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MillimeterGenndy Tartakovsky and The Orphanage Draw Together for New CG Animation Studio
Oct 14, 2005 12:50 PM
The Orphanage, a leading provider of feature visual effects, announced the formation of Orphanage Animation Studios (OAS), a new CG animation studio helmed by award winning animation director Genndy Tartakovsky, creator of the Cartoon Network's hit animated series Star Wars: Clone Wars, Samurai Jack, and Dexter's Laboratory. The company launches with a multi-million dollar development fund raised through private equity and is actively developing a slate of soon-to-be-announced CG feature projects. Joining Genndy at the new venture will be several top artists from both traditional and CG animation, including art director and character designer Craig Kellman, lead character designer for DreamWorks' CG feature hit Madagascar; story artist Bryan Andrews, Emmy Award winner for Star Wars: Clone Wars and Samurai Jack; art director and background artist Justin Thompson, Emmy Award winner for Star Wars: Clone Wars; art director and character designer Paul Rudish, Emmy Award winner for his work on Star Wars: Clone Wars; and Aaron Springer, story-board artist and writer on Spongebob Squarepants, Samurai Jack, and The SpongeBob Squarepants Movie, as well as the creator of the upcoming Adult Swim show Korgoth of Barbaria.
"After 13 years of television animation I've had the good fortune to work with some of the finest talent in the industry," says Tartakovsky. "Now my story team and I have an opportunity to take that experience into feature films. Bringing together The Orphanage's expertise in visual-effects and computer animation and our creative vision in storytelling and design will form a unique and fulfilling partnership."
Scott Stewart, Orphanage co-founder and the new studio's chairman, adds, "Our friends across the Bay at Pixar have set the creative bar very high for CG features. We knew if we wanted to achieve that level of quality in our films, we needed a visionary storyteller. We found that storyteller in Genndy. Whether by stepping into George Lucas' shoes to write and direct the acclaimed Star Wars: Clone Wars series or by establishing his trademark sense for cinematic action in Samurai Jack, Genndy has proven himself to be one of the most innovative and exciting voices in animation today."
Orphanage Animation Studios is poised to produce a slate of CG animated films to be directed by Tartakovsky in the $50-$75 million range with discussions currently underway with several distribution channels. OAS will have a strong time-to-market advantage over other CG feature start-ups because it is able to leverage The Orphanage's proven technology and expertise, which was honed creating thousands of visual effects shots for several blockbusters films over the past five years, including the highly anticipated upcoming releases Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and Superman Returns. OAS is actively seeking a new campus in the San Francisco area close to The Orphanage's visual effects facility to accommodate its expanding operations and house the estimated 200-300 artists needed for CG feature production.
In addition to continuing on in their roles at The Orphanage, Chief Executive Officer Carsten Sørensen will join the new studio as CEO and CFO Daniel Gloates as Chief Financial Officer. Gloates was instrumental in raising the multi-million dollar development fund through individual private investors.
Continue the discussion on “Crosstalk” the Millimeter Forum.