The Nikkster tells us:
.... Universal Pictures has expanded its commitment to [Illumination Entertainment] by acquiring the French animation unit of Mac Guff Ligne. ...
“In acquiring an animation studio located half way around the world, we are evolving our filmmaking model; one that is creating entertainment despite borders, boundaries and languages,” Meledandri said in a statement. ...
A pity Mr. Meledandri isn't setting up a studio in Los Angeles, but it is what it is.
This isn't that different from the purchase of Blue Sky by Fox. A decade and a half ago, Fox purchased a little commercial C.G.I. house that did quirky, innovative work. While producing the first Ice Age, Fox tried to sell Blue Sky Studios, but changed its mine when favorable reactions to the feature-in-progress started to roll in.
Mac Guff Ligne has already produced two features for Illumination Entertainment, and now becomes Illumination's designated animation studio. So Paris becomes a newer player in big-time animated features, and the power circle of mainstream cartooning grows larger.
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7 comments:
Animation may be in France, but where will the pre-prod and storyboarding be done?
Wherever Chris Meledandri can make the fastest changes.
A lot of the pre-production is done in Southern California.
It sucks its being done in France. Sucks big time.
And yet this is not really all that unusual to me, it's business as usual with these studios.
The name of the studio came back to my head just now, if only for something they did way, way back in the 80's involving short little ditties of seeing animals through their untimely deaths in a POV fashion. God those were something!
Welcome to the future.
Anyone seriously think full-scale animation production will still be done in Los Angeles in 20 years?
I do.
Some t.v. animation is now done here. This was unheard of a decade ago. Technological changes do strange and wondrous things.
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