Saban Entertainment facts for kids
The logo used from 1996–2001.
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Formerly
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Saban Productions, Inc. (1980–1988) Saban Entertainment, Inc. (1988–2001) |
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| Industry | Animation Filmmaking |
| Fate | Acquired by The Walt Disney Company |
| Successor | BVS Entertainment Saban Brands Buena Vista Studios |
| Founded | 1980 |
| Founders | Haim Saban Shuki Levy |
| Defunct | October 1, 2002 |
| Headquarters | Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
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Area served
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Worldwide |
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Key people
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Haim Saban (Chairman/CEO) Shuki Levy (President/CFO/CCO) |
| Products | Television programs Theatrical films |
| Owner | News Corporation & Haim Saban (1996-2001) The Walt Disney Company (2001-Present) |
| Parent | Fox Family Worldwide (1996-2001) ABC Family Worldwide (Walt Disney Television) (2001-Present) |
| Subsidiaries | Saban International N.V. (later BVS International N.V.) Saban International Services, Inc. (later BVS International Services, Inc.) Saban International Paris (Sold off in 2002) |
Saban Entertainment, Inc. was a company that made and distributed TV shows and movies around the world. It was started in 1980 by two music and TV producers, Haim Saban and Shuki Levy. The company was first called "Saban Productions."
Saban Entertainment became famous for bringing many Japanese shows to North America and other countries. They would often change these shows by dubbing them into English and adapting them for new audiences. This included popular animated series like Maple Town, Noozles, Samurai Pizza Cats, and the first three Digimon series.
They also adapted live-action Japanese shows called tokusatsu. These shows featured special effects and heroes. Some of Saban's most well-known adaptations include Power Rangers (based on the Super Sentai series), Big Bad Beetleborgs, VR Troopers, and Masked Rider.
Saban also worked with other companies, like DIC Entertainment, to create animated shows. Some of these early co-productions were Camp Candy, Ulysses 31, and The Mysterious Cities of Gold. The company also helped distribute and create music for shows made by others, such as The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! and Dragon Ball Z.
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Saban International Paris: A French Animation Studio
Saban International Paris was a TV production company located in France. It started in 1977 as a record company. In 1989, it began making animated shows. This studio created many cartoons for Fox Kids Europe during the 1990s and 2000s.
When Haim Saban left the company in 2001, The Walt Disney Company became involved. On October 1, 2002, the studio changed its name to SIP Animation. SIP Animation continued to make animated shows with Jetix Europe (which used to be Fox Kids Europe). The studio eventually closed in 2009.
Popular TV Shows and Movies from Saban
Saban Entertainment created or helped produce many animated and live-action TV series and films.
Animated TV Series by Saban Entertainment
Here are some of the animated shows Saban Entertainment worked on:
- Kidd Video (1984–1985)
- ALF: The Animated Series (1987–1989)
- The Karate Kid (1989)
- X-Men (1992–1997)
- Creepy Crawlers (1994–1996)
- Silver Surfer (1998)
- The Avengers: United They Stand (1999–2000)
- Spider-Man Unlimited (1999–2001)
- Action Man (2000–2002)
- What's with Andy? season 1 (2001–2002)
Foreign Animated TV Series Dubbed by Saban
Saban Entertainment also dubbed and distributed many animated shows from other countries:
- Maple Town (1986–1987)
- Noozles (1988)
- The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1988)
- Samurai Pizza Cats (1991)
- Dragon Ball Z (1996–1998) – Saban distributed and provided music for the first two seasons.
- Digimon Adventure (1999–2000)
- Hello Kitty's Paradise (1999-2000)
- Flint the Time Detective (2000)
- Digimon Adventure 02 (2000–2001)
- Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2001–2002)
- Digimon Tamers (2001–2002)
Live-Action TV Series by Saban
Saban Entertainment produced or distributed these live-action TV shows:
- I'm Telling! (1987–1988)
- Video Power (1990–1992)
- Power Rangers series (1993–2002):
- Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (1993–1995)
- Power Rangers Zeo (1996)
- Power Rangers Turbo (1997)
- Power Rangers in Space (1998)
- Power Rangers Lost Galaxy (1999)
- Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue (2000)
- Power Rangers Time Force (2001)
- Power Rangers Wild Force (2002) (only early production)
- VR Troopers (1994–1996)
- Sweet Valley High (1994–1997)
- Goosebumps (1995–1998) (International distribution)
- Masked Rider (1995–1996)
- Big Bad Beetleborgs (1996–1998)
- Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation (1997–1998)
- Mystic Knights of Tir Na Nog (1998–1999)
- The New Addams Family (1998–1999)
Live-Action Films by Saban
Saban Entertainment also produced or distributed several live-action movies:
- The Phantom of the Opera (1990)
- Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie (1995)
- Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie (1997)
- Casper: A Spirited Beginning (1997)
- The Christmas List (1997)
- Casper Meets Wendy (1998)
- Addams Family Reunion (1998)
- Richie Rich's Christmas Wish (1998)
- Michael Jordan: An American Hero (1999)
- Au Pair (1999)
- Ice Angel (2000)
- Au Pair II (2001)
Animated Films and Specials by Saban
Here are some animated films and specials Saban worked on:
- Barbie and the Rockers: Out of this World (1987)
- Dragon Ball Z: The Tree of Might (1997) (TV distributor and music for the 1997 dub)
- Digimon: The Movie (2000)
How Saban's Shows Were Released
Many of Saban Entertainment's shows from the early 1990s were released on VHS tapes. Later in the 1990s, most of their shows were only released on VHS in Australia and New Zealand.
For a long time, Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment did not plan to release these shows on DVD or Blu-ray. Instead, some of them were shown on TV channels like Disney XD, Toon Disney, and ABC Family. In Europe, Fox Kids Europe (later Jetix Europe) had a channel called Fox Kids Play (later Jetix Play) that aired many Saban shows. Some shows were also released on DVD and VHS by other companies.
Digimon Releases
- In Australia, the first two seasons of Digimon: Digital Monsters were re-released on DVD in 2011.
- In North America, the first five Digimon series were released on DVD by New Video.
Power Rangers Releases
- In Germany, complete season box sets of Power Rangers have been released on DVD.
- In Region 1 (North America), Shout! Factory has released the first 17 seasons of Power Rangers on DVD.
- Saban and Lions Gate Entertainment also made a new live-action Mighty Morphin Power Rangers movie.
Other Show Releases
- In 2012, Shout! Factory announced a deal to release other Saban shows on home video. These include VR Troopers, Beetleborgs, and Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation.
Who Owns Saban's Shows Now?
Most of the shows from the Fox Kids/Saban Entertainment library are now owned by The Walt Disney Company. However, there are some exceptions:
- The Power Rangers shows and related series (like VR Troopers, Masked Rider, Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation, Big Bad Beetleborgs, and Mystic Knights of Tir Na Nog) were bought back by Haim Saban from Disney in 2010. Later, in 2018, Hasbro bought these shows through its company Allspark/eOne.
- The Digimon franchise in the United States was also bought back by Saban in 2012. However, the rights for Digimon have since gone back to Toei Animation, the original Japanese creators.
- Other shows, like Goosebumps, are owned by Scholastic Entertainment.
- Some of Saban's anime licenses, such as Macron 1 and Noozles, expired in the 2000s.
- Shows that CinéGroupe co-produced with Saban, like What's with Andy?, are now owned by CinéGroupe.
See also
In Spanish: Saban Entertainment para niños
