 | US operations purchased by the Altschul Group Corporation in 1992, UK operations purchased by Cinar in 1996 |
| Fleischer Studios (Inkwell Studios/Famous Studios/Paramount Cartoon Studios) |
United States | 1921–1967 | Name changed in 1928, 1942, 1956. |
| Format Films | United States | 1959 | |
| Fox Animation Studios | United States | 1994–2000 | See also: 20th Century Fox Animation above |
| Games Animation | United States | 1990 | |
| George Pal Studio | United States | ???? | Stop-motion animation only. |
| Golden Films | United States | 1988 | |
| Grantray-Lawrence Animation | United States | 1954–1967 | |
| Group TAC | Japan | 1968–2010 | |
| Gaumont British Animation | UK | 1946–1950 | |
| H-Gun | United States | 1988–2001 | |
| Hal Film Maker | Japan | 1993–2009 | Merged with Yumeta Company into TYO Animations. |
| Halas and Batchelor | United Kingdom | ???? | |
| Hanna-Barbera | United States | 1957–2001 | Folded into Cartoon Network Studios; defunct subdivision of AT&T |
| Harman-Ising Productions | United States | 1930–1960 | |
| ImageMovers Digital | United States | 2009–2011 | Joint-venture between ImageMovers and The Walt Disney Company. Folded after Mars Needs Moms bombed at the box office |
| Imagi Animation Studios | United States / China / Japan | 2000–2010 | |
| The Ink Tank | United States | 1978–2004 | |
| International Film Service | United States | 1915–1918 | |
| Jack Kinney Productions | United States | 1960–1963 | |
| Jay Ward Productions | United States | 1958–1984 | |
| Larry Harmon Pictures | United States | 1958–1962 | |
| Jetix Animation Concepts | United States | 2004-2006 | Label of Walt Disney Television Animation |
| Jetlag Productions | United States Japan |
1992–1996 | |
| Kievnauchfilm | USSR | 1941–???? | |
| Kroyer Films | United States | 1986–1994 | Studio inactive as of 1994. |
| Lacewood | Canada | ???? | |
| Laugh-O-Gram Studio | United States | 1921–1923 | Walt Disney's first animation venture, which didn't last long. |
| Leon Schlesinger Productions/Warner Bros. Cartoons, Inc./Warner Bros Seven Arts | United States | 1933–1964 1967–1969 |
Schlesinger sold the studio to Warner Bros in 1944, in 1964 the studio closed down, and reopened briefly in 1967 to close down in 1969. |
| Manglobe | Japan | 2002–2015 | |
| Marathon Media Group | France | 1990-2016 | Subsidiary of Zodiak Entertainment, folded after Zodiak Media merged with the Banijay Group |
| Mathematical Applications Group, Inc. | United States | 1966 | Also known as MAPI |
| Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer cartoon studio | United States | 1937–1957 | |
| MGM Animation/Visual Arts/Sib Tower 12 Productions | United States | 1962–1970 | |
| MoonScoop Group | France | ???? | |
| Mushi Production | Japan | 1961–1973 | A new studio with the same name was established in 1977 and is still active. |
| Noyes & Laybourne | United States | 1978–1991 | Folded into Colossal Pictures. |
| Pacific Data Images | United States | 1980–2015 | |
| Perpetual Motion Pictures | United States | 1968-1982 | Renamed Buzzco Associates by Buzz Potamkin in 1982 |
| Phoenix Animation Studios | United States | 1966 | |
| Pilot Studio | Russia | 1988–???? | |
| Radix Ace Entertainment | Japan | ???? | |
| Rankin/Bass Animated Entertainment | United States | 1960–1987 | Founded as VideoCraft International. Folded by Telepictures Corporation. Pre-1974 library owned by DreamWorks Animation through DreamWorks Classics, Post-1974 library owned by Warner Bros. |
| Rembrandt Films | Czechoslovakia | ???? | Operated in Prague by Americans. |
| Richard Williams Studio Ltd. | United Kingdom | 1958–1992 | |
| Ruby-Spears Productions | United States | 1977–1996 | Studio inactive as of 1996. |
| Saban Entertainment | United States-Israel | 1983–2002 | Purchased by Disney in 2001 as part of the Fox Family Worldwide purchase. Currently legally known as BVS Entertainment |
| SIP Animation | France | 1977–2009 | Founded as Saban International Paris. Separated from Saban in 2001 after Disney buyout, stake purchased by Disney in 2002 and renamed to SIP Animation in the same year. Filed for liquidation and closed in 2009 |
| Skellington Productions | United States | 1986–1996(?) | Renamed as Skellington in 1992. |
| Soup2Nuts | United States | 1993–2015 | Formerly named Tom Snyder Productions |
| Spectrum Animation | Japan | ???? | |
| Studio Ekran | Russia | 1968–???? | |
| Sullivan-Bluth Studios | Ireland United States |
1985–1995 | |
| Sunbow Entertainment | United States | 1980-2004 | Purchased by Sony Wonder in 1998 and then TV Loonland-AG in 2000, folded into the latter in 2004 |
| Terrytoons | United States | 1928–1968 | |
| Topcraft | Japan | 1971-1985 | Became Studio Ghibli |
| Total Television | United States | 1960–1968 | |
| Tradition Studios | United States | 2009–1912 | |
| Turner Feature Animation | United States | 1991–1996 | Folded into Warner Bros. Feature Animation |
| TVC Cartoons | Canada | 1961–1979 1988–1997 |
|
| Ub Iwerks Studio/Cartoons Films Inc | United States | 1930–1936 | Iwerks sold the studio in 1936, but the studio continued to produce animation commercials into the mid-1940s. |
| United Productions of America | United States | 1944–1964 | Also known as UPA |
| Van Beuren Studios | United States | 1928–1936 | |
| Walt Disney Animation Canada | Canada | 1996–2000 | Defunct subdivision of Walt Disney Television Animation |
| Walt Disney Animation France | France | 1986–2003 | Founded as Brizzi Films, Defunct subdivision of Walt Disney Television Animation |
| Walt Disney Animation Japan | Japan | 1984–2004 | Founded as Pacific Animation. Defunct subdivision of Walt Disney Television Animation |
| Walt Disney Feature Animation Florida | United States | 1989–2004 | Became a general satellite studios of Walt Disney Animation Studios, founded after earlier venture Disney's Hollywood Studios went bankrupt and for additional output. |
| Walter Lantz Productions | United States | 1929–1948 1950–1972 |
Universal now owns the library. |
| Will Vinton Studios | United States | 1979–2005 | Became LAIKA. |
| Winkler Pictures*/Charles Mintz Studios**/Screen Gems Studio*** | United States | 1921–1946 | *Also known as M.J. Winkler Productions and Robert Winkler Productions **Re-organization in 1929 ***Re-organization in 1940 |
See also
- List of Japanese animation studios
- List of animation distribution companies
- Film genre
- Motion graphic design
References
- ^ "ABOUT". a1p.jp (in Japanese). A-1 Pictures Inc. Retrieved 2014-08-31.
- ^ Amidi, Amid (February 2, 2018). "Oriental Dreamworks Relaunches As 100% Chinese-Owned Pearl Studio". Cartoon Brew. Retrieved February 2, 2018.
- ^ Del Valle, Gabe (2016-04-17). "John K. and I Are in the Process of Opening a Company". Tumblr. Retrieved 19 August 2016.
