Vancouver-based animation production pioneer Mainframe Studios is celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2023, having grown over the past three decades into a global toon powerhouse bringing both original content and shows for major players like Mattel, Sony, Spin Master, Hasbro, DreamWorks, Netflix and YouTube to the screen.
“With our 30-year track record of Mainframe Studios producing some of the most iconic animated properties, we approach every day like a startup — challenging ourselves to deliver new and exciting creative innovation to every project we undertake,” says Michael Hefferon, President & Chief Creative Officer at Mainframe Studios.
Executive Vice President Kim Dent Wilder adds, “As we celebrate our 30th anniversary, we’re proud of the impact that Mainframe Studios has had on helping to shape the animation industry, including being a catalyst for many studios started over the years whose founders are Mainframe alumni.”
Colleagues shared in toasting the studio’s success. “In a business where trust is built over time, Mainframe’s longevity is a testament to the studio’s quality of work and its partnership approach with clients,” says Andy Heyward, Chairman & CEO Genius Brands International. And Michael Hirsh, CEO Wow Unlimited Media, notes, “As someone who has a history of building legacy companies, Mainframe Studios has uniquely positioned itself to continue this amazing track record for the next 30 years.”
Founded in 1993, Mainframe was a trailblazer from day one, creating and producing the very first fully-CG TV series, ReBoot, in 1994. This was followed by Spider-Man: The New Animated Series for MTV, the first large-scale, toon-shaded CG series. Most recently, Mainframe’s ReBoot: The Guardian Code marked another milestone as the studio’s first live-action production and the first TV series to use the Unreal game engine, delivering in 4K.
Through it all, Mainframe Studios has strived to balance its creative vision with the state of technology, while pushing the boundaries of both to bring engaging new stories to life. In total, the studio has produced well over 1,000 half-hour episodes for television, 70-plus long form projects that include three theatrical feature films, as well as content for huge brands such as Barbie, Octonauts, Madagascar and CoComelon. Recently, Octonauts & The Ring of Fire won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Sound Mixing & Sound Editing in 2022.
“Our relationship with Mainframe has spanned multiple series and specials over five-plus. They continue to be collaborative partners in producing top quality animation and helping to build our brands. We look forward to our continued work together,” comments Joe D’Ambrosia, EVP & General Manager, Sony Pictures Television -Kids.
Mainframe’s commitment to a creative-driven approach has helped nurture a nearly 25-year relationship (over 60 projects) with Mattel. To date, the studio has delivered numerous Barbie titles, including movies, series, shorts, the Barbie Vlog and debut interactive adventure, Barbie: Epic Road Trip. In 2001, Mainframe Studios was the first to use motion-capture technology for animation and built their own state-of-the-art mo-cap theater.
“Collaborating with Mainframe over the years to provide fans of the iconic Barbie brand with highly entertaining, animated content has been a true pleasure,” says Christopher Keenan, SVP Creative & Executive Producer at Mattel Television. “With several of our latest projects, including Barbie: Epic Road Trip and Barbie Mermaid Power ranking impressively on global streaming platforms, we are proud to be working with Mainframe and to be celebrating our relationship of nearly 30 years.”
Mainframe’s other notable accomplishments include: being added to the Smithsonian’s Innovation Collection for creating the first CG animated TV series, ReBoot (1994); producing the first non-theatrical animated feature, Casper’s Haunted Christmas; launching a relationship with Silvergate Media (now Sony Pictures Television – Kids) with three feature-length productions: Octonauts and the Caves of Sac Actun, Octonauts & the Great Barrier Reef and Octonauts & The Ring of Fire; along with producing the Madagascar: A Little Wild series for DreamWorks Animation and Team Zenko Go, the studio’s first co-production with DreamWorks Animation.
Original content in the ReBoot tradition a continues to be a studio mainstay. In 2012, the Mainframe produced Escape from Planet Earth, a theatrical feature film developed in-house that went on to do $75 million in worldwide box office, and followed that success with the Ratchet & Clank feature film released in 2016. On the series side, Mainframe created and produced ReBoot: The Guardian Code and Team Zenko Go, both Netflix Original Series, and recently released its first 2D original series, The Guava Juice Show, produced with YouTube Originals.
Mainframe is currently producing The EggVenturers in partnership with GoldieBlox for YouTube, along with Coyote & The WildAways, working with Coyote Peterson, whose Brave Wilderness YouTube channel has 20 million subscribers.
For more information on Mainframe Studios, please visit mainframe.ca.
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