Mainframe Studios
| File:Rainmaker Entertainment logo.jpg | |
| Formerly | Mainframe Entertainment (1991–January 31, 2007) Rainmaker Entertainment (January 31, 2007–October 25, 2016) |
|---|---|
| Company type | Subsidiary |
| Industry | Computer animation |
| Founded | 1991 |
| Founders | Ian Pearson Phil Mitchell Gavin Blair John Grace |
| Headquarters | , |
Number of locations | 3 (2016) |
Key people | Michael Hefferon, President[1] |
| Products | Television, Motion pictures, home video |
| Parent | Independent (1991–2016) WOW! Unlimited Media Inc. (2016-present) |
| Divisions | Rainmaker British Columbia Rainmaker Los Angeles Rainmaker Digital Pictures Mainframe Studios |
| Company type | Division |
|---|---|
| Industry | Television Production |
| Founded | October 7, 2013 (revived) |
| Owner | WOW! Unlimited Media Inc. |
| Parent | Rainmaker Studios |
Rainmaker Studios alongside its television production division Mainframe Studios, previously known as Rainmaker Entertainment, Inc. (formerly Mainframe Entertainment Inc.) is a Canadian computer animation and design company based in Vancouver, British Columbia. They are best known for producing the world's first ever entirely-CGI animated TV series, ReBoot, the Transformers spin-offs, Beast Wars: Transformers and Beast Machines: Transformers, and for producing the majority of the entries in the Barbie film series for Mattel. Rainmaker has released two feature films - Escape from Planet Earth and Ratchet & Clank (based on the PlayStation franchise of the same name).
History
Rainmaker Income Fund announced on August 29, 2006, that RNK Capital Limited Partnership would acquire the 38% of shares it didn't own by merging with Rainmaker Income Fund. After the merger, Rainmaker announced on January 31, 2007 that Mainframe Entertainment's name would be changed to Rainmaker Entertainment. On November 29, 2007, Rainmaker Income Fund announced the sale of Rainmaker Visual Effects and Rainmaker Post to Deluxe Entertainment Services Group, leaving only the animation business.
The current Rainmaker name and insignia was adopted from an older division, the DVD encoding company Rainmaker Digital Pictures, which encoded DVDs as early as 1997.
In 2013, Rainmaker relaunched Mainframe Entertainment as its television division, starting with a CG-animated incarnation of Bob the Builder.[2][3]
In 2016, Rainmaker acquired American-based Frederator Networks, Inc. and announced that they have consolidated its divisions (including Frederator Studios) under its new holding company WOW! Unlimited Media Inc.[4] (TSX:WOW.A). At that time, the company changed the names of its Vancouver divisions to Rainmaker Studios and Mainframe Studios.
Productions
Television series
| Title | Years | Network | Co-production with | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| as Mainframe Entertainment | ||||
| ReBoot | 1994–2001 | YTV ABC Syndication |
Alliance Communications (seasons 1–2) Shaw Communications (season 3) BLT Productions ReBoot Productions Claster Television Zondag Productions |
|
| Beast Wars: Transformers | 1996–1999 | Syndication YTV |
Hasbro Alliance Communications Claster Television BLT Productions |
Based on the Hasbro toyline. |
| Shadow Raiders | 1998–1999 | YTV Syndication |
YTV Alliance Atlantis |
|
| Weird-Oh's | 1999–2002 | Fox Family YTV |
Decode Entertainment EM.TV |
Based on a toyline. |
| Beast Machines: Transformers | 1999–2000 | Fox Kids YTV |
Hasbro | Based on the Hasbro toyline. |
| Action Man | 2000–02 | Based on the Hasbro toyline. | ||
| Heavy Gear: The Animated Series | 2001–2002 | Syndication | Paradox Entertainment Dream Pod 9 Adelaide Productions Columbia TriStar Television |
Based on the video game published by Dream Pod 9 licensed by Paradox Entertainment. |
| Max Steel | Cartoon Network | Adelaide Productions Columbia TriStar Television |
Season 3 only. Based on the Mattel toyline. | |
| Spider-Man: The New Animated Series | 2003 | MTV | Marvel Entertainment Adelaide Productions Sony Pictures Television |
Based on the characters by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. |
| Hot Wheels: World Race | Cartoon Network | Mattel Entertainment | Based on the Mattel toyline. | |
| Zixx | 2005-2009 | YTV | The Nightingale Company Thunderbird Entertainment |
Season 2 and 3 only. |
| as Rainmaker Studios and Mainframe Studios | ||||
| Bob the Builder (2015 TV series) | 2015 | Channel 5 | N/A | Series 15 only. Produced as Mainframe Entertainment (later Mainframe Studios) for TV series from this series onward. |
| ReBoot: The Guardian Code | 2018–present | Netflix YTV |
ReBoot 1 Productions Inc. | Reimagined series based on ReBoot. |
| Spy Kids: Mission Critical[5] | Netflix | Dimension Television | Based on the Spy Kids franchise. | |
| Barbie Dreamhouse Adventures | 2018 | Mattel Creations | Based on the Mattel toyline. First Barbie TV series from Mainframe Studios. | |
| The Anybodies | TBA | TBA | TBA | |
Films
| Title | Release Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| as Mainframe | ||
| Casper's Haunted Christmas | October 31, 2000 | Direct-to-video. |
| Barbie in the Nutcracker | October 23, 2001 | Direct-to-video. |
| Barbie as Rapunzel | October 1, 2002 | Direct-to-video. |
| Barbie of Swan Lake | September 30, 2003 | Direct-to-video. |
| Scary Godmother | 2003 | TV movie. |
| Max Steel: Endangered Species | 2004 | Direct-to-video. |
| Barbie as the Princess and the Pauper | September 28, 2004 | Direct-to-video. |
| Popeye's Voyage: The Quest for Pappy | November 9, 2004 | TV movie. |
| Max Steel: Forces of Nature | 2005 | Direct-to-video. |
| Hot Wheels: AcceleRacers – Ignition | January 8, 2005 | TV movie. |
| Barbie: Fairytopia | March 8, 2005 | Direct-to-video. |
| Hot Wheels: AcceleRacers – The Speed of Silence | March 19, 2005 | TV movie. |
| Hot Wheels: AcceleRacers – Breaking Point | June 25, 2005 | TV movie. |
| Inspector Gadget's Biggest Caper Ever | September 6, 2005 | Direct-to-video produced in collaboation with DIC Entertainment. |
| Barbie and the Magic of Pegasus | September 30, 2005 | Direct-to-video. |
| Hot Wheels: AcceleRacers – The Ultimate Race | October 1, 2005 | TV movie. |
| Scary Godmother: The Revenge of Jimmy | 2005 | TV movie. |
| Max Steel: Countdown | 2006 | Direct-to-video. |
| Arthur's Missing Pal | 2006 | |
| Stuart Little 3: Call of the Wild | February 21, 2006 | Direct-to-video. |
| Barbie: Mermaidia | March 14, 2006 | Direct-to-video. |
| Tony Hawk in Boom Boom Sabotage | September 12, 2006 | Direct-to-video |
| Barbie in the 12 Dancing Princesses | September 19, 2006 | Direct-to-video. |
| Barbie Fairytopia: Magic of the Rainbow | March 24, 2007 | |
| as Rainmaker | ||
| Barbie as the Island Princess | September 18, 2007 | Direct-to-video. |
| Max Steel: Dark Rival | October 2007 | Direct-to-video. |
| Barbie: Mariposa & Her Butterfly Fairy Friends | February 26, 2008 | Direct-to-video. |
| Barbie & the Diamond Castle | September 9, 2008 | Direct-to-video. |
| Max Steel: Bio Crisis | October 2008 | Direct-to-video. |
| Barbie in A Christmas Carol | November 4, 2008 | |
| The Nutty Professor | November 25, 2008 | Co-production with The Weinstein Company.[6] |
| Max Steel vs. The Mutant Menace | 2009 | Direct-to-video. |
| Barbie: Thumbelina | March 17, 2009 | |
| Barbie and the Three Musketeers | September 15, 2009 | Direct-to-video. |
| Barbie in A Mermaid Tale | March 9, 2010 | Direct-to-video. |
| Barbie: A Fashion Fairytale | September 14, 2010 | Direct-to-video. |
| Max Steel vs. The Toxic Legion | November 15, 2010 | Direct-to-video. |
| Barbie: A Fairy Secret | March 15, 2011 | Direct-to-video |
| Barbie: Princess Charm School | September 13, 2011 | Direct-to-video |
| Barbie in A Mermaid Tale 2 | March 6, 2012 | Direct-to-video. |
| Barbie: The Princess and the Popstar | September 11, 2012 | Direct-to-video. |
| Escape from Planet Earth | February 15, 2013 | First theatrically released film. |
| Barbie: Mariposa & The Fairy Princess | August 27, 2013 | |
| Barbie: The Pearl Princess | March 11, 2014 | |
| Barbie and the Secret Door | September 16, 2014 | Direct-to-video. |
| Barbie in Princess Power | March 4, 2015 | |
| Barbie in Rock 'N Royals | August 13, 2015 | |
| Barbie: Spy Squad | January 15, 2016 | |
| Open Season: Scared Silly | March 8, 2016 | Direct-to-video film produced for Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.[7] |
| Ratchet & Clank | April 29, 2016 | Second theatrically released film. |
| Barbie and Her Sisters In A Puppy Chase | October 18, 2016 | Additional animation and post-production. |
| Barbie: Video Game Hero | January 17, 2017 | The last film under the name of Rainmaker Entertainment |
| Surf's Up 2: WaveMania | January 17, 2017 | Direct-to-video produced in collaboration with Sony Pictures Animation and WWE Studios. |
| Bob The Builder: Mega Machines The Movie | April 22, 2017 | Produced in collaboration with Mattel Creations. |
| Barbie: Dolphin Magic | September 17, 2017 | Released on Netflix The first film under the current name of Rainmaker Studios. |
Other Credits
- 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand (video game trailer)
- Barbie: Mariposa and Her Butterfly Fairy Friends
- Ghostbusters: The Video Game[8] (Pre-rendered cut scenes)
- Ghost Hunter Dax
- Good Boy! (CG effects)
- Harriet the Spy
- Legion of 5[9]
- The Outer Limits (1995-2001) (CG effects)
- 2003 MTV Movie Awards
- 2006 MTV Movie Awards
- Prototype (video game trailer)
- WET (video game trailer)
References
- ^ "Rainmaker Entertainment Names Michael Hefferon President". Deadline. November 14, 2012. Retrieved November 15, 2012.
- ^ Wolfe, Jennifer (October 7, 2013). "Rainmaker Launches TV Division". Animation World Network. Retrieved October 24, 2016.
- ^ McLean, Tom (April 6, 2014). "Mainframe to Animate HIT's New 'Bob' Series". Animation Magazine. Retrieved October 24, 2016.
- ^ http://www.awn.com/news/rainmaker-entertainment-acquires-frederator-rebranding-wow
- ^ Pinto, Jordan (March 24, 2017). "Wow! Unlimited inks deal with Weinstein Co, Netflix". Playback. Brunico Communications. Retrieved April 17, 2017.
- ^ MAINFRAME ENTERTAINMENT AND THE WEINSTEIN COMPANY TEAM UP FOR CG ANIMATED THE NUTTY PROFESSOR
- ^ http://www.awn.com/news/open-season-scared-silly-lands-retail-march-8
- ^ "Work - Ghostbusters". Rainmaker. Retrieved April 20, 2014.[dead link]
- ^ Vancouver Sun - Vancouver-based Rainmaker Animation strikes movie deal Archived March 15, 2009, at the Wayback Machine