Sparx* Studios
{{Short description|French-Vietnamese VFX and animation studio}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2024}}{{one source|date=March 2021}}
{{Cleanup rewrite|date=August 2024}}{{Infobox company
| name = Sparx* Studios
| logo =
| former_name = Sparx Animation Studios (1995–2011)
| type = Subsidiary
| industry = Animation
Video games
| location_city = Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
| owner = Virtuos
| num_employees = 400+
| homepage = [https://sparx.com/ sparx.com]
| foundation = {{start date and age|1995|6|23}}
| founder = Jean Christophe Bernard
Guillaume Hellouin
Fabrice Giger
Didier Montarou
| key_people = Renaud Biscarrat (Chief Executive Officer/President)
Samuel Stevenin (General Manager)
}}
Sparx* Studios (stylized as SPARX*) is a French-Vietnamese visual effects, 3D art, game and animation studio. Originally founded as Sparx Animation Studios in 1995, it initially worked primarily on animated feature films. In 2011, Virtuos purchased the company and reopened in Ho Chi Minh City the same year. The current incarnation of the company primarily works on animation for video games as well as VFX work for feature films.
History
Sparx* Studios was founded in 1995 and opened in 2002, by Jean-Christophe Bernard, Guillaume Hellouin and Fabrice Giger. They worked on Rolie Polie Olie with Nelvana and which won a Daytime Emmy Award and another Gemini Award for 'Outstanding Special Class Animated Program'.
The company produced the fully computer-animated movie Igor, starring John Cusack and Molly Shannon which was released on September 19, 2008, to mixed reviews and commercial success. They also worked on the last 3 seasons of Star Wars Rebels.
The company would go on a downward spiral in later years, closing down its Paris office in 2008{{Cite news |last=Child |first=Ben |date=2008-11-19 |title=Credit crunch forces animation studio to close Paris base |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2008/nov/19/animation-credit-crunch |access-date=2024-08-22 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}} as well as their American and Vietnamese offices in 2010, leaving only the Shanghai offices open. In 2011, Virtuos acquired the company and reopened the Ho Chi Minh City offices the same year.{{Cite web |last=Arrant |first=Chris |date=2011-09-15 |title=Virtuos Acquires "Igor" Animation Company Sparx* |url=https://www.cartoonbrew.com/biz/virtuos-acquires-igor-animation-company-sparx-49749.html |access-date=2024-08-22 |website=Cartoon Brew |language=en-US}}
Film contributions
| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
|+ |Title |Type |Release Date |Publisher |
| Pierre et le loup
|Shorts and Music Videos |1995 |
| Bob & Scott
|TV series |1996 | - |
| My Life in Pink
|Feature Film |1997 | La Sept Cinéma |
| Rolie Polie Olie (Seasons 1–5)
|TV series |1998 |
| Ben & Holly's Little Kingdom
|TV series |2009 | - |
| Smart Planet Advance
|TV series |1999-2000 |TPS Animation Studios | - |
| À deux sur la comète
|TV series |2000 | - |
| Bella ciao
| - |2001 | - |
| Changing Faces: The Best of Louise
| - |2001 | - |
| Grégoire Moulin contre l'humanité
|Feature Film |2001 | Centre Européen Cinématographique Rhône-Alpes |
| Jerry
|Short Film |2001 | - |
| Le nouveau big bang
|Short Film |2001 | - |
| Molly, Star-Racer
|TV series |2001 |
| Purgatoire
|TV series |2001 | - |
| R. Mertonensis
|TV series |2001 |C.R.R.A.V |
| Thomas in Love
|Feature Film |2001 |JBA Production | - |
| Robota
|Short Film |2019 | - |
| Les filles, l'âne et les boeufs
|TV series |2002 |Centre National du Cinéma et de l'Image Animée | - |
| Rolie Polie Olie: The Great Defender of Fun
|TV series |2002 |Nelvana | - |
| The World of Happy Planet
|TV series |2002-03 |EnSky Studios | - |
| Youri, the Spaceman
|Shorts |2002 |Sparkling |
| Dragon Hunters
|Short Film |2003 | - |
| Drawing Time with Happy Planet
|Video series |2003 |EnSky Studios |
| Summer in the Golden Valley
|Feature Film |2003 | - |
| Move with Mimik
|Video series |2003-04 |EnSky Studios |
| Around The World with Happy Planet
|Video series |2003-04 |EnSky Studios |
| Move and Learn with Happy Planet
|Video series |2003-04 |EnSky Studios |
| Care Bears: Journey to Joke-a-lot
|DTV Productions |2004 |Nelvana |
| Mickey's Twice Upon a Christmas
|DTV Productions |2004 | - |
| Grand Odyssey
|Short Film |2005 | - |
| Zoé Kezako
|TV series |2006-2014 |Sparkling |
| Argai
|Short Film |2006 | - |
| Bedtime Stories
|Short Film |2006 | - |
| Gazoon
|TV series |2007 |Sparkling |
| Igor
|Animated Feature Film |2008 |Exodus Productions | - |
| The Avengers
|Feature Film |2012 | - |
| Elmo's Alphabet Challenge
|DTV Productions |2012 |
| Fanboy & Chum Chum
|TV series |2013-2014 |Frederator Studios and Sony Pictures Television |for the third season, "Sleepless in West Apetown", "Snowy Mart" "Escape from Camp Catastrophe", "Not So Levitation", and "Conjurer in the Rough" | - |
| Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
|Feature Film |2014 |
| Zorro: The Chronicles
|TV series |2014 |
| Avengers: Age of Ultron
|Feature Film |2015 |Marvel Studios |
| Jurassic World
|Feature Film |2015 |
| Star Wars: The Force Awakens
|Feature Film |2015 |Lucasfilm |
| Star Wars Rebels (Starting from Season 2)
|TV series |2015–18 |
| Captain America: Civil War
|Feature Film |2016 |Marvel Studios |
| Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
|Feature Film |2016 |Lucasfilm |
| Warcraft
|Feature Film |2016 |Universal Pictures |
| Kong: Skull Island
|Feature Film |2017 |
| Star Wars: The Last Jedi
|Feature Film |2017 |Lucasfilm |
| Transformers: The Last Knight
|Feature Film |2017 |Paramount Pictures |
| Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets
|Feature Film |2017 |
| Aquaman
|Feature Film |2018 |Warner Bros. Pictures |
| Avengers: Infinity War
|Feature Film |2018 |Marvel Studios |
| Black Panther
|Feature Film |2018 |Marvel Studios |
| Bumblebee
|Feature Film |2018 |Paramount Pictures | - |
| Ready Player One
|Feature Film |2018 |Warner Bros. Pictures |
| Solo: A Star Wars Story
|Feature Film |2018 |Lucasfilm | - |
| Aladdin
|Feature Film |2019 |Walt Disney Pictures |
| Captain Marvel
|Feature Film |2019 |Marvel Studios | - |
| The Addams Family
|Animated Feature Film |2019 |
| Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
|Feature Film |2019 |Lucasfilm |
| Vic & The Magic Sword
|Animated Feature Film |2019 |
| The Mandalorian (Season 1 & 2)
|TV series |2019-20 |
| Alien Worlds
|TV series |2020 |
| Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous
|TV series |2020 |
| Puppy Dog Pals
|TV series |2020 |Rainbow CGI |
| Space Jam: A New Legacy
|Feature Film |2021 |Warner Bros. Pictures |
| The Addams Family 2
|Animated Feature Film |2021 |Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| Rumble
|Animated Feature Film |2021 |
| Sing 2
|Animated Feature Film |2021 |Universal Pictures |
| Minions: The Rise of Gru
|Animated Feature Film |2022 |Universal Pictures |
Game Contributions
| class="wikitable"
! Title ! Platform(s) ! Release Date ! Developer |
| League of Legends
|PC | - |
| Smite
|PC | - |
| Fallout 4
|PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC |2015 |
| Deus Ex: Mankind Divided
|PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC |2016 |
| Farming Simulator
|PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC |2016 |Giants Software |
| Killer Instinct 3
|Xbox One, PC |2016 | - |
| Forza Motorsport 7
|Xbox One, PC |2017 |
| NBA 2K18
|PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC |2017 |2K |
| Call of Duty: Black Ops 4
|PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC |2018 |
| Detroit: Become Human
|PlayStation 4, PC |2018 |
| The Elder Scroll Online: Summerset
|PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC |2018 |Bethesda Softworks |
| Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition
|PC |2019 |
| Borderlands 3
|PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC |2019 |2K |
| Planet Zoo
|PC |2019 |
| Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order
|PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC |2019 |
| The Outer Worlds
|PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch |2019 |
| Vader Immortal: A Star Wars VR Series
|Oculus Quest, Microsoft Windows |2019 |ILMxLab |
| The Dark Pictures Anthology: Little Hope
|PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC |2020 |
| Demon's Souls
|PlayStation 5 |2020 |
| Grounded
|Xbox, PC |2020 |Obsidian Entertainment |
| Legends of Runeterra
|PC, Apple Store, Google Store |2020 |Riot Games |
| Marvel's Avengers
|PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC |2020 |
| Microsoft Flight Simulator
|PC |2020 |
| Ride 4
|PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC |2020 |
| Rocket Arena
|PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC |2020 |Final Strike Games |
| Star Shaman
|Oculus Rift |2020 |Ikimasho |
| Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy's Edge
|Oculus Quest |2020 |ILMxLab |
| Tell Me Why
|Xbox, PC |2020 |
| Valorant
|PC |2020 |Riot Games |
| SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake
|Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows, Xbox One |2023 |
Commercials
| class="wikitable"
! Brand ! Product Name ! Year |
| TF!
|Soccer ID |1997 |
| France 5
|Les Zouzous |1999 |
| Eurosport
|Euro 2000 |2000 |
| Télétoon
|Télétoon Advance |2000 |
| 13th Street
|Reface |2001 |
| France 3
|T O 3 |2002 |
| Piwi
|Les Vacances de Piwi |2003 |
| Pepsi
|Rapido In the hit TV Show, RATZ |2005 |
| Pepto Bismol
|Eating Much Sweets |2007 |
| Mountain Dew
|Baja Blast |2009 |
| 7-Up
|Razmo In the Hit TV Show, RATZ |2010 |
| Snuggie
|Being Bored |2017 |