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Reel FX Animation

Reel FX, Inc. (doing business as Reel FX Animation), formerly known as Reel FX Creative Studios and Reel FX Entertainment, is an American computer animation and visual effects studio based in Dallas, Texas, with offices in Hollywood, California, and Montreal, Quebec. Known for its multiple projects on animated films/series and visual effects for live-action films.

The studio primarily produces animated features, short films, and television series. Among them is the studio's first original animated feature film, Free Birds, released in 2013. A year later, The Book of Life was released. The film received several nominations, including Best Animated Feature Nominations from the Golden Globes, Critics’ Choice Awards, Producers Guild Awards and Annie Awards.[2] In 2020, Reel FX Animation teamed up with Warner Animation Group (now Warner Bros. Pictures Animation) on Scoob!. In addition, the studio released Rumble, a co-production with Paramount Animation and Back to the Outback with Netflix Animation, both in 2021. Most recently, Reel FX teamed up with Paramount Animation and Nickelodeon Movies to create The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants in 2025.

The studio's upcoming slate of films include a film titled Diya with Good Karma Productions.

History

Reel FX Animation was founded in 1993 by Dale Carman and David Needham as Reel Magic in Fort Worth, Texas. The studio was the sixth to purchase an Autodesk Flame system. In 1995, the company moved to Dallas and changed its name to Reel FX Creative Studios. Reel FX purchased West End Post, and in 1999, moved to the White Swan building in the West End. In 2005, the studio moved its headquarters east a couple of miles to Deep Ellum. The company opened a second location in Pasadena, California, and in 2008 merged with VFX-studio Radium and opened a studio in Santa Monica.

In 2017, Reel FX opened its first studio outside the United States in Montreal, Canada. The studio would eventually add artists in Toronto and Vancouver as well.

Films and releases

In 1999, the studio produced its first short film, The Man In The Moon. Based on William Joyce's Guardians of Childhood and co-directed by Joyce and Brandon Oldenburg. The short film became the first Reel FX Original (now called Inventions), and in 2007, was optioned to DreamWorks Animation where it ultimately became Rise of the Guardians, directed by Peter Ramsey. In October 2012, The Hollywood Reporter revealed Reel FX's connection to the 2012 feature film.[3][4]

In December 2010, Reel FX produced an untitled 3D film with producer Andrew Adamson and Cirque du Soleil.[5] In January 2012, Paramount Pictures announced that it had acquired worldwide rights to the film, now titled Worlds Away directed by Adamson and executive-produced by James Cameron.[6]

First called Turkeys,[7] and opened in 2013 under Free Birds, the film was directed by Jimmy Hayward and starred Owen Wilson, Woody Harrelson, and Amy Poehler. Its release landed Reel FX's CEO Steve O’Brien the front page of D CEO Magazine in their May–June edition of that year.[8]

Following the release of The Book of Life, Reel FX assisted on Rock Dog (Summit Entertainment, Huayi Brothers) and UglyDolls (STX Entertainment) while developing its next feature. Released in 2021, Rumble is based on Rob Harrell's graphic novel Monster on the Hill and adapted for the screen by Matt Lieberman and Etan Cohen. In 2022, Reel FX released their original animated series Super Giant Robot Brothers!, with Netflix Animation. Directed by Mark Andrews (Brave), the episodic series was created using a custom-built real-time production pipeline with Epic Games’ Unreal Engine, the first animated series to be rendered entirely in a video game engine.[9][10]

Filmography

Feature films

Original films

Animation and visual effects services

Original films

Animation and visual effects services

Television

Series

Original series

Animation services

Original series

Animation services

Specials

  • Jonah Sing-Along Songs and More! (2002; with Big Idea Productions)
  • Halloweentown High (2004)
  • Snow 2: Brain Freeze (2008)
  • Ice Age: A Mammoth Christmas (2011; with 20th Century Fox Animation and Blue Sky Studios)

Series

Original series

Animation services

Original series

Animation services

Specials

  • Jonah Sing-Along Songs and More! (2002; with Big Idea Productions)
  • Halloweentown High (2004)
  • Snow 2: Brain Freeze (2008)
  • Ice Age: A Mammoth Christmas (2011; with 20th Century Fox Animation and Blue Sky Studios)

Short films

  • The Man in the Moon (1999)[22]
  • Aunt Fanny's Tour of Booty (2005; co-animated with Blue Sky Studios)[23][24]
  • Secrets of the Furious Five (2008; with DreamWorks Animation and Film Roman)
  • Live Music (2009) (co-produced with Mass Animation)
  • Looney Tunes: (with Warner Bros. Pictures and Warner Bros. Animation)
  • Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner shorts:
  • Rabid Rider (2010)
  • Fur of Flying (2010)
  • Coyote Falls (2010)
  • Flash in the Pain (2014)[25][26]
  • I Tawt I Taw a Puddy Tat (2011)
  • Daffy's Rhapsody (2012)[27]
  • Pacific Rim: Jaeger Pilot (2014)
  • The Adventures of Chuy (2015) (co-production with 20th Century Fox Animation)
  • Son of Jaguar (2016)
  • Best Fiends:
  • Best Fiends: Boot Camp (2017)[28]
  • Best Fiends: Visit Minutia (2017)[29]
  • Best Fiends: Fort of Hard Knocks (2018)[30]
  • Best Fiends: Baby Slug's Big Day Out (2018)[31]
  • Best Fiends: Howie's Gift (2019)[32]
  • Best Fiends: Temper's Adventure (2019)[33]
  • Best Fiends: The Immortal Cockroach (2019)[34]
  • Best Fiends: The Fight Before Christmas (2019)[35]
  • Best Fiends: King Slug Industries (2020)[36]
  • La Calesita (2022)

Theme park attractions

  • The Simpsons Ride (2008; co-animated with Blur Studio)
  • Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem (2012)[37]

Direct-to-video

  • Barney Home Video (1996–2000) (visual effects)
  • G.I. Joe: Spy Troops (2003)
  • G.I. Joe: Valor vs. Venom (2004)
  • Action Man: X Missions – The Movie (2005)
  • BOZ the Bear: Colors and Shapes (2006)
  • BOZ the Bear: Friends and Helpers (2006)
  • BOZ the Bear: Bananas, Bubbles and Busy Bodies (2006)
  • BOZ the Bear: Adventures in Imagination (2006)
  • The Three Wise Men (formerly The Very First Noel) (2006)
  • Thank You God for B-O-Zs and 1-2-3s! (2007)
  • BOZ the Bear: Start Singing with Boz (2008)
  • BOZ the Bear: A WowieBozowee Christmas (2008)
  • Tales of the Black Freighter (2009)

Commercials

Production logos

  • Relativity Media (2009, 2013)
  • Warner Animation Group (2016, 2020; co-produced with DevaStudios)
  • Paramount Animation (2019; co-produced with ATK PLN)[51]

External links

References

  1. Michael Mallory. Get Ready for a Real Turkey Feast! Animation Magazine, October 12, 2013, retrieved October 27, 2013^
  2. Book of Life from Dallas Scores Golden Globe Nomination Dallas Morning News, December 11, 2014, retrieved December 11, 2014^
  3. Todd McCarthy. Rise of the Guardians: Film Review The Hollywood Reporter, October 11, 2012, retrieved October 11, 2012^
  4. Chuck E. Cheese's Introduces Oculus Rift for Birthday Parties in Select Markets Reuters, May 20, 2014, retrieved September 8, 2014^
  5. Mike Fleming. Andrew Adamson, James Cameron team with Cirque du Soleil on 3D Feature Deadline Hollywood, December 7, 2010, retrieved June 14, 2011^
  6. Mike Fleming. Paramount Acquires Worldwide Rights To Andrew Adamson And James Cameron's Cirque Du Soleil 3D Feature Deadline Hollywood, February 10, 2012^
  7. Jerry Beck. "Turkeys" get Greenlit at Reel FX Cartoon Brew, 2012-10-25, retrieved 2023-05-29^
  8. D CEO May-June 2013 D Magazine, retrieved 2023-05-29^
  9. Ryan Fleming. 'Super Giant Robot Brothers!': Watch Exclusive First Look Trailer For Reel FX 's Ani Series For Netflix Deadline, 2022-06-14, retrieved 2023-05-29^
  10. OFFICIAL TRAILER: Reel FX "Rock Dog" – Animation Scoop December 19, 2016^
  11. (uncredited) Franck Scheck. 'The Book of Life': Film Review The Hollywood Reporter, October 11, 2014, retrieved October 11, 2014^
  12. Matt Grobar. 'The Big Bang Theory's Kunal Nayyar Boards Animated Feature 'Diya' From Reel FX Originals As EP; Nitya Mehra To Direct Deadline, 2022-06-06, retrieved 2023-05-31^
  13. Justin Kroll. 'Tom and Jerry,' 'Scooby-Doo' Movies Land Top Talent at Warner Animation Group (EXCLUSIVE) Variety, October 15, 2018^
  14. Borys Kit. Will Forte, Gina Rodriguez and Tracy Morgan to Star in Animated Scooby-Doo Movie (Exclusive) The Hollywood Reporter, March 1, 2019, retrieved March 1, 2019^
  15. Mercedes Milligan. Netflix Heads Down Under with 'Back to the Outback' Movie in 2021 Animation Magazine, November 30, 2020, retrieved January 30, 2021^
  16. Andreas Wiseman. Netflix Lines Up Animated Movie 'Back To The Outback' With Isla Fisher, Tim Minchin, Eric Bana, Guy Pearce & Keith Urban Deadline, 2020-11-30, retrieved 2020-12-10^
  17. AHOY! Reel FX Animation's newest project is the upcoming SpongeBob Squarepants movie! And we're looking for Montreal-based Modeling and Rigging Artists to join us in Bikini Bottom. 🏖 April 17, 2023^
  18. Brian Welk. Paramount Gets Animated with CinemaCon Presentation IndieWire, April 27, 2023, retrieved April 27, 2023^
  19. Anthony D'Alessandro. 'Mission: Impossible 8' Jumps To 2025; 'A Quiet Place: Day One' Goes To Summer In 2024 Theatrical Shake-Up Due To Actors Strike Deadline, 23 October 2023, retrieved 23 October 2023^
  20. Netflix Announces Three New Animated Comedy Series for Kids from Renowned and First-Time Creators Netflix Media Center, retrieved June 22, 2021^
  21. Reel FX. Congratulations @flightschoolHQ for helping pivot CBS's live action comedy series, @NoActivityCBS, to animation for this coming season. Reel FX Animation is proud and excited to dish out an assist on this project. Twitter, October 29, 2020^
  22. Zhang Qidong. Animation studio sees role for China China Daily, November 23, 2012, retrieved November 24, 2012^
  23. Todd Gilchrist. Robots IGN, September 28, 2005, retrieved October 19, 2012^
  24. Dave Foster. Robots (R2) in September - Menus added The Digital Fix, August 24, 2005, retrieved October 19, 2012^
  25. John Hopewell. Studios, France, Emerging Industries Energize Annecy Variety, June 9, 2014, retrieved June 24, 2014^
  26. Reel FX Live from Annecy! Reel FX, June 11, 2014, retrieved June 24, 2014^
  27. Looney Tunes "Daffy's Rhapsody" Reel FX, retrieved February 15, 2012^
  28. Boot Camp - A Best Fiends Animation^
  29. Visit Minutia - A Best Fiends Animation^
  30. Fort of Hard Knocks - A Best Fiends Animation^
  31. Baby Slug's Big Day Out - A Best Fiends Animation^
  32. Howie's Gift - A Best Fiends Animation^
  33. Temper's Adventure - A Best Fiends Animation^
  34. The Immortal Cockroach - A Best Fiends Animation^
  35. The Fight Before Christmas - A Best Fiends Animation^
  36. King Slug Industries - A Best Fiends Animation^
  37. Reel FX. It's Time For Minion Mayhem at Universal Orlando Reel FX, July 2, 2012, retrieved July 18, 2012^
  38. CEC LITTLE ZOO STUDIO, retrieved 2025-04-10^
  39. Marc Graser. Chuck E. Cheese's Chooses Animated 'Free Birds' as First Film Promo Variety, 2013-09-17, retrieved 2024-07-28^
  40. Chuck E. Cheese's and Deep Ellum's Reel FX team up for turkey movie magic - CultureMap Dallas dallas.culturemap.com, retrieved 2024-07-28^
  41. Brian Gallagher. Free Birds TV Spot Featuring NBA Star Dwight Howard MovieWeb, 2013-10-30, retrieved 2024-07-28^
  42. Dan Carson. Dwight Howard to Play a Turkey in Upcoming Children's Movie 'Free Birds' Bleacher Report, retrieved 2024-07-28^
  43. Cheetos_ "Book of Life"^
  44. Amid Amidi. Chester Cheetah Redesigned For 'Book of Life'-Themed Spot [UPDATED] Cartoon Brew, 2014-10-03, retrieved 2024-07-28^
  45. MC DONAld's - HAPPY MEAL | Book of Life^
  46. Kristi K. Higgins. Just in time for Halloween: McDonald's Boo Buckets through October, while supplies last The Progress Index, retrieved 2024-07-28^
  47. Dallas Innovates, Nicholas Sakelaris. Reel FX Steps into Action With 'LEGO Batman' Commercial Dallas Innovates, 2017-02-03, retrieved 2024-07-28^
  48. McDonald's: "Ugly Dolls" 2019 August 12, 2019^
  49. Justin. McDonald's Malaysia Debuts New Collection Of UglyDolls Happy Meal Toys Hype MY, 2019-05-04, retrieved 2024-07-28^
  50. McDonald's Malaysia aims to delight younger consumers with UglyDolls Happy Meal set Marketing-Interactive, 2019-05-07, retrieved 2024-07-28^
  51. Meet Star Skipper, Paramount Animation's Magical New Trademark Logo Character Variety, September 19, 2019, retrieved October 23, 2019^
  52. Animation Mentor. Animator Interview with Mentor Ray Chase Animation Mentor, April 2010, retrieved November 26, 2010^
  53. Bill Desowitz. O'Callaghan Talks Coyote Falls Animation World Network, July 30, 2010, retrieved November 6, 2010^