Nickelodeon Animation Studio facts for kids
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The Nickelodeon Animation Studio on Olive Avenue in Burbank, California
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Formerly
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Games Productions Inc. (1990–1998; still used as a legal name) |
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| Subsidiary | |
| Industry | Animation |
| Predecessor |
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| Founded | 1990 (as Games Productions Inc.) March 4, 1998 (as Nickelodeon Animation Studio) |
| Founders |
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| Headquarters | Studio City, Los Angeles, California, U.S. (1990–1998) Burbank, California, U.S. (1998–present) New York City, New York, U.S. (second facility, 1999–present) |
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Key people
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Ramsey Ann Naito (president) |
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| Parent | Nickelodeon Group |
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Nickelodeon Animation Studio is an American animation studio. It is owned by Paramount Global through the Nickelodeon Group. This studio has created many original TV shows for Nickelodeon. Some famous ones include SpongeBob SquarePants, The Fairly OddParents, Rugrats, and Avatar: The Last Airbender.
Since the 2010s, the studio has also made shows based on popular characters or stories. These include Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Winx Club. In 2019, Nickelodeon Animation Studio made a deal with Netflix. This means they will create new shows and movies for the streaming service.
The studio started in 1990 as Games Productions Inc. A part of it, called Games Animation, began in 1992. This team helped make early Nickelodeon cartoons. These shows included Doug, Rugrats, and The Ren & Stimpy Show. In 1992, Games Animation started its first show made completely in-house. This show was Rocko's Modern Life.
In 1998, the studio moved to a new building in Burbank, California. It was then renamed Nickelodeon Animation Studio. In 1999, a second studio opened in New York City.
Contents
The Story of Nickelodeon Animation
1990–1998: Early Days as Games Productions
The Nickelodeon Animation Studio began with an idea to create original animated shows. These shows were called Nicktoons. In 1990, Nickelodeon hired Vanessa Coffey. Her job was to find new characters and stories. Nickelodeon wanted to start its own animation business.
Making high-quality animation was very expensive. Most TV networks used big animation companies. They often made shows based on existing movies or toys. But Nickelodeon wanted something different. They wanted to find talented cartoonists. These artists would create new and unique shows.
Nickelodeon decided to fund eight short pilot episodes. Each pilot cost $100,000. From these, three shows were chosen. These first Nicktoons were Doug, Rugrats, and The Ren & Stimpy Show. Vanessa Coffey became Nickelodeon's Executive Producer of Animation.
However, there were some creative disagreements with the creator of Ren & Stimpy, John Kricfalusi. In 1992, the studio ended their work with him. Nickelodeon felt he was not delivering episodes on time. They also had concerns about some of the content. Nickelodeon owned the rights to the Ren & Stimpy characters. They reached an agreement with Kricfalusi.
After this, Nickelodeon moved the show's production to its own studio. This studio was called Games Productions Inc. A new part, Games Animation, was set up in 1992. The show was then overseen by Bob Camp. Nickelodeon wanted to hire young animators and give them creative freedom. Vanessa Coffey later left her role. Mary Harrington took over as the head of the Nicktoons division.
Games Animation's first main job was to keep making The Ren & Stimpy Show. At that time, Games was in Studio City, California. Other Nicktoons were made by outside studios. Games Animation helped oversee these projects.
In 1992, animator Joe Murray was asked to create a new show. This show became Rocko's Modern Life. It was the first show fully made in-house by Games Animation. Rocko's Modern Life started in 1993. Over 70 people worked on the show for three years. The show ended in 1996.
After Rocko's Modern Life, Games Animation made pilot episodes for other shows. These included Hey Arnold!, The Angry Beavers, and CatDog. They also produced the first episodes of Hey Arnold! and The Angry Beavers.
1998–2009: Becoming Nickelodeon Animation Studio
In 1996, Albie Hecht, a Nickelodeon president, met with artists. They talked about what their perfect studio would be like. With their ideas, he created a fun and inspiring place. He wanted it to be a lab for new cartoon classics.
Nickelodeon celebrated the opening of the new animation studio on March 4, 1998. The new building is located at 231 West Olive Avenue in Burbank, California. It is a large facility, about 72,000 square feet. It can hold 200 to 300 employees. Up to five shows can be made there at the same time.
The studio has many cool features. These include a miniature golf course and an indoor basketball court. There is also an artists' gallery and a studio store. A fountain shoots green water into the air. Each production team has its own colorful area. These areas have a living room, a writer's lounge, and a storyboard room. The studio also has rooms for recording sound effects and editing.
In September 1999, Nickelodeon opened a new digital animation studio. This studio is in Manhattan, New York. The New York studio mainly produces animated shows for Nick Jr.. At the same time, the Los Angeles studio animated the intro for The Amanda Show.
In 2006, Nickelodeon announced a partnership with DreamWorks Animation. They would create shows based on DreamWorks films. The first show from this partnership was The Penguins of Madagascar. It started in 2008. Other shows followed, like Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness and Monsters vs. Aliens.
In 2007, Nick launched El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera. This was the first Nicktoon made using Adobe Flash. They also released Tak and the Power of Juju. This show was based on a video game series. Back at the Barnyard, a show based on the movie Barnyard, also came out that year.
2009–2019: New Shows and Studio Growth
In 2009, Nickelodeon bought the rights to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. In 2011, Viacom bought part of an Italian studio called Rainbow S.p.A.. This studio created Winx Club. After these purchases, Nickelodeon Animation Studio began making new content for both franchises. They made a new Winx Club series. They also created a reboot series of TMNT. Since Nickelodeon Animation Studio made them, Nickelodeon calls both of these official Nicktoons.
By 2013, Nickelodeon's deal with DreamWorks Animation ended. Nickelodeon Animation wanted to focus on more "Nickish" shows. To find new ideas, Nickelodeon Animation Studio started the Nickelodeon Animated Shorts Program. This program made new animated shorts. Some of these shorts later became full TV shows.
In 2016, Nickelodeon's Burbank animation building moved. It became part of a larger studio complex. This move brought animated shows from different places in Southern California together. Because it now houses both animated and live-action shows, the Burbank location was renamed "Nickelodeon Studios". This is not the same as the original Nickelodeon Studios in Florida.
The new studio opened on January 11, 2017. It also holds the Nickelodeon time capsule. This capsule was first buried in Florida in 1992. It was moved to the new studio in 2016. The capsule is set to be opened on April 30, 2042.
2019–Present: Expanding Popular Shows
In 2018, Brian Robbins became president of Nickelodeon. In November, he chose Ramsey Ann Naito to lead animation at Nickelodeon. She was later promoted to president of Nickelodeon Animation Studio in 2020. Under Robbins, Nickelodeon started to focus more on expanding its popular shows.
At Nickelodeon Animation Studio, this included the first spin-off shows for SpongeBob. These were Kamp Koral: SpongeBob's Under Years and The Patrick Star Show. They also made a CGI reboot of Rugrats. The studio also worked with CBS Eye Animation Productions. Together, they produced Star Trek: Prodigy. In 2023, the studio made a deal with Lion Forge Entertainment. This deal is for new animated series and movies.
Shows and Movies
See also
- List of animation studios owned by Paramount Global
- Nickelodeon Movies
- Paramount Animation – the animation part of Paramount Pictures
- MTV Animation – the animation part of MTV Entertainment Studios
- CBS Eye Animation Productions – the animation part of CBS Studios
- Rainbow S.p.A. – an Italian animation studio that Paramount Global co-owned for a time
