Sony Pictures Animation facts for kids
Logo used since 2018
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| Subsidiary | |
| Industry | Animation |
| Founded | May 9, 2002 |
| Headquarters |
9050 West Washington Boulevard, Culver City, California
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U.S.
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Key people
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| Products |
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Number of employees
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255 (2018) |
| Parent | Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group |
Sony Pictures Animation Inc. is a cool American studio that makes animated movies. It's part of Sony Pictures Entertainment, a big company that creates films and TV shows. The studio started on May 9, 2002.
Most of the movies made by Sony Pictures Animation are shown in cinemas around the world by Sony Pictures Releasing. Some films go straight to home video, released by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.
The very first movie from this studio was Open Season, which came out on September 29, 2006. Their newest film is Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, released on June 2, 2023. They also have new movies coming soon, like Fixed and Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse.
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The Story of Sony Pictures Animation
In 2001, Sony Pictures thought about selling its visual effects company, Sony Pictures Imageworks (SPI). But they couldn't find a good buyer. Instead, they were really impressed by the computer-generated images (CGI) in their movie Stuart Little 2. They also saw how successful animated movies like Shrek and Monsters, Inc. were.
Because of this, SPI was changed to become an animation studio. On May 9, 2002, Sony Pictures Animation was officially created. Its job was to come up with characters, stories, and movies. SPI would then handle the digital animation work. They also kept making visual effects for other films.
To test their skills in making full CGI animation, SPI made two short films. One was The ChubbChubbs!, which even won an Academy Award. The other was Early Bloomer.
New Projects and Growth
On its first birthday, May 9, 2003, Sony Pictures Animation announced many new animated projects. These included Open Season, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, and Surf's Up. They also planned a full movie based on The ChubbChubbs!.
Later, on May 27, 2014, Netflix announced that it would be able to stream movies made by Sony Pictures Animation. This meant more people could watch their films at home.
In June 2019, Sony Pictures Animation started an "International" division. This new part of the company focuses on making films for a global audience. Their first film from this division was Wish Dragon. They also launched an "Alternative" division to create animated content for older audiences.
The president of Sony Pictures Animation, Kristine Belson, says the studio works on movies differently. They develop new ideas at the same rate they put films into production. This is different from how some other animation studios work.
In April 2021, Disney and Sony Pictures made a big deal. This agreement allows many Sony movies to stream on Hulu and Disney+. This includes popular films from franchises like Spider-Man, Jumanji, and Hotel Transylvania.
Movies and Projects
Sony Pictures Animation's first big movie was Open Season, released in September 2006. It did very well and even led to three direct-to-video sequels. Their second film, Surf's Up, came out in June 2007. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature!
The studio's first 3D movie was Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, released in September 2009. It was nominated for several awards. The Smurfs (2011) was their first movie that mixed CGI animation with live-action actors.
Sony Pictures also worked with Aardman Animations to make two stop-motion films: Arthur Christmas (2011) and The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists! (2012).
In 2012, SPA released Hotel Transylvania. This movie was a huge hit, earning over $350 million worldwide. It started a very successful franchise with three sequels and a TV series.
Recent and Upcoming Films
Some of Sony Pictures Animation's recent popular movies include:
- Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse: A superhero film based on the Spider-Man comics, featuring Miles Morales.
- The Angry Birds Movie 2: A sequel to the first Angry Birds Movie.
- The Mitchells vs. the Machines: A fun robot apocalypse and road trip movie.
- Wish Dragon: A co-production with another studio.
- Vivo: A musical film, which was the studio's first musical.
- Hotel Transylvania: Transformania: The fourth movie in the Hotel Transylvania series.
- Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse: The exciting sequel to Into the Spider-Verse.
The studio has also signed a long-term deal with director Genndy Tartakovsky. He will develop and direct new original films for them.
As of 2024, the studio is working on several new projects. These include:
- Fixed: A comedy film from Genndy Tartakovsky.
- Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse: The next movie in the Spider-Verse series.
- An animated Ghostbusters spin-off movie.
- Black Knight: Another project by Genndy Tartakovsky.
- K-Pop: Demon Hunters: A musical comedy that will be on Netflix.
- Tao: A science-fiction adventure set in China.
- Tut: An afro-futuristic story set in ancient Egypt.
- An animated film based on the science fiction podcast Bubble.
How They Make Movies
Sony Pictures Animation works a bit like Warner Bros. Pictures Animation and Paramount Animation. They often hire other animation companies and visual effects studios to help make their films. Most of their movies are animated by their sister company, Sony Pictures Imageworks.
Some films, like Arthur Christmas and The Pirates! Band of Misfits, were acquired by Sony Pictures Animation to be released under their name. Other movies, such as Goosebumps and Peter Rabbit, were made without the studio's direct involvement.
Filmography
Franchises
| Titles | Films | Shorts | Seasons | Release dates |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Open Season | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2006–present |
| Surf's Up | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2007–2017 |
| Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs | 2 | 4 | 2 | 2009–2018 |
| The Smurfs | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2011–2017 |
| Hotel Transylvania | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2012–2022 |
| Goosebumps | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2015–2018 |
| The Angry Birds Movie | 2 | 5 | 0 | 2016–present |
| Peter Rabbit | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2018–2021 |
| Spider-Verse | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2018–present |
See also
In Spanish: Sony Pictures Animation para niños
- Adelaide Productions
- Sony Pictures Imageworks
- Sony Pictures Television Kids
- Screen Gems (1921–1946)
- Sony Pictures Kids Zone
- United Productions of America
- List of Sony theatrical animated feature films
- List of unproduced Sony Pictures Animation projects
- List of animation studios owned by Sony
