South Side Amusement Company (1984–1997)
On March 1, 1984, Robert Zemeckis incorporated and founded the company as South Side Amusement Company. The company was in-name only from the beginning.
In the early 1990s, Zemeckis signed a production deal with Universal Pictures, to produce films under the South Side Amusement Company banner. There, it is one of the producers of Death Becomes Her, Trespass, The Public Eye and The Frighteners while Zemeckis 1997 film Contact was produced with Warner Bros. Pictures.
Early years as ImageMovers (1997–2007)
In 1997, it was announced that South Side Amusement Company was rebranded as ImageMovers, and hired Creative Artists Agency employee Jack Rapke and producer Steve Starkey (who was a producer on Zemeckis's films since his stint as associate producer on 1988's Who Framed Roger Rabbit) came on board to join the company. It was also announced that ImageMovers signed a non-exclusive feature film deal with DreamWorks Pictures.[2]
In 2001, ImageMovers tried to sign a deal with Warner Bros., but they ultimately failed.[3] After the Warner Bros. deal collapsed, ImageMovers reupped a first-look deal with DreamWorks to produce more films from that time.[4][5]
ImageMovers's first eight films under the name were What Lies Beneath (with Harrison Ford and Michelle Pfeiffer), Cast Away (with Tom Hanks), Matchstick Men (with Nicolas Cage), The Polar Express (also with Tom Hanks), The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio (with Julianne Moore), Last Holiday (with Queen Latifah), Monster House (with Mitchel Musso, Sam Lerner, Spencer Locke, and Steve Buscemi), and Beowulf (with Ray Winstone, Anthony Hopkins, John Malkovich, Robin Wright Penn, and Angelina Jolie).
Disney/ImageMovers Digital (2007–2011)
In 2007, ImageMovers collaborated with The Walt Disney Company to establish ImageMovers Digital (IMD). Based in two converted aircraft hangars in Marin County, this joint venture based film focused on producing animated films using motion-capture.[6]
IMD's first film, A Christmas Carol, was released on November 6, 2009. Based on the Charles Dickens novella of the same name, it starred Jim Carrey, Gary Oldman, Bob Hoskins, Robin Wright, and Cary Elwes, each in multiple roles.
On March 12, 2010, Disney announced that IMD would cease operations following the completion of its second film, Mars Needs Moms. This resulted in the layoff of approximately 450 employees.[7] Walt Disney Studios president Alan Bergman said, "Given today's economic realities, we need to find alternative ways to bring creative content to audiences and IMD no longer fits into our business model."[8]
Universal Pictures (2011–present)
In August 2011, it was announced that ImageMovers had entered a two-year first-look producing deal with Universal Pictures.[14]
