WildBrain Studios is the in-house
television studio arm of Canadian
entertainment
Entertainment is a form of activity that holds the attention and interest of an audience or gives pleasure and delight. It can be an idea or a task, but is more likely to be one of the activities or events that have developed over thousan ...
company
WildBrain based in
Vancouver
Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the city, up from 631,486 in 2016. Th ...
which was established in 2016 as DHX Studios.
History
In January 2016, DHX Media announced that they would be building a 60,000 square-foot studio in
Vancouver
Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the city, up from 631,486 in 2016. Th ...
that would focus on both animated and live-action productions.
The production teams of the former
Studio B Productions
Studio B Productions (later DHX Media Vancouver) was a Canadian animation studio founded by Blair Peters and Chris Bartleman in Vancouver, British Columbia in 1988. The studio was acquired by DHX Media (now WildBrain) on December 4, 2007, and bec ...
, which DHX Media acquired in 2007 and
Nerd Corps Entertainment
Nerd Corps Entertainment was a Canadian 2D, 3D computer animation and flash animation studio located in Vancouver British Columbia. Founded by former Mainframe Entertainment producers Asaph Fipke and Chuck Johnson in 2002, the company was acquire ...
, which DHX acquired in 2014 were relocated to the new building later in the year.
The studio consists of two production teams: the former Nerd Corps team, which focuses on the production of CGI animated shows, and the former Studio B team, which focuses on the production of 2D animated shows (including those
animated with Adobe Animate).
As of 2019, the Vancouver studio is the only one remaining in the division, as the other studios were either sold off or closed.
Filmography
Animated series
Live-action series
Specials
Animated Shorts
Former and related studios
Island of Misfits
Island of Misfits was originally known as the Halifax Film Company and was established by former
Salter Street Films executives
Michael Donovan and Charles Bishop in May 2004. Under the name, Halifax Film produced live-action television shows, children's
stop-motion
Stop motion is an animated filmmaking technique in which objects are physically manipulated in small increments between individually photographed frames so that they will appear to exhibit independent motion or change when the series of frames i ...
series,
CGI productions and dramas. It was headed by Nova Scotia Business Inc., which expanded and helped to open up their own new markets, and bought out ''
This Hour Has 22 Minutes'' from
Alliance Atlantis in 2005.
On May 16, 2006, Halifax Film and Decode Entertainment announced that they would merge to form the holding company
DHX Media.
Halifax Film became a subsidiary of DHX Media in the process. It was decided that unlike its predecessor, its main goal was to be on family entertainment. In 2010 all DHX Media subsidiaries including Halifax Film were all merged to form one brand under the DHX Media name.
In 2014, the studio relocated from a location at
Purdy's Wharf to the
Park Lane Mall. As of 2019, with the exception of ''
This Hour Has 22 Minutes'', DHX Studios Halifax solely produces CGI-animated material.
IoM Media Ventures
In November 2018, as part of a series of restructurations within the company, DHX sold its Halifax animation studio to IoM Media Ventures, a company led by former DHX CEO Dana Landry. Despite the sale, the studio continues to provide animation for WildBrain-owned shows.
Live-action series
Animated series
Films
DHX Media Los Angeles
On September 14, 2010, DHX acquired the Los Angeles-based first incarnation of WildBrain Entertainment. At an undisclosed point, the studio was renamed to DHX Media Los Angeles. In 2013, DHX moved its
work for hire productions from the location to its Canadian operations. The studio was shuttered in 2017.
DHX Media Toronto
DHX Media Toronto was founded on February 27, 1997, and originally known as Decode Entertainment, Inc. by Steven DeNure, Neil Court, and John Delmage, and it was based in Toronto, Ontario. The company produced numerous television shows and was an international supplier of television and interactive programming for children and youth. Decode Entertainment focused on traditional animation, computer-generated animation, and live-action shows. The name "Decode" is an acronym of the combination of the names DeNure, Court, and Delmage.
On May 16, 2006, Decode Entertainment and Halifax Film announced that they would merge with to form the holding company
DHX Media.
Decode Entertainment became a subsidiary of DHX Media in the process, distributing Halifax Film shows and other DHX properties. In 2010 all DHX Media subsidiaries including Decode Entertainment were rebranded under the DHX Media name.
By 2011, DHX Media ceased production on producing content at the ex-Decode offices. The company known as
Epitome Pictures, which DHX acquired in 2014, assumed the name of DHX Studios Toronto in 2016, but it has no relation outside the name.
Live-action series
Animated series
DHX Studios Toronto
In 2016, Epitome Pictures was rebranded as DHX Studios Toronto (no relation to the animation studio of the same name). The company produced live-action shows.
In 2019, DHX sold off the building, ceasing operations at the Toronto studio in the process.
See also
*
WildBrain Spark
*
Studio B Productions
Studio B Productions (later DHX Media Vancouver) was a Canadian animation studio founded by Blair Peters and Chris Bartleman in Vancouver, British Columbia in 1988. The studio was acquired by DHX Media (now WildBrain) on December 4, 2007, and bec ...
*
WildBrain Entertainment - the first iteration of WildBrain
*
Cookie Jar Group
*
Ragdoll Productions
Ragdoll Productions is a British television production company founded in 1984 by Anne Wood, who had previously worked for Yorkshire Television and TV-am. It is located in Stratford-upon-Avon, and has produced a number of children's programm ...
*
Epitome Pictures
*
Nerd Corps Entertainment
Nerd Corps Entertainment was a Canadian 2D, 3D computer animation and flash animation studio located in Vancouver British Columbia. Founded by former Mainframe Entertainment producers Asaph Fipke and Chuck Johnson in 2002, the company was acquire ...
*
Iconix Brand Group
References
{{Animation industry in Canada
2016 establishments in British Columbia
Canadian companies established in 2016
Mass media companies established in 2016
WildBrain
Television production companies of Canada
Companies based in Halifax, Nova Scotia
Companies based in Toronto
Companies based in Vancouver
Canadian animation studios