Vanguard Animation
{{Short description|American animation studio by John H. Williams}}
{{Distinguish|text=the 1943–1951 film company Vanguard Productions}}
{{More citations needed|date=October 2018}}
{{Infobox company
| name = Vanguard Films & Animation
| logo = Vanguard Animation Logo.png
| logo_size = 250px
| type = Private
| industry = Computer animation
VFX
Motion capture
Animated
| foundation = {{start date and age|2002}}
| founders = John H. Williams
Neil Braun
| location_city = West Hollywood, California
| location_country = United States
| locations = 3
| key_people = John H. Williams (CEO)
Gary Chapman (Head of Prod.)
| owner = Starz Distribution (Minority)
| num_employees = 10
| parent =
| products =
| revenue =
| subsid = Rabbit Ears Entertainment, LLC
| operating profit =
| homepage = {{URL|http://vanguardanimation.com}}
}}
Vanguard Films & Animation, often named only as Vanguard Animation, is an American production studio founded in 2002 by producer John H. Williams and Neil Braun. The studio has offices in Vancouver, British Columbia,
Canada and Ealing Studios in London, England, United Kingdom. Starz Distribution owns a minority stake in the studio.
History
The studio was founded in 2002 by John H. Williams. For its launch, it signed with Ealing Studios a four-picture deal to produce sub-$40 million computer-animated films.{{cite news|title=The Walt Disney Studios and 'Shrek' producer John Williams partner for new CG animated film output|url=http://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/the-walt-disney-studios-and-shrek-producer-john-williams-partner-for-new-cg-animated-film-output-155236635.html|access-date=3 May 2013|newspaper=PR Newswire|date=5 September 2002}}{{cite news|title=The Walt Disney Studios and 'Shrek' Producer John Williams Partner For New CG Animated Film Output.|url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/The+Walt+Disney+Studios+and+'Shrek'+Producer+John+Williams+Partner...-a091079919|access-date=3 May 2013|newspaper=The Free Library|date=5 September 2002}} The following year, Vanguard sold a minority stake to IDT Corporation and partnered with its animation unit, Digital Production Solutions, to co-produce and co-own all Vanguard's properties,{{cite news|title=IDT Media's Digital Production Solutions -DPS- Signs Joint Venture and Partnership Agreement with Vanguard Animation; DPS Also Gets First Look Rights on all Vanguard Animation Work|url=http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20030722005152/en/IDT-Medias-Digital-Production-Solutions--DPS--Signs|access-date=April 20, 2012|newspaper=Business Wire|date=July 22, 2003}}{{cite news|last=Bloom|first=David|title=Vanguard sells stake, inks IDT co-prod'n deal|url=https://variety.com/2003/film/news/vanguard-sells-stake-inks-idt-co-prod-n-deal-1117889715/|access-date=May 4, 2013|newspaper=Variety|date=July 22, 2003}} including Valiant (2005) produced for Disney.
The company was part of the then-new "pipeline-free" trend (reported by Variety in 2006{{cite journal |last1=Debruge |first1=Peter |title=Cutting Corners: Indie-Style Producers Do without Pipelines |journal=Variety |date=June 2, 2008}}) in animation production, where the companies did not keep the talent on payroll and instead were "establishing a team from scratch to execute each new feature", allowing them to secure tax breaks from the governments. For example, the feature "Valiant" was produced in the UK in order to collect the tax incentives there. With UK incentives ending, the production (for "Space Chimps") moved to Canada (Vancouver).{{sfn|Bernardi|Hoxter|2017|p=160}}
Filmography
=Feature films=
| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align: right;" | |||||
| scope="col" width=10 | # | scope="col" width=400 | Title | scope="col" width=100 | Release date | scope="col" width=75 | Gross | scope="col" width=50 | Rotten Tomatoes | scope="col" width=50 | Metacritic |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| align="left" | 1 | align="left" | Valiant | {{dts|2005|8|19}} (US) | $61,746,888 | 32% | 45% |
| align="left" | 2 | align="left" | Happily N'Ever After | {{dts|2007|01|05}} (US) | $38,085,778 | 4% | 28% |
| align="left" | 3 | align="left" | Space Chimps | {{dts|2008|07|18}} | $64,834,964 | 33% | 36% |
| align="left" | 4 | align="left" | Space Chimps 2: Zartog Strikes Back (DTV) | {{dts|2010|05|28}} | $4,124,518 | 0% | {{n/a}} |
| align="left" | 5 | align="left" | Get Squirrely | {{dts|2016|11|04}} | $1,224,520{{cite web|url=http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/intl/?page=&country=UK&id=_fGETSQUIRRELYANI01|title=Get Squirrely|work=Box Office Mojo|access-date=May 29, 2018}} | 34% | {{n/a}} |
| align="left" | 6 | align="left" | Gnome Alone | {{dts|2017|11|2}} | $10,800,715{{cite web |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt5851786/?ref_=bo_se_r_1|title=Gnome Alone (2017) |access-date=August 29, 2019}} | 44% | {{n/a}} |
| align="left" | 7 | align="left" | Charming | {{dts|2018|04|20}} | $8,751,856{{cite web |title=Charming (2018)|url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl3806364673/weekend/|website=Box Office Mojo |access-date=October 29, 2019}} | 24% | {{n/a}} |
| align="left" | 8 | align="left" | Trouble | {{dts|2019|08|08}} | $11,942,158{{cite web | url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt6772524/?ref_=bo_se_r_1|title=Trouble (2019) |access-date= October 29, 2019}} | 36% | {{n/a}} |
| align="left" | 9 | align="left" | Fearless | {{dts|2020|08|14}} | {{n/a}} | 49% | {{n/a}} |
| align="left" | 10 | align="left" | Rally Road Racers | {{dts|2023|05|12}} | $2,790,163 | 73% | {{n/a}} |
=Short films=
- Frank Was a Monster Who Wanted to Dance{{cite web|title=Frank Was a Monster Who Wanted to Dance (2001)|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0302577/|publisher=IMDb|access-date=November 12, 2016}}
=Unproduced projects=
- Citizen Siege - A science fiction thriller CGI-animated film that was to be co-produced by Vanguard and video game developer Oddworld Inhabitants.{{Cite web|url=http://oddworldlibrary.net/toe/Citizen_Siege|title = Citizen Siege - the Oddworld Encyclopædia}} The plot involves an expatriate who returns home to find that he has been repossessed, in a shady underhive-like world where a corporate government rules the continent.{{Cite web|url=http://www.joystiq.com/2006/10/30/citizen-siege-oddworld-studios-new-game-and-cg-film-project/|title = Video Game News & Reviews}} The film was originally scheduled to release in 2009, but the date was pushed back to an unknown date. As of 2019, there have been no recent developments regarding the film's production.
- Alien Rock Band{{Cite press release | title = Panda's Stevenson Joins Vanguard's Alien Rock Band | publisher = Animation World Network | date = 2010-11-08 | url = http://www.awn.com/news/people/pandas-stevenson-joins-vanguards-alien-rock-band | accessdate = February 7, 2022}}
- Rotten Island
- Buzby
- City of Dragons
- Atomic Circus
- Oz Wars{{Cite press release | title = Mike Johnson to Helm Animated Oz Wars | publisher = ComingSoon.net | date = 2010-12-15 | url = http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=72433 | accessdate = February 7, 2022}}
- Ribbit{{cite web|title=Ribbit ~ Gary Chapman ~ Vanguard Animation|url=http://anination.free.fr/film.php?film=ribbit}}
- The Twits
- Galaxy High{{cite web|url= https://deadline.com/2011/05/vanguard-makes-three-picture-deal-with-authorscribe-ross-venokur-130141/|publisher=Deadline|accessdate=February 7, 2022|title=Vanguard Makes Three-Picture Deal With Author/Scribe Ross Venokur|date=May 10, 2011|author=Mike Fleming}}
- The Gnome King
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
Sources
- {{cite book|last1=Bernardi|first1=D.|last2=Hoxter|first2=J.|title=Off the Page: Screenwriting in the Era of Media Convergence|publisher=University of California Press|year=2017|isbn=978-0-520-96104-3|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1LMuDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA160|chapter=New Markets and Microbudgets: "Independent" Storytellers|pages=139–181|access-date=2024-12-14}}
External links
- {{Official website|http://vanguardanimation.com}}
{{Vanguard Animation}}
{{Animation industry in the United States}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:2002 establishments in California
Category:American animation studios
Category:American companies established in 2002
Category:Companies based in West Hollywood, California
Category:Film production companies of the United States
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