Animal Logic's co-founder, Zareh Nalbandian, in 2009
In 1991, Zareh Nalbandian and Chris Godfrey formed and founded a digital studio in Crows Nest, Sydney, Australia.[citation needed] The company was born out of Video Paint Brush Company, which Nalbandian, who had worked there for a few years, and his colleague Godfrey acquired in a management buy-out and renamed Animal Logic.[6]
Animal Logic moved to Fox Studios Australia in Moore Park, Sydney, in 1998. In 2003, Animal Logic began work on its first computer-animated feature film, Happy Feet, for director George Miller.[7] Released in the United States on 17 November 2006, the project saw the company expand significantly, recruiting up to 300 artists and technicians from Australia and around the world. Happy Feet, which was the first computer animated feature film produced in Australia,[8] went on to win the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature as well as the inaugural BAFTA Award for Best Animated Film.[9][10]
Their full-length feature animation, Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole, was released on 24 September 2010 and was Australia's first animated feature to be released in 3D stereoscopic. From 2004 to 2007, the company produced bumpers for Cartoon Network.[11] In 2011, the company produced and animated LEGO Star Wars: The Padawan Menace, a 30-minute TV special.[12] Produced for Lucasfilm and Cartoon Network,[12] the special premiered in the United States on Cartoon Network and was followed by a worldwide DVD and Blu-ray release.[13] In 2012, Animal Logic acquired the assets of fellow Australian visual effects studio Fuel VFX,[14] known for their work on feature films such as Iron Man 3, Prometheus, The Avengers, Mission: Impossible: Ghost Protocol, Cowboys & Aliens, Captain America: The First Avenger and Thor. Fuel VFX was nominated for a Visual Effects Society Award[15] and a BAFTA Award for Best Special Visual Effects[16] for their work on Prometheus. 2012 also saw the release of the Animal Logic-animated "Polar Bowl" campaign, consisting of a 60-second and two 30-second commercials that aired at halftime at the Super Bowl XLVI.[17] The campaign aimed to re-launch the iconic Coca-Cola polar bear characters to a new generation. Following the success of the 3 spots, which were viewed by over 160 million people globally, the company went on to animate a 6-minute short film directed by John Stevenson to headline Coca-Cola's 2013 global campaign. The film was first released through YouTube in December 2012, followed by a worldwide international cinema release. In 2013, the company led animation and visual effects work on BBC Earth and Evergreen Films' 3D live action feature Walking with Dinosaurs 3D,[18]
In 2014, Animal Logic provided animation services for the 2014 film The Lego Movie,[19] which was produced by the Warner Animation Group and directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller. After the film's huge success, the company was split into three subsidiaries operating under the Animal Logic's group: Animal Logic Animation, Animal Logic VFX, and Animal Logic Entertainment, a Los Angeles-based arm tasked with developing animated, VFX and hybrid feature films for the company.[20] The following year, the company opened a 45,000 square feet (4,200 m2) facility in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The new studio initially produced work for The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part, the first in a three-film deal with Warner Bros., all of which were to be developed in Canada.[21][22]
In July 2022, Netflix announced plans to acquire Animal Logic in an all-cash deal.[23][1]
Filmography
Year
Production
Credit
Studio
Ref.
TBA
Zero
Production Company/Animation Studio
Warner Bros. Pictures Warner Bros. Pictures Animation
