Universal Animation


 * This article is about the main feature animation division of Universal Pictures. For the animation studio that maintains both the Universal City and Glendale studios, see Universal Animation Studios.

Universal Animation (formerly Universal Feature Animation and Universal Animation Studios) is an American animation studio that is the feature animation division of Universal Pictures, a division of Comcast through its wholly-owned subsidiary NBCUniversal. Founded in May 1993 by Michael Wildshill and alumni of Multimedia Animation, it is based at the Universal Studios Lot in Universal City, California. The studio has produced a total of 20 feature films, from Ama and the Mysterious Crystal (1997) to Imagimals 2 (2020), and is best known for the franchises Ama, Computeropolis, Nepola's Odyssey, Paradoria, and Imagimals.

As of 2018, Universal Animation's feature films have grossed a combined total of $153.3 billion worldwide, with an average gross of $726.9 million per film. Four of its films — Paradoria 2 (2019), Computeropolis: The Deep Web (2018), Paradoria (2015), and Imagimals (2017) — are among the highest-grossing films of all time, and ten of its films are among the highest-grossing animated films of all time, with Paradoria 2 being the all-time highest. The studio has received one Academy Award, 41 Emmys, numerous Annie Awards, and multiple Golden Globe and BAFTA nominations.

History
In early 1993, animator Michael Wildshill met with MCA president Sid Sheinberg to discuss the creation of a feature animation division, an offer that Wildshill immediately accepted. That same year, Universal Pictures and several other Hollywood studios moved into feature animation following the success of Disney animated features. Universal Feature Animation was officially established in May 1993 to produce theatrical animated films to rival Disney. John Cohen was brought in to head the new division, which was set up in a building on the Universal Studios lot. To build the talent base, Wildshill brought over artists from Multimedia's feature animation department Multimedia Animation, while Cohen recruited some of the staff from Walt Disney Feature Animation and Amblimation.

Some of Multimedia Animation's artists in North Hollywood came to Universal Feature Animation in 1994, when their last feature was in production, with the rest doing so in the following year when Multimedia's assets were sold to MCA in 1995. In October 1994, Universal Feature Animation announced a full slate of animated projects in development: Ama and the Mysterious Crystal (then titled Legend of the Magic Crystal), an adaptation of T. H. White's Mistress Masham's Repose, and Oceanic (which was later shelved).

After the box office failure of Magina in 2003, Universal laid off most of the employees at the Feature Animation studio, downsizing it to one unit and beginning plans to move into fully computer-animated features. A handful of employees were offered positions for computer animation. Subsequently, on October 9, 2003, Universal Feature Animation officially announced they were becoming a fully CGI studio, now with a staff of 460 people, and began selling off all of its traditional animation equipment.

In January 2008, Universal renamed its Feature Animation unit as Universal Animation Studios and merged its direct-to-video and television animation unit with the feature animation. Animators at Universal City worked on projects based at the Universal City studio, but also assisted in projects based in the Glendale UAS studio. Two months later, Universal announced a deal with up-and-coming animation studio Illumination Entertainment, positioning it as NBCUniversal's family entertainment arm within its feature animation group consisting of Universal Animation, with Wildshill overseeing Illumination as Head of Animation. This meant that Universal would be able to release as many as three animated films in a year divided between the two studios. Many felt that this decision was made to help Universal to establish itself as a competitor to Disney's feature animation group, which consists of Pixar Animation Studios and Walt Disney Animation Studios.

Wildshill later explained that, after the merger, to maintain the studios' separate identities and cultures (notwithstanding the fact of common ownership and common senior management), he and the Universal Animation executives "drew a hard line" that each studio was solely responsible for its own projects and would not be allowed to borrow personnel from or lend tasks out to the other; the rule ensured that each studio would maintain "local ownership" of projects and could "be proud of its own work". Thus, for example, when Universal Animation had issues with Nepola's Odyssey (2011) and Illumination with The Lorax (2012), "nobody bailed them out", and each studio was required "to solve the problem on [their] own", even when they knew there were personnel at the other studio who, theoretically, could have helped.

In September 2012, Universal named former Walt Disney Feature Animation president Peter Schneider the new president of Universal Animation and Illumination; however, in January 2013, Schneider resigned for personal reasons. In September 2013, Universal named David Stainton, another former Disney Animation president, as the president of the Universal Animation and Illumination divisions.

In October 2015, Universal named former Cartoon Network president Stuart Snyder as the executive vice president of the Universal Feature Animation Group.

On April 28, 2016, NBCUniversal announced its intent to acquire competing studio DreamWorks Animation for $3.8 billion, making DreamWorks a sister studio to Universal Animation and Illumination Entertainment; the acquisition was later completed on August 22, 2016.

Projects
The first of Universal's animated features was Ama and the Mysterious Crystal (1997), which starred the voices of Christina Ricci, Jason Biggs, Jodi Benson, Hank Azaria, Patrick Stewart, and Jennifer Aniston. Directed by Michael Wildshill, it received positive reviews from critics and was a success at the box office, establishing Universal as one of Disney's first major competitors in feature animation. Animation production for Ama was primarily done at the new Universal feature animation studio, although much of the work was outsourced to animation studios around the world.

More coming soon!

Upcoming projects
Universal Animation is currently working on Computeropolis: Webcation (2022) and Mechagirl (2022), with two more films whose titles have not been announced set for release on December 20, 2023 and December 25, 2024. Other Universal Animation films in development include a film adaptation of the video game Oxenfree written and directed by Frans Vischer, an original film about a leopard gecko written and directed by John France, an adaptation of the webcomic Makeshift Miracle by Jim Zub, and an animated Woody Woodpecker film written and directed by Michael Wildshill.

Feature films

 * Further information: List of Universal Animation films

Accolades
Coming soon!

Trivia

 * Universal Animation is often described by fans as the Universal counterpart of Walt Disney Animation Studios while Illumination is described as the Universal counterpart of Pixar.
 * Starting with Computeropolis: The Deep Web in 2018, the word "studios" was removed from the logo, making the company known simply as Universal Animation.