Paramount Animation facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Paramount Animation

Logo used since 2019
Type	Division
Industry	Animation Motion pictures
Predecessors	Fleischer Studios Paramount Cartoon Studios Terrytoons
Founded	July 6, 2011; 14 years ago (2011-07-06)
Founder	Brad Grey
Headquarters	Los Angeles, California , United States
Key people	Ramsey Ann Naito (president) Latifa Ouaou (EVP, Movies and Global Franchises)
Products	Animated films Animated TV shows
Number of employees	112 (2020)
Parent	Paramount Pictures

Paramount Animation is an American animation studio. It is the animation part of Paramount Pictures, which is a larger company. The studio started on July 6, 2011. This happened after the movie Rango was very successful. Also, Paramount's agreement with DreamWorks Animation ended in 2012.

Paramount Animation first planned to create many new movie ideas. However, some films like Monster Trucks and Wonder Park did not do well. So, the studio changed its plan. It started working with Nickelodeon Movies to make films. These movies are mostly based on popular shows from the Nickelodeon brand. Paramount Animation still makes some original animated movies too.

The studio's first movie was The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water, released on February 6, 2015. Its most recent film was Smurfs on July 18, 2025. The next movie to be released is The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants on December 19, 2025.

Movies made by Paramount Animation have earned over $832 million in total. The highest-earning film so far is The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water. It made $325.1 million around the world.

How Paramount Animation Started

After Paramount Cartoon Studios closed in 1967, Paramount Pictures released some animated films from other studios. These included Charlotte's Web and Cool World.

In 1993, a Canadian animation studio called Nelvana made a deal with Paramount. They planned to make five animated movies together. However, none of these films were actually made.

Later, Paramount joined with Viacom. The studio then started releasing animated movies based on Nickelodeon TV shows. These included the Rugrats movies and The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie.

In 2005, Brad Grey, the new CEO of Paramount, wanted to create an in-house animation team. He believed family films were very important for the movie business. The next year, Paramount made a deal to distribute films for DreamWorks Animation. This deal lasted until 2012.

On March 4, 2011, Paramount released its first animated film made in-house, Rango. This movie was very popular and earned a lot of money. Rango's success showed Paramount that it could make successful animated movies on its own.

Paramount Animation's Journey

Early Years: 2011–2017

Early logo for the studio.

In July 2011, Paramount announced its new animation division. This happened after Rango's success and as their deal with DreamWorks Animation was ending. The new studio planned to make one animated film each year. These films would have a budget of up to $100 million. Many of these movies would be made with Nickelodeon. They would also be promoted at Nickelodeon's theme parks.

In October 2011, David Stainton became the president of Paramount Animation. He used to work at Walt Disney Animation Studios. In February 2012, Stainton left, and Adam Goodman took over. It was announced that The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water would be the studio's first film. It was planned for 2014 but later moved to early 2015.

In August 2012, Paramount Animation started developing more animated films with Nickelodeon. They thought about making movies based on Dora the Explorer and The Legend of Korra.

On July 31, 2013, Paramount Animation announced a new live-action and animated movie called Monster Trucks. It was set to be released in May 2015.

The studio's first movie, The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water, came out on February 6, 2015. It received good reviews and earned over $325 million worldwide. This made it one of the highest-earning animated films of 2015. Later that year, Paramount announced another SpongeBob movie.

In June 2015, it was shared that Ilion Animation Studios from Spain would make a 3D animated film for Paramount Animation. This project was officially announced in November 2015 as Amusement Park, later renamed Wonder Park.

The studio's second film, The Little Prince, was released in France on July 29, 2015. It was supposed to come out in the United States in March 2016. However, Paramount canceled the U.S. release. It was later released on Netflix in August 2016.

The studio's fourth film, Monster Trucks, was released on January 13, 2017. It received mixed reviews and did not earn much money compared to its budget.

New Leadership: 2017–2021

In April 2017, Jim Gianopulos replaced Brad Grey as the head of Paramount. Paramount ended its deal with Locksmith Animation.

In July 2017, Mireille Soria became the president of Paramount Animation. She had worked at DreamWorks Animation before. Soria changed the studio, hiring more people and setting a goal to release two big animated films each year. These films would have different animation styles.

The studio released its fifth film, Sherlock Gnomes, on March 23, 2018. It did not do well with critics or at the box office.

In April 2018, Ramsey Ann Naito joined the studio as an executive. She later became the head of animation at Nickelodeon. Soria approved three new animated films: The SpongeBob Movie: It's a Wonderful Sponge (later Sponge On the Run), Monster on the Hill (later Rumble), and Luck.

On January 14, 2019, Mireille Soria announced that Paramount Animation would no longer work with Skydance Animation. This was because Skydance hired John Lasseter. Luck and Spellbound were later distributed by Apple TV+ and Netflix instead of Paramount.

The studio's sixth film, Wonder Park, was released on March 15, 2019. It received mixed reviews and did not earn much money.

In June 2019, Paramount Animation announced new animated movies. These included a Spice Girls film, a Mighty Mouse film, and The Tiger's Apprentice.

The studio's seventh film, The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run, was released in Canada on August 14, 2020. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was released on Paramount+ in the United States on March 4, 2021, and on Netflix internationally on November 5, 2020. The film received good reviews.

Current Leadership: 2021–Present

On September 30, 2021, Brian Robbins became the new head of Paramount Pictures. Ramsey Ann Naito took over as president of Paramount Animation. She also continued her role as president of Nickelodeon Animation Studio.

The studio's eighth film, Rumble, was released on December 15, 2021, on Paramount+. It was originally planned for theaters but moved to streaming due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It received mixed reviews.

On January 20, 2022, Latifa Ouaou joined as an executive for both Paramount Animation and Nickelodeon Animation Studio. She helps oversee films for both companies.

On July 26, 2023, Brian Robbins said that the original film Under the Boardwalk would go straight to Paramount+ instead of theaters. He explained that expensive original animated movies were not doing well in theaters. This caused some discussion among filmmakers. Under the Boardwalk, the studio's ninth film, had a limited release in theaters. It came out on October 27, 2023, and then on video-on-demand on November 7.

The studio's tenth film, The Tiger's Apprentice, was released on February 2, 2024, on Paramount+. It had faced many delays and its theater release was canceled. It received mixed reviews.

On March 5, 2024, Paramount Animation made a deal with Jeff Rowe, who directed Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem. He will produce and direct animated and live-action films, including the 2026 Mutant Mayhem sequel.

The studio's eleventh film, Transformers One, was released on September 20, 2024. It received good reviews but did not earn as much money as expected.

Its twelfth film, Smurfs, was released on July 18, 2025. It received mostly negative reviews.

Studio Logo

At first, Paramount Animation did not have its own special logo. Its first six movies, and Transformers One, just used the regular Paramount logo. On September 19, 2019, Paramount Animation introduced a new animated logo. It features a character called "Star Skipper".

When Mireille Soria joined Paramount Animation, one of the first goals was to create a logo for the division. The team wanted a female character in the logo because many people on the studio's team are female. Soria said it shows "the magic" of the division. The logo and Star Skipper were designed by Christopher Zibach. The music for the logo is the same as the standard Paramount Pictures logo, composed by Michael Giacchino. This new logo first appeared before The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run in 2020.

How Films Are Made

Paramount Animation often works with other animation studios to make its films. These studios include Mikros Image, Reel FX, and Industrial Light & Magic (for Transformers One). For example, Rumble was developed by Reel FX, and Paramount Animation later acquired the rights and helped produce it.

Paramount Animation also acts like a company that releases animated films made by or bought by Paramount Pictures. For instance, Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank was acquired by Paramount to be released under Paramount Animation. It was later released under Nickelodeon Movies.

Paramount Animation does not have one specific animation style. Each film has its own unique look. This is because they work with different animation studios, which helps create various styles.

When Ramsey Ann Naito became the head of Paramount Animation in September 2021, she brought the "artist-driven" and "creative" culture from Nickelodeon Animation Studio. Now, both companies work together as one team.

Paramount Animation Films

Released Films

Upcoming Films

Films in Development

Other Animated Films Distributed by Paramount

All films listed here were released by Paramount Pictures.

Projects That Were Canceled or Are Not Active

See also

In Spanish: Paramount Animation para niños

• Skydance Animation
• Nickelodeon Movies
• Nickelodeon Animation Studio
• DreamWorks Animation
• Miramax Animation
• Terrytoons
• List of Paramount Pictures theatrical animated feature films
• List of animation studios owned by Paramount Global