View source for Vanguard Animation

{{Short description|American animation studio by John H. Williams}}
{{Distinguish|text=the 1943–1951 film company [[Vanguard Productions]]}}
{{More citations needed|date=October 2018}}
{{Infobox company
| name = Vanguard Films & Animation
| logo = Vanguard Animation Logo.png
| logo_size = 250px
| type = [[Privately held company|Private]]
| industry = [[Computer animation]]<br />[[VFX]]<br />[[Motion capture]]<br />[[Animated]]
| foundation = {{start date and age|2002}}
| founders = [[John H. Williams (film producer)|John H. Williams]]<br />Neil Braun
| location_city = [[West Hollywood, California]]
| location_country = United States
| locations = 3
| key_people = John H. Williams ([[Chief executive officer|CEO]])<br />[[Gary Chapman (director)|Gary Chapman]] (Head of Prod.)
| owner = [[Starz Distribution]] (Minority)
| num_employees = 10
| parent = 
| products = 
| revenue = 
| subsid = [[Rabbit Ears Productions|Rabbit Ears Entertainment, LLC]]
| operating profit = 
| homepage = {{URL|http://vanguardanimation.com}}
}}
'''Vanguard Films & Animation''', often named only as '''Vanguard Animation''', is an American production studio founded in 2002 by producer [[John H. Williams (film producer)|John H. Williams]] and Neil Braun.<ref name=Business1 /> The studio has offices in [[Vancouver, British Columbia]], 
[[Canada]] and [[Ealing Studios]] in [[London]], [[England]], [[United Kingdom]]. [[Starz Distribution]] owns a minority stake in the studio.

==History==
The studio was founded in 2002 by [[John H. Williams (film producer)|John H. Williams]].<ref name=Business1 /> For its launch, it signed with [[Ealing Studios]] a four-picture deal to produce sub-$40 million computer-animated films.<ref name=PRNewswireDisney>{{cite news|title=The Walt Disney Studios and 'Shrek' producer John Williams partner for new CG animated film output|url=http://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/the-walt-disney-studios-and-shrek-producer-john-williams-partner-for-new-cg-animated-film-output-155236635.html|access-date=3 May 2013|newspaper=PR Newswire|date=5 September 2002}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=The Walt Disney Studios and 'Shrek' Producer John Williams Partner For New CG Animated Film Output.|url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/The+Walt+Disney+Studios+and+'Shrek'+Producer+John+Williams+Partner...-a091079919|access-date=3 May 2013|newspaper=The Free Library|date=5 September 2002}}</ref> The following year, Vanguard sold a minority stake to [[IDT Corporation]] and partnered with its animation unit, Digital Production Solutions, to co-produce and co-own all Vanguard's properties,<ref name=Business1>{{cite news|title=IDT Media's Digital Production Solutions -DPS- Signs Joint Venture and Partnership Agreement with Vanguard Animation; DPS Also Gets First Look Rights on all Vanguard Animation Work|url=http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20030722005152/en/IDT-Medias-Digital-Production-Solutions--DPS--Signs|access-date=April 20, 2012|newspaper=Business Wire|date=July 22, 2003}}</ref><ref name=VarietyIDT>{{cite news|last=Bloom|first=David|title=Vanguard sells stake, inks IDT co-prod'n deal|url=https://variety.com/2003/film/news/vanguard-sells-stake-inks-idt-co-prod-n-deal-1117889715/|access-date=May 4, 2013|newspaper=Variety|date=July 22, 2003}}</ref> including ''[[Valiant (2005 film)|Valiant]]'' (2005) produced for [[Disney]].<ref name=PRNewswireDisney />

The company was part of the then-new "pipeline-free" trend (reported by ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' in 2006<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Debruge |first1=Peter |title=Cutting Corners: Indie-Style Producers Do without Pipelines |journal=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |date=June 2, 2008}}</ref>) in animation production, where the companies did not keep the talent on  payroll and instead were "establishing a team from scratch to execute each new feature", allowing them to secure tax breaks from the governments. For example, the feature "[[Valiant (film)|Valiant]]" was produced in the UK in order to collect the tax incentives there. With UK incentives ending, the production (for "[[Space Chimps]]") moved to Canada ([[Vancouver]]).{{sfn|Bernardi|Hoxter|2017|p=160}}

==Filmography==

===Feature films===

{|class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align: right;"  
|-
! scope="col" width=10 | #
!! scope="col" width=400 | Title
!! scope="col" width=100 | Release date
!! scope="col" width=75 | Gross
!! scope="col" width=50 | [[Rotten Tomatoes]]
!! scope="col" width=50 | [[Metacritic]]
|-

| align="left" | 1 || align="left" | ''[[Valiant (film)|Valiant]]'' ||  {{dts|2005|8|19}} (US) || $61,746,888 || 32% || 45%
|-
| align="left" | 2 || align="left" | ''[[Happily N'Ever After]]'' ||  {{dts|2007|01|05}} (US) || $38,085,778 || 6% || 28%
|-
| align="left" | 3 || align="left" | ''[[Space Chimps]]'' || {{dts|2008|07|18}} || $64,834,964 || 33% || 36%
|-
| align="left" | 4 || align="left" | ''[[Space Chimps 2: Zartog Strikes Back]]'' (DTV) || {{dts|2010|05|28}} || $4,124,518 || 0% || {{n/a}} 
|-
| align="left" | 5 || align="left" | ''[[Get Squirrely]]'' || {{dts|2016|11|04}} || $1,224,520<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/intl/?page=&country=UK&id=_fGETSQUIRRELYANI01|title=Get Squirrely|work=[[Box Office Mojo]]|access-date=May 29, 2018}}</ref> || 34% || {{n/a}}
|-
| align="left" | 6 || align="left" | ''[[Gnome Alone]]'' || {{dts|2017|11|2}} || $10,800,715<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt5851786/?ref_=bo_se_r_1|title=Gnome Alone (2017) |access-date=August 29, 2019}}</ref> || 44% || {{n/a}}
|-
| align="left" | 7 || align="left" | ''[[Charming (film)|Charming]]'' || {{dts|2018|04|20}} || $8,751,856<ref>{{cite web |title=Charming (2018)|url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl3806364673/weekend/|website=[[Box Office Mojo]] |access-date=October 29, 2019}}</ref> || 24% || {{n/a}}
|-
| align="left" | 8 || align="left" | ''[[Trouble (2019 film)|Trouble]]'' || {{dts|2019|08|08}} || $11,942,158<ref>{{cite web |   url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt6772524/?ref_=bo_se_r_1|title=Trouble (2019) |access-date= October 29, 2019}}</ref> || 36% || {{n/a}}
|-
| align="left" | 9 || align="left" | ''[[Fearless (2020 film)|Fearless]]'' ||{{dts|2020|08|14}} || {{n/a}} || 49% || {{n/a}} 
|-
| align="left" | 10 || align="left" | ''[[Rally Road Racers]]'' ||{{dts|2023|05|12}} || $2,790,163 || 73% || {{n/a}} 
|-
|}

===Short films===
* ''Frank Was a Monster Who Wanted to Dance''<ref>{{cite web|title=Frank Was a Monster Who Wanted to Dance (2001)|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0302577/|publisher=IMDb|access-date=November 12, 2016}}</ref>

===Unproduced projects===
* ''Citizen Siege'' - A science fiction thriller CGI-animated film that was to be co-produced by Vanguard and video game developer [[Oddworld Inhabitants]].<ref name=Oddworld>{{Cite web|url=http://oddworldlibrary.net/toe/Citizen_Siege|title = Citizen Siege - the Oddworld Encyclopædia}}</ref> The plot involves an expatriate who returns home to find that he has been repossessed, in a shady underhive-like world where a corporate government rules the continent.<ref name=Joystik>{{Cite web|url=http://www.joystiq.com/2006/10/30/citizen-siege-oddworld-studios-new-game-and-cg-film-project/|title = Video Game News & Reviews}}</ref> The film was originally scheduled to release in 2009, but the date was pushed back to an unknown date. As of 2019, there have been no recent developments regarding the film's production.
*''Alien Rock Band''<ref name="alien">{{Cite press release | title = Panda's Stevenson Joins Vanguard's Alien Rock Band | publisher = [[Animation World Network]] | date = 2010-11-08 | url = http://www.awn.com/news/people/pandas-stevenson-joins-vanguards-alien-rock-band | accessdate = February 7, 2022}}</ref>
*''Rotten Island''<ref name="alien" />
*''Buzby''<ref name="alien" />
*''City of Dragons''<ref name="alien" />
*''Atomic Circus''<ref name="alien" />
*''Oz Wars''<ref>{{Cite press release | title = Mike Johnson to Helm Animated Oz Wars | publisher = [[ComingSoon.net]] | date = 2010-12-15 | url = http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=72433 | accessdate = February 7, 2022}}</ref>
*''[[Ribbit (film)|Ribbit]]''<ref>{{cite web|title=Ribbit ~ Gary Chapman ~ Vanguard Animation|url=http://anination.free.fr/film.php?film=ribbit}}</ref>
*[[The Twits (film)|''The Twits'']]
*''[[Galaxy High]]''<ref name=“Galaxy”>{{cite web|url= https://deadline.com/2011/05/vanguard-makes-three-picture-deal-with-authorscribe-ross-venokur-130141/|publisher=[[Deadline Hollywood|Deadline]]|accessdate=February 7, 2022|title=Vanguard Makes Three-Picture Deal With Author/Scribe Ross Venokur|date=May 10, 2011|author=Mike Fleming}}</ref>
*''The Gnome King''<ref name=“Galaxy”/>

==See also==
* [[List of computer-animated films]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Sources==
* {{cite book|last1=Bernardi|first1=D.|last2=Hoxter|first2=J.|title=Off the Page: Screenwriting in the Era of Media Convergence|publisher=University of California Press|year=2017|isbn=978-0-520-96104-3|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1LMuDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA160|chapter=New Markets and Microbudgets: "Independent" Storytellers|pages=139–181|access-date=2024-12-14}}

== External links ==
* {{Official website|http://vanguardanimation.com}}

{{Vanguard Animation}}
{{Animation industry in the United States}}
{{West Hollywood, California}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Vanguard Animation| ]]
[[Category:2002 establishments in California]]
[[Category:American animation studios]]
[[Category:American companies established in 2002]]
[[Category:Companies based in West Hollywood, California]]
[[Category:Film production companies of the United States]]

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