For the production studio of 20th Television, see 20th Television Animation.
20th Century Animation, Inc. (originally known as Fox Feature Animation, Fox Family Films, Fox Animation Studios and 20th Century Fox Animation) is an animation production studio, organized as a division of 20th Century Studios, a subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios. Formed in 1990, the studio is located in Century City, Los Angeles and is tasked with producing animated feature-length films. At one point, 20th Century Animation had two divisions: FoxMotion Studios, which was shut down on April 10, 2021, and Blue Sky Studios, which was later acquired by Paramount Pictures. Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment distributes the films produced by 20th Century Animation in home media under the 20th Century Studios Home Entertainment banner.
The studio has produced a total of 131 feature films (23 films as Century City studio, 6 live-action films as Fox Family Films, 60 films from FoxMotion Studios, 18 feature films from Blue Sky Studios, and 19 original films). The first film produced by 20th Century Animation, Musician Dreams, was released on October 22, 1993. Its latest release was Fly Away on March 31, 2023, with their next scheduled release set to be Julian & Clara: The Four Kingdoms.
History[]
1990–1998: Formation and early years[]
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The division was renamed as Fox Family Films, as one of four film divisions of 20th Century Fox under executive John Matoian. The division was now started focusing on both live-action and animated films and planned to produce six feature films a year as part of a plan to produce more films per year overall. Fox senior vice president of production Chris Meledandri was transferred into the unit as executive vice president in March 1994 after having being hired the previous year. The week of May 6, 1994, Fox Family announced the hiring of Don Bluth and Gary Goldman for a new $100 million animation studio which serve as a sister entry to its Century City studio and began construction that year in Phoenix, Arizona. In three years, the animation studio would produce and release its first film, Anastasia. In September 1994, Matoian was promoted by Rupert Murdoch to head up the Fox network. Meledandri was selected to head up the unit in 1994.
It produced live-action films such as Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie (1995), Dunston Checks In (1996) and Home Alone 3. By August 1997, Fox Family had decreased the number of live films. R.L. Stine agreed with Fox Family Films in January 1998 for a film adaptation of the Goosebumps book franchise with Tim Burton producing.
1998-2019: 20th Century Fox Animation, FoxMotion Studios and success with Blue Sky Studios[]
Logo used as 20th Century Fox Animation.
In 1998, following the success of Anastasia, the division was renamed to Fox Animation Studios, refocusing on animated feature films, including stop-motion, mixed media and digital production. The division's live action films in development at the time included Marvel Comics' Silver Surfer, the disaster film spoof Disaster Area, Fantastic Voyage and Goosebumps. Ever After (1998), a Cinderella adaptation, was the division's last live action film. At this time, there were several animated films on the company's development slate: Dark Town with Henry Selick, Chris Columbus and Sam Hamm, Santa Calls at Blue Sky, RandomToons, and Matt Groening (The Simpsons) projects, Steve Oedekerk and Joss Whedon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer). The Phoenix studio at the time was producing Planet Ice expected in 1999 and directed by Art Vitello and Anastasia producer/directors Don Bluth and Gary Goldman's then soon to be announced project. Chris Meledandri remained as the president of the division, which was known by 1999 as 20th Century Fox Animation. The only television series that the Phoenix studio produced was Adventures from the Book of Virtues, which was a co-production between Fox Animation Studios and PorchLight Entertainment; that series would air on PBS between 1996 and December 2000.
20th Century Fox Animation vice president of physical production Chuck Richardson was sent in early December 1999 to Fox subsidiary Blue Sky Studios as general manager and senior vice president. Richardson was sent to prepare Blue Sky for feature animation production.
The Phoenix studio, which kept the Fox Animation Studios name, laid off 2/3 of its employee workforce in February 2000 before transfer as direct-to-video division of Fox Animation in late June of that year, ten days after Titan A.E. was released, six months before Adventures from the Book of Virtues aired its final episode and its renaming as FoxMotion Studios. Fox Animation looked to produce films at Blue Sky, FoxMotion and its Los Angeles headquarters.
In January 2007, while Nova Young was named CEO for Fox Animation, Meledandri left for Universal to set up Illumination there with Vanessa Morrison as his replacement while answering to newly appointed 20th Century Fox Film Group vice chairman Hutch Parker. Morrison moved from the live action division where she handled family-children fare as senior vice president of production. Morrision was making deal with outside producers like she approved a Roald Dahl’s Fantastic Mr. Fox stop-motion adaptation.
In September 2017, Locksmith Animation formed a multi-year production deal with 20th Century Fox, who will distribute Locksmith's films, with Locksmith aiming to release a film every 12-18 months. The deal was to bolster Blue Sky's output and replace the lost of distributing DreamWorks Animation films.
On October 30, 2017, Morrison was named president of a new created 20th Century Fox division, Fox Family, which as a mandate similar to this company when it was called Fox Family Films. Andrea Miloro and Robert Baird were named co-president of Fox Animation the same day and would also have direct oversight of Blue Sky and over see the Locksmith Animation deal and grow Fox Animation with other partnerships and producer deals.
2019-present: Disney era, renaming and closure of Blue Sky Studios[]
On October 18, 2018, it was announced that 20th Century Fox Animation would be added alongside 20th Century Fox to the Walt Disney Studios following their acquisition, with co-presidents Andrea Miloro and Robert Baird retaining leadership while reporting to Walt Disney Studios Chairman, Alan Horn and Twentieth Century Fox vice chairman Emma Watts.
On March 21, 2019, Disney announced that the 20th Century Fox Animation label (including Blue Sky Studios) would be integrated as new units within the Walt Disney Studios with Co-Presidents Andrea Miloro and Robert Baird continuing to lead the studio reporting directly to Alan Horn, while Young overseeing Walt Disney Animation Studios and Pixar Animation Studios as Head of Animation. In August 2019, Walt Disney Animation Studios head Andrew Millstein was named as co-president of Blue Sky for day-to-day operations alongside Baird, while Pixar Animation Studios president Jim Morris would also be taking a supervisory role over Millstein. With the Disney take over, the Locksmith deal left 20th Century Fox for Warner Bros. in October 2019 except for the first and only film under the deal, Ron's Gone Wrong.
On January 17, 2020, it was announced that the "Fox" name would be dropped from several of the Fox assets acquired by Disney, with 20th Century Fox Animation being renamed "20th Century Animation" on January 28.
On February 9, 2021, Disney announced that it was shutting down Blue Sky Studios, the unit of 20th Century Animation.
Process[]
In a similar fashion to other animation studios such as the Warner Animation Group, Sony Pictures Animation, Paramount Animation, DreamWorks Animation and Illumination, the studio outsources their animated films to different animation and visual effects studios, with the majority of their films being animated in-house by the main Fox Animation studio in Century City. For example, The Simpsons Movie was animated at Film Roman alongside AKOM and Rough Draft Studios, while Ron's Gone Wrong, a co-production with Locksmith Animation, was animated by DNEG. The Book of Life was developed outside of 20th Century Animation at Reel FX, with the studio co-producing the film later on. Diary of a Wimpy Kid and The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild were animated by Bardel Entertainment.
Like Paramount Animation with Paramount Pictures, the studio also acts as somewhat of a distribution label for animated films that are made under or acquired by 20th Century Fox. For example, Ron's Gone Wrong was the first and only film made under a deal between 20th Century and Locksmith Animation.
Additionally, Fox Animation Studios (headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona) and Blue Sky Studios (headquartered in White Plains, New York and later Greenwich, Connecticut) animated their respective films internally, however Titan A.E.'s animation was outsourced to multiple animation studios, including Bardel Entertainment, Reality Check Studios, and Blue Sky, when the latter of the three was still a VFX studio.
Both Fox Animation Studios and Blue Sky had their own unique animation style, with the former having the same animation style as Don Bluth.
Filmography[]
Fox Family Films[]
- Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie (June 30, 1995; co-production with Saban Entertainment and Toei Company)
- Dunston Checks In (January 12, 1996)
- Jingle All the Way (November 22, 1996; co-production with 1492 Pictures)
- Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie (March 28, 1997; co-production with Saban Entertainment and Toei Company)
- Home Alone 3 (1997)
- Ever After (July 31, 1998)
Fox Animation Studios/FoxMotion Studios[]
- Main article: FoxMotion Studios
From 1994–2000, Fox operated Fox Animation Studios, a traditional animation studio which was started to compete with Walt Disney Animation Studios, which was experiencing great success at the time with films such as Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and The Lion King. The Fox studio, however, was not as successful. Their first feature Anastasia made nearly $140 million at the worldwide box office on a $53 million budget in 1997, but their next feature, Titan A.E., was a large financial loss, losing $100 million for 20th Century Fox in 2000. Fox was originally going to shut down the Fox Animation Studios due to the lack of box office success, coupled with the rise of computer animation. However, due to the release of both It's a RandomToons Christmas! and Bartok the Magnificent, as well as the success of the direct-to-video films from Disney, Universal and Paramount, Fox decided to changed the Fox Animation Studios into a direct-to-video division as FoxMotion Studios.
In-house films[]
- Main article: 20th Century Animation Century City
Blue Sky Studios[]
- Main article: Blue Sky Studios
Since 1997, Fox owns Blue Sky Studios, a computer animation company known for the Ice Age franchise. Fox has had much more success with this studio, and the box office receipts of their films are competitive with those of Pixar and DreamWorks. On March 21, 2019, Blue Sky Studios was integrated as a separate unit within Walt Disney Studios, but they will still report to Fox Animation presidents Andrea Miloro and Robert Baird. In February of 2021, Disney had announced that Blue Sky would cease all operations and close sometime within April 2021.
Co-productions/original films[]
Starting in 1997, 20th Century Animation occasionally produces their other films without their Century City studio nor/or Blue Sky Studios' involvement while also co-producing films from other studios. The company is not explicitly credited on other films like how they are on their films. As of 2021, The Simpsons Movie remains their highest-grossing original film.
All films listed are produced and or distributed by 20th Century Studios unless noted otherwise.
Theatrical[]
| # | Title | Release date | Co-production with | Animation service(s) | Distributor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Julian & Clara: The Quest for the Little Dragon | May 2, 1997 | Film Roman | Film Roman
A. Film Production A/S |
20th Century Fox |
| 2 | The ToonStyle Movie | September 17, 2004 | Regency Enterprises | Film Roman
Rough Draft Feature Animation | |
| 3 | The Simpsons Movie | July 27, 2007 | Gracie Films Film Roman Rough Draft Feature Animation |
Film Roman
AKOM Rough Draft Studios | |
| 4 | Alvin and the Chipmunks | December 14, 2007 | Fox 2000 Pictures
Regency Enterprises Bagdasarian Productions |
Rhythm and Hues Studios | |
| 5 | Fantastic Mr. Fox | November 13, 2009 | American Empirical Pictures | American Empirical Pictures | |
| 6 | Cynthia: The Movie | October 22, 2010 | Film Roman
Rough Draft Feature Animation |
Film Roman
Rough Draft Studios | |
| 7 | The Book of Life | October 17, 2014 | Reel FX | Reel FX | |
| 8 | The Hero of the Toyland | January 23, 2015 | Rivera Studios | Rivera Studios
Yowza! Animation | |
| 9 | The American Wanderer | December 25, 2018 | Rivera Studios
Yowza! Animation | ||
| 10 | Cynthia: The Second Movie | January 15, 2021 | 20th Century Family | Film Roman | 20th Century Studios |
| 11 | Gigantic | September 17, 2021 | Rivera Studios | Rivera Studios | |
| 12 | Ron's Gone Wrong | October 22, 2021 | TSG Entertainment
Locksmith Animation |
DNEG | |
| 13 | The Bob's Burgers Movie | May 27, 2022 | 20th Century Family
Wilo Productions |
Bento Box Entertainment
Tonic DNA Lighthouse Studios Mercury Filmworks Golden Wolf |
20th Century Studios |
Direct-to-Streaming (VOD)[]
| No. | Title | Release date | Co-production with | Distributor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Best Friends Forever: Summer Camp Fever | July 19, 2020 | 20th Century Family
Rivera Studios |
Disney+ |
| 2 | Marie & Alyson: Saving the Kingdom | November 12, 2021 | N/A | |
| 3 | Diary of a Wimpy Kid | December 3, 2021 | Walt Disney Pictures | |
| 4 | The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild | January 28, 2022 | ||
| 5 | The American Wanderer: The Treasure of the West | February 4, 2022 | Walt Disney Pictures
Rivera Studios | |
| 6 | Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules | December 2, 2022 | Walt Disney Pictures | |
| 7 | Night at the Museum: Kahmunrah Rises Again | December 9, 2022 | Walt Disney Pictures
21 Laps Entertainment Alibaba Pictures | |
| 8 | Diary of a Wimpy Kid Christmas: Cabin Fever | December 8, 2023 | Walt Disney Pictures |
Franchises[]
| Titles | Movies | Release years | Studio |
|---|---|---|---|
| RandomToons | 7 | 1945–present | |
| A Duckling Journey | 3 | 1949–2010 | |
| Anne of Green Gables | 2 | 1952–2002 | |
| The Snow Princess | 3 | 1969–2006 | |
| The Simpsons | 1 | 1989–present | with 20th Television Animation |
| FernGully: The Last Rainforest | 2 | 1992–1998 | |
| Anastasia | 2 | 1997–present | Fox Animation Studios |
| Ice Age | 5 | 2002–present | Blue Sky |
| Cynthia | 2 | 2003–present | with 20th Television Animation |
| Rio | 2 | 2011–present | Blue Sky |