Mainframe Studios celebrates its 30th anniversary this 12 months. The business pioneer has grown into a worldwide animation powerhouse, producing each premium authentic content material and high-quality exhibits for lots of the business’s largest names, together with Mattel; Sony Footage; Spin Grasp; Hasbro; DreamWorks; Netflix; and YouTube.
Based in 1993, Mainframe created and produced the primary fully-CG TV sequence, ReBoot in 1994, after which produced Spider-Man: The New Animated Sequence for MTV, the primary large-scale, toon-shaded CG sequence. In 2001, Mainframe Studios was the primary to make use of motion-capture expertise for animation and constructed their very own state-of-the-art mocap theater. Mainframe additionally produced ReBoot: The Guardian Code, the studio’s first reside motion manufacturing and one of many first TV sequence rendered utilizing Unreal Engine, delivering in 4K.
In whole, the Vancouver-based studio has produced effectively over 1,000 tv half hour episodes, 70+ lengthy type tasks that embody three theatrical function movies, together with content material for giant manufacturers similar to Octonauts, Madagascar, and CoComelon. Over Mainframe’s almost 25-year relationship (60+ tasks) with Mattel, the studio has delivered quite a few Barbie titles, together with motion pictures, sequence, shorts, and the Barbie Vlog, in addition to the primary interactive journey, Barbie: Epic Highway Journey.
Mainframe’s different notable accomplishments embody its addition to the Smithsonian’s Innovation Assortment for creating the primary CG animated TV sequence; producing the primary non-theatrical animated function, Casper’s Haunted Christmas; launching a relationship with Silvergate Media (now Sony Footage Tv — Youngsters) with three feature-length productions: Octonauts and the Caves of Sac Actun, Octonauts & the Nice Barrier Reef, and Octonauts & The Ring of Fireplace; together with producing the Madagascar: A Little Wild sequence for DreamWorks Animation and Staff Zenko Go, the studio’s first co-production with DreamWorks Animation.
The studio, based by itself IP ReBoot (1994), continues to supply authentic content material. In 2012 the corporate produced Escape From Planet Earth, a theatrical function movie developed in-house that went earned $75 million in worldwide field workplace, and adopted that success with the Ratchet & Clank function movie launched in 2016. The studio just lately launched its first 2D authentic sequence, The Guava Juice Present, produced with YouTube Originals. Mainframe is presently producing The EggVenturers in partnership with GoldieBlox for YouTube, together with Coyote & The WildAways, working with Coyote Peterson whose Courageous Wilderness YouTube channel has 20M subscribers.
“With our 30-year monitor file of Mainframe Studios producing a few of the most iconic animated properties, we method day by day like a startup – difficult ourselves to ship new and thrilling artistic innovation to each undertaking we undertake,” says Michael Hefferon, President/Chief Inventive Officer.
Kim Dent Wilder, Government Vice President, mentioned, “As we have a good time our thirtieth anniversary, we’re happy with the impression that Mainframe Studios has had on serving to to form the animation business, together with being a catalyst for a lot of studios began over time whose founders are Mainframe alumni.”
“Collaborating with Mainframe over time to supply followers of the enduring Barbie model with extremely entertaining, animated content material has been a real pleasure,” mentioned Christopher Keenan, SVP Inventive & Government Producer at Mattel Tv. “With a number of of our newest tasks, together with Barbie: Epic Highway Journey and Barbie Mermaid Energy rating impressively on international streaming platforms, we’re proud to be working with Mainframe and to be celebrating our relationship of almost thirty years.”
Joe D’Ambrosia, EVP & Basic Supervisor, Sony Footage Tv-Youngsters said, “Our relationship with Mainframe has spanned a number of sequence and specials over 5+ years. They proceed to be collaborative companions in producing high-quality animation and serving to to construct our manufacturers. We stay up for our continued work collectively.”
“In a enterprise the place belief is constructed over time, Mainframe’s longevity is a testomony to the studio’s high quality of labor and its partnership method with purchasers,” said Andy Heyward, Chairman & CEO Genius Manufacturers Worldwide.
Supply: Mainframe Studios
Whitney is a contract author specializing in VFX-driven fantasy movie & TV in addition to preschool animation.
