Warner Animation Group

The Warner Animation Group (WAG) is an American animation studio serving as the computer-animated feature film label of Warner Bros.' theatrical film production and distribution division, Warner Bros. Pictures. Established on January 7, 2013, the studio is the successor to the dissolved 2D traditional hand-drawn animation studio Warner Bros. Feature Animation, which shut down in 2004, and is also a sister to the regular Warner Bros. Animation studio.

Its first film, '' The Lego Movie'', was released on February 7, 2014, and its most recent film was ''DC League of Super-Pets'' on July 29, 2022; their upcoming slate of films includes ''Toto'' on February 2, 2024, and '' Coyote vs. Acme'' on an unspecified date. Films produced by WAG have grossed a total of $2 billion at the box office.

History

On January 7, 2013, Jeff Robinov (then head of the studio's motion picture division) founded a screenplay development department, nicknamed a "think tank" for developing theatrical animated films, known as the Warner Animation Group. The group includes John Requa, Glenn Ficarra, Nicholas Stoller, Jared Stern, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, Sarah Smith and Mark Osborne. Warner Bros. created the group with the hope that the box office reception of their films will be competitive with other animation studios' releases.

On February 7, 2014, Warner Animation Group released their first film, '' The Lego Movie'', a film animated by Animal Logic, which also provided the animation for both spinoffs. It was met with critical praise and proved to be a box office success.

WAG's second film, '' Storks'', was released September 23, 2016. It received mixed reviews from critics.

On February 10, 2017, Warner Animation Group released ''The Lego Batman Movie'', which received positive reviews from critics and was a box office success. On December 14, 2017, Warner Bros. announced Allison Abbate had been named Executive Vice President, and Chris Leahy has been named Senior Vice President.

''The Lego Ninjago Movie'', based on the '' Lego Ninjago'' toys, was released on September 22, 2017. Upon release, the film was met with mixed reviews from critics and became the first film from the studio and franchise to fail to recoup its budget.

'' Smallfoot'', released September 28, 2018, earned a 76% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes with mostly positive reviews from critics and becoming a box office success by grossing over $214 million worldwide.

'' The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part'', a sequel to ''The Lego Movie'', was released February 8, 2019 and earned an 85% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes with generally positive reviews from critics but only grossed around $192.3 million worldwide, almost barely recouping its budget and becoming the studio and franchise's second box office disappointment.

In October 2019, Locksmith Animation formed a multi-year production deal with Warner Bros. Pictures and Warner Animation Group, which will distribute Locksmith's films.

An animated reboot of the ''Scooby-Doo'' film series titled '' Scoob!'' was initially set for a theatrical release on May 15, 2020, but then it was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On April 21, 2020 it was announced that it would instead go to video on demand in response to the pandemic. It received mixed reviews from critics.

A live-action/animated film based on '' Tom & Jerry'' was released internationally on February 11, 2021 and on February 26 in the United States in theaters and HBO Max simultaneously and also debuted the company's new logo to match with the design of the new shield logo that Warner Bros. debuted back in November 2019, and like the main WB logo, which was revamped earlier that year with '' Locked Down'', it is made by Devastudios, with clouds created using Terragen. It received generally negative reviews from critics, and is the first film from the company to have met so, but was somehow a box-office success.

'' Space Jam: A New Legacy'', starring LeBron James, was released on July 16, 2021, and was the first film from Warner Animation Group to incorporate traditional animation. It also received generally negative reviews from critics and is the second film from the company to have met so after ''Tom & Jerry'', due to the film being heavy on product placement of the studio's intellectual properties.

An animated film based on the Legion of Super-Pets titled ''DC League of Super-Pets'' was released on July 29, 2022. It received generally positive reviews from critics.

A Christmas-themed spin-off prequel titled ''Scoob! Holiday Haunt'', taking place in the gang's youth, with the actors who portrayed their younger selves reprising, was set for release in 2022 on HBO Max, but was cancelled following the merger of WarnerMedia and Discovery Inc. to form Warner Bros. Discovery in April 2022 by CEO David Zaslav on August 2, 2022, citing cost-cutting measures and a refocus on theatrical films rather than creating projects for streaming. Following the merger, it was announced in August that Allison Abbate would be leaving the studio.

Upcoming releases

A musical feature adaptation of Michael Morpurgo's children's book'' Toto: The Dog-Gone Amazing Story Of The Wizard Of Oz'' began animation production in February 2021. It is being directed by Alex Timbers, from a screenplay by John August, and produced by Derek Frey. It is set to be released on February 2, 2024.

WAG's third live-action/animation hybrid, a Wile E. Coyote film titled '' Coyote vs. Acme'', was originally scheduled to be theatrically released in the United States on July 21, 2023, by Warner Bros. Pictures. On April 26, 2022, it was taken off the release schedule, with ''Barbie'' taking over its original release date. The film will be directed by Dave Green and produced by Chris DeFaria and James Gunn.

There are also plans to develop a ''DC League of Super-Pets'' franchise following the film's critical and commercial success.

Production

Similar to Paramount Animation, Netflix Animation and Sony Pictures Animation, the Warner Animation Group outsources their computer-animated films' production to other studios. Such as Animal Logic ( ''The Lego Movie'' franchise, ''DC League of Super-Pets and Toto''), Sony Pictures Imageworks ( ''Storks'' and '' Smallfoot''), Reel FX Creative Studios ('' Scoob!''), Framestore ('' Tom & Jerry''), Industrial Light & Magic ('' Space Jam: A New Legacy'') and DNEG ('' Coyote vs. Acme''). However, ''Space Jam: A New Legacy'' did also include hand-drawn animation, which is outsourced from Company 3 Animation, and Tonic DNA.

The budgets for their films tend to range within $60–80 million. Their most expensive films to date, '' The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part'', '' Scoob!'' and '' Space Jam: A New Legacy'', cost $99 million, $90 million and $150 million respectively. ''DC League of Super-Pets'' also cost as $90 million.

The screenplay department is reportedly somewhat similar to Pixar Animation Studios' "brain trust" in terms of how its members consult with one another and give feedback on each other's projects. The group is nicknamed the "think tank".

Filmography

Franchises

Accolades

See also

* Warner Bros. Animation
* List of Warner Bros. theatrical animated feature films

Notes

References

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2013 establishments in California
Warner Bros. Animation
Warner Bros. divisions
American companies established in 2013
Mass media companies established in 2013
Film production companies of the United States
Companies based in Burbank, California
American animation studios