History
In 1991, Zareh Nalbandian and Chris Godfrey formed and founded a digital studio in Crows Nest, Sydney, Australia.[6] The company was born out of Video Paint Brush Company, which Nalbandian, who had worked there for a few years, and his colleague Godfrey acquired in a management buy-out and renamed Animal Logic.[7]
Animal Logic moved to Fox Studios Australia in Moore Park, Sydney, in 1998. In 2003, Animal Logic began work on its first computer-animated feature film, Happy Feet, for director George Miller.[8] Released in the United States on 17 November 2006, the project saw the company expand significantly, recruiting up to 300 artists and technicians from Australia and around the world. Happy Feet, which was the first computer-animated feature film produced in Australia,[9] went on to win the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature as well as the new BAFTA Award for Best Animated Film.[10][11]
Their full-length feature animation, Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole, was released on 24 September 2010 and was Australia's first animated feature to be released in 3D. From 2004 to 2007, the company produced the CN City bumpers for Cartoon Network.[12] In 2011, the company produced and animated LEGO Star Wars: The Padawan Menace, a 30-minute TV special.[13] Produced for Lucasfilm and Cartoon Network,[13] the special premiered in the United States on Cartoon Network and was followed by a worldwide DVD and Blu-ray release.[14] In 2012, Animal Logic acquired the assets of fellow Australian visual effects studio Fuel VFX,[15] known for their work on feature films such as Iron Man 3, Prometheus, The Avengers
In 2014, Animal Logic provided animation services for the 2014 film The Lego Movie,[20] which was produced by the Warner Animation Group and directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller. After the film's huge success, the company was split into three subsidiaries operating under the Animal Logic's group: Animal Logic VFX, Animal Logic Animation, and Animal Logic Entertainment, a Los Angeles-based arm tasked with developing VFX, animation and hybrid feature films for the company.[21] The following year, the company opened a 45000 sqft facility in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The new studio initially produced work for The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part, the first in a three-film deal with Warner Bros., all of which were to be developed in Canada.[22][23]
In 2017, Animal Logic and the University of Technology Sydney launched a joint venture named the UTS Animal Logic Academy, offering a one-year accelerated Master of Animation and Visualisation.[24] Taught by industry professionals, the Academy mimics the workflows and processes of a 3D animation/VFX studio to produce two student short films a year, with students specialising in their chosen discipline to the standard of a junior position in the industry. Since 2017, the Academy has also offered various other short courses, and a Technical Direction for 3D Animation and Graphics Projects[25] subject open to all undergraduate students at UTS.
In July 2022, Netflix announced plans to acquire Animal Logic in an all-cash deal.[26][27] In January 2024, it was announced that the studio would merge with Netflix Animation, with CEO Sharon Taylor resigning and Netflix Animation's Karen Toliver taking her place to lead the studio.[28] Taylor would later return to Netflix Animation as head of production in June 2024.[29]
