Warner Animation Group

The Warner Animation Group, Inc. (WAG) is an American animation studio that is the feature animation division of Warner Bros. Entertainment. 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. The entity is also a sister animation studio of the regular animation studio Warner Bros. Animation. Its first film The Lego Movie was released on February 7, 2014 and its latest release was Scoob! on May 15, 2020; with their next release being Tom & Jerry on February 26, 2021. Films produced by WAG have grossed a total of $1.4 billion at the box office.

Warner Animation Group
TypeDivision
IndustryAnimation
Motion pictures
PredecessorWarner Bros. Feature Animation (1994–2004)
FoundedJanuary 7, 2013 (January 7, 2013)
FounderJeff Robinov
Headquarters
4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California
,
U.S.
Key people
Allison Abbate
(Executive Vice President)
Chris Leahy
(Senior Vice President)
ProductsAnimated films
OwnerWarnerMedia Studios & Networks
(WarnerMedia/AT&T)
ParentWarner Bros. Pictures Group
(Warner Bros. Entertainment)

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.[1] The group includes John Requa, Glenn Ficarra, Nicholas Stoller, Jared Stern, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller.[1] Warner Bros. created the group with the hope that the box office reception of their films will be competitive with other animation studios' releases.[1]

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 positive reviews and proved to be a box office success.

WAG's second film, Storks, was released September 23, 2016.[2] 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.[3][4] On December 14, 2017, Warner Bros. announced Allison Abbate had been named Executive Vice President, and Chris Leahy has been named Senior Vice President.[5]

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 to fail to recoup its budget.[6][7]

Smallfoot, released September 28, 2018, earned a 75% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes with mostly positive reviews from critics and has grossed over $214 million worldwide.[8][9]

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 but only grossed around $192.3 million worldwide, almost barely recouping its budget and becoming the studio and franchise's second box office disappointment.[10][11][12]

In October 2019, Locksmith Animation formed a multi-year production deal with Warner Bros., which will distribute Locksmith's films.[13]

An animated reboot of the Scooby-Doo film series titled Scoob! was initially set for a theatrical release on May 15, 2020,[14] but then it was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[15] On April 21, 2020 it was announced that it would instead go to video on demand in response to the pandemic.[16] It received mixed reviews from critics.

Upcoming releases

A live action/animated film based on Tom & Jerry is scheduled for release on February 26, 2021.[17]

Space Jam: A New Legacy, starring LeBron James, is scheduled for release on July 16, 2021.[18]

An animated film based on the Legion of Super-Pets titled DC Super Pets is scheduled for release on May 20, 2022.[19]

WAG's third live-action/animation hybrid, a Wile E. Coyote film titled Coyote vs. Acme, will be released on July 21, 2023.[20] The film will be directed by Dave Green and produced by Chris DeFaria and James Gunn.[20]

Production

Similar to Sony Pictures Animation and Paramount Animation, WAG outsources their animated films' production to other studios, such as Animal Logic (The Lego Movie franchise and DC Super Pets), Sony Pictures Imageworks (Storks and Smallfoot), Reel FX Creative Studios (Scoob!), Framestore (Tom & Jerry) and Industrial Light & Magic (Space Jam: A New Legacy).

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 and Scoob!, cost $99 million and $90 million respectively.

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".[21]

Filmography
Main article: List of Warner Animation Group films

Released films
# Title Release date Co-production with Animation services Notes Budget Gross Rotten Tomatoes Metacritic
1The Lego MovieFebruary 7, 2014Village Roadshow Pictures
RatPac-Dune Entertainment
Lego System A/S
Vertigo Entertainment
Lin Pictures		Animal Logic[S]$60–65 million$469 million96%83
2StorksSeptember 23, 2016RatPac-Dune Entertainment
Stoller Global Solutions (uncredited)		Sony Pictures Imageworks$70 million$183.3 million66%56
3The Lego Batman MovieFebruary 10, 2017DC Entertainment
RatPac-Dune Entertainment
Lego System A/S
Lord Miller Productions
Vertigo Entertainment
Lin Pictures		Animal Logic$80 million$312 million90%75
4The Lego Ninjago MovieSeptember 22, 2017RatPac-Dune Entertainment
Lego System A/S
Vertigo Entertainment
Lord Miller Productions
Lin Pictures		[S]$70 million$123 million56%55
5SmallfootSeptember 28, 2018Zaftig FilmsSony Pictures Imageworks$80 million$214 million76%60
6The Lego Movie 2: The Second PartFebruary 8, 2019Lego System A/S
Vertigo Entertainment
Lord Miller Productions
Rideback		Animal Logic[S]$99 million$192.3 million84%65
7Scoob!May 15, 2020[nb 1]Hanna-Barbera ProductionsReel FX Creative Studios$90 million[25]$24.9 million48%43
  1. Released on Premium VOD in the United States and Canada in lieu of a planned theatrical release on this date,[22] and later released in theaters in select countries with relaxed COVID-19 restrictions beginning July 8, 2020.[23][24]

Upcoming films
# Title Release date Co-production with Animation services Notes Current Production Status Ref(s)
8Tom & Jerry[S]February 26, 2021[17]Turner Entertainment
The Story Company		Framestore[S]Post-production[26][27][28]
9Space Jam: A New Legacy[S]July 16, 2021[18]SpringHill EntertainmentIndustrial Light & Magic[S][29][30][31][32][26]
10DC Super PetsMay 20, 2022[19]DC EntertainmentAnimal Logic[33]Pre-production[34][35]
11 Coyote vs. Acme[S] July 21, 2023[20]Two Monkeys, A Goat and Another, Dead, Monkey[20] N/A [S] [36][37]

Films in development
Title Ref(s)
Funko [38][39]
Meet The Beatles [40]
Toto [41]
The Flintstones [42]
The Ice Dragon [43]
The Jetsons [42][44]
Wacky Races [42]
Zero [45]
The Cat in the Hat [46][47]
Thing One and Thing Two [46]
Oh, the Places You'll Go! [46]

Short films
# Title Release date Type of short
1Enter the NinjagoJune 17, 2014Direct-to-video short
2The Lego Movie: 4D - A New AdventureJanuary 29, 20164D attraction
3The MasterSeptember 23, 2016Theatrical short
4Pigeon Toady's Guide to Your New BabyDecember 6, 2016Direct-to-video short
5Dark HoserJune 13, 2017
6Batman is Just Not That Into You
7Cooking with Alfred
8Movie Sound Effects: How Do They Do That?
9Shark E. Shark in "Which Way to the Ocean?"December 19, 2017
10Zane's Stand Up Promo
11Turkish Airlines: Safety Video with The LEGO Movie CharactersAugust 1, 2018Internet short
12Emmet's Holiday PartyDecember 10, 2018
13Super SoozieDecember 11, 2018Direct-to-video short
14"Everything is Awesome" Dance Together Music VideoJanuary 8, 2019Internet short

Franchises
Title Films TV Seasons First release Latest release
The Lego Movie 4 3 February 7, 2014 August 27, 2020

Accolades
Main article: List of Warner Animation Group awards and nominations (feature films)

See also

References
  1. Kit, Borys (January 7, 2013). "Warner Bros. Creates Animation Film Think Tank". The Hollywood Reporter. Prometheus Global Media LLC. Retrieved September 28, 2014.
  2. "Warner Bros. Pictures Dives Into Animation Think Tank". ComingSoon.net. January 7, 2013. Retrieved January 7, 2013.
  3. Kit, Borys (April 20, 2015). "'The Lego Batman Movie' Gets Release Date". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
  4. "The Lego Batman Movie (2017)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved June 19, 2017.
  5. "WARNER ANIMATION GROUP NAMES SENIOR CREATIVE TEAM". December 14, 2017. Archived from the original on February 6, 2019.
  6. "Warner Bros Dates Lego Spinoff 'Ninjago' For Fall 2016". Deadline Hollywood. May 20, 2014. Retrieved May 23, 2014.
  7. "The Lego Ninjago Movie (2017)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved September 27, 2017.
  8. "Smallfoot (2018)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved January 9, 2019.
  9. "Smallfoot (2018)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved November 27, 2018.
  10. "The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part (2019)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved February 24, 2019.
  11. "The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part (2019)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved April 2, 2019.
  12. Mendelson, Scott. "Why 'The LEGO Movie 2' Is A Franchise-Ending Box Office Failure". Forbes. Retrieved 2019-07-27.
  13. Clarke, Stewart (October 31, 2019). "Warner Signs Multi-Picture Deal With Elisabeth Murdoch's Locksmith Animation". Variety. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
  14. McNary, Dave (August 26, 2013). "Warner Bros. Developing Animated 'Scooby-Doo' Film (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved June 14, 2015.
  15. Galuppo, Mia (March 24, 2020). "Warner Bros. Delays Release of 'In the Heights,' 'Scoob!' Due to Coronavirus". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 24, 2020.
  16. Rubin, Rebecca (April 21, 2020). "'Scoob' Will Skip Theaters and Debut on Digital Platforms in May". Variety. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
  17. Rubin, Rebecca (2020-12-14). "Warner Bros. Shifts 'Mortal Kombat,' 'Tom and Jerry' Release Dates". Variety. Retrieved 2020-12-15.
  18. Pedersen, Erik (February 21, 2019). "Warner Bros Dates 'Space Jam 2', Shifts 'Annabelle' Sequel & 'Godzilla Vs. Kong'". Deadline. Retrieved February 21, 2019.
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  23. "Scooby-Doo Is Heading To The Big Screen After All — Just Not In The U.S." Cartoon Brew. July 1, 2020.
  24. Tartaglione, Nancy (July 15, 2020). "'Scoob!' Is Weekend Top Dog With $1.8M From 5 Overseas Markets; 'Peninsula' To Thrill Korea – International Box Office". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  25. Brueggemann, Tom (October 9, 2020). "Why Disney+ Made Sense for 'Soul' and 'The Croods' Could Be Next to Move". Indiewire. Archived from the original on October 12, 2020. Retrieved October 12, 2020.
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  27. Pedersen, Erik (2019-03-12). "'Sesame Street', Tim Story-Directed 'Tom & Jerry' Movies Set At Warner Bros For 2021". Deadline. Retrieved 2019-03-13.
  28. ‘Tom & Jerry’ Jumps To Christmas 2020, ‘The Witches’ Inches Up A Week Next Fall
  29. Ford, Rebecca (May 2, 2016). "Justin Lin Circling 'Space Jam' Sequel Starring LeBron James (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 3, 2016.
  30. "Air Jordan 7 "Hare" Promo Space Jam Movie Prop Up for Grabs". SneakerBarDetroit. August 11, 2016. Retrieved August 14, 2016.
  31. Marisa Guthrie (September 19, 2018). "LeBron James Sets 'Black Panther's' Ryan Coogler to Produce 'Space Jam' Sequel (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 19, 2018.
  32. Chris Agar (September 20, 2018). "LeBron James' Space Jam Movie Is A Reboot, Not A Sequel". Screen Rant. Retrieved September 24, 2018.
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  37. Donnelly, Matt (December 17, 2019). "Warner Bros.' Wile E. Coyote Movie Sets Dave Green to Direct (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved December 18, 2019.
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  40. "'Meet The Beatles' Animated Musical in Development at Warner Bros". Rotoscopers. 28 September 2015. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
  41. "Wizard of Oz Animated Film to Retell the Story from Toto's Perspective". Screen Rant.com. July 15, 2018. Retrieved August 5, 2018.
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