Atomic Cartoons
TypeSubsidiary
IndustryAnimation
FoundedMarch 1999; 24 years ago (1999-03)
Founders
  • Trevor Bentley
  • Mauro Casalese
  • Olaf Miller
  • Rob Davies
Headquarters123 West 7th Avenue,
Vancouver, British Columbia
,
Canada
Number of locations
3 (2020)
Key people
Jennifer McCarron (CEO)
Matthew Berkowitz (CCO)
Number of employees
600 (2019)[1]
ParentThunderbird Entertainment
Websiteatomiccartoons.com

Atomic Cartoons is a Canadian animation studio founded in 1999 by Trevor Bentley, Mauro Casalese, Olaf Miller, and former Warner Bros. Animation employee Rob Davies.[2][3] Based out of Vancouver, British Columbia, it produces service animation for a wide variety of clients, as well as creating its own properties. Since 2015, the company has been owned by Thunderbird Entertainment.[4]

History

The studio was founded in March 1999 by Trevor Bentley, Mauro Casalese, Olaf Miller, and Rob Davies.[5] Sent back to Vancouver, British Columbia, after losing his job at Warner Bros. Animation following the cancellation of Pinky, Elmyra & the Brain, Davies received a phone call from Sunwoo Entertainment's Jae Moh to help produce Milo's Bug Quest [ko]. Together with Miller, Bentley, and Casalese, the four launched Atomic Cartoons to assist in creating the series.[2]

Between 2004 and 2008, the company produced Atomic Betty for Teletoon in association with Breakthrough Entertainment and Tele Images Kids. Atomic's first fully original creation, the show's titular heroine served as the studio's mascot for a number of years.

In 2010, Miller left to launch his own studio. The following year, Jennifer McCarron was appointed head of production.[6] On July 8, 2015, Atomic Cartoons was bought by Canadian production company Thunderbird Films.[4] The three founders remain on board. McCarron was named president and chief executive officer in 2016.[7]

In December 2018, the company opened a second animation studio in Ottawa, Ontario.[8] Its first project was the Netflix series The Last Kids on Earth.

In February 2020, Atomic Cartoons opened its third studio in Los Angeles, California.[9]

Productions

Television series

# Title Years Network/channel/platform Co-producer(s) Notes
1 Spider-Man Unlimited 1999–2001 Fox Kids Marvel Studios
Saban Entertainment
Koko Enterprise Co., Ltd.
Dong Yang Animation 		[10]
2 Courage The Cowardly Dog 1999–2002 Cartoon Network Stretch Films Additional storyboards only
3 Milo's Bug Quest [ko] 1999–2000 KBS2 Sunwoo Entertainment Character, prop and background designs, and storyboards[11]
4 Timber Wolf 2001 Warnerbros.com [12]
5 Max & Ruby 2002–2019 Treehouse TV Nelvana Based on the book series by Rosemary Wells.
Seasons 6–7 only, previously produced by Silver Lining Productions for the first five seasons, 9 Story Entertainment for seasons 3–5 and Chorion for seasons 4–5.
6 Atomic Betty 2004–2008 Teletoon
M6 (seasons 1–2)
Télétoon (season 3) 		Breakthrough Entertainment
Tele Images Kids
Marathon Media 		[13]
7 Krypto the Superdog 2005-2006 Cartoon Network Warner Bros. Animation Storyboards only
8 Johnny Test 2005–2014 Kids' WB (seasons 1–3)
Cartoon Network (seasons 4–6)
Teletoon 		Cookie Jar Entertainment
Warner Bros. Animation (seasons 1–2)
DHX Media (season 6) 		Storyboards for the first season, animation service for seasons 4–6
9 Captain Flamingo 2006–2008 YTV
GMA Network 		Breakthrough Films and Television
Heroic Film Company
Philippine Animation Studio Inc. 		[14]
10 Click and Clack's As the Wrench Turns 2008 PBS [15]
11 Babar and the Adventures of Badou 2010–2015 YTV
TF1
Disney Junior 		Nelvana
TeamTO
LuxAnimation (seasons 1–2)
The Clifford Ross Company 		[16]
Based on the original Babar books by Jean and Laurent de Brunhoff.
Computer-animated sequel and spin-off to the original Babar television series.
12 Transformers: Rescue Bots 2012–2016 Discovery Family Darby Pop Productions (season 1)
Hasbro Studios 		Season 1 only, overtook by Vision Animation and Moody Street Productions for the second season and DHX Media Vancouver for the third and fourth seasons.
13 Rocket Monkeys 2013–2016 Teletoon Breakthrough Entertainment
Hornet Films 		[17]
14 Ella the Elephant 2013–2014 TVOKids DHX Cookie Jar Inc.
FremantleMedia Kids and Family Entertainment 		[18]
15 Little Charmers 2015-2017 Treehouse TV Nelvana
16 Pirate Express 2015 Teletoon
17 Nico Can Dance! 2015 Knowledge Network
18 Screechers Wild 2016 Alpha Group Co., Ltd.
19 Counterfeit Cat 2016–2017 Teletoon
20 Beat Bugs 2016–2018
21 Winston Steinburger and Sir Dudley Ding Dong 2016–2017 Teletoon
22 Marvel Super Hero Adventures 2017–2020
23 Minecraft Mini Series 2017–2018 YouTube
24 Legend of the Three Caballeros 2018 DisneyLife Disney Consumer Products
25 Cupcake & Dino: General Services 2018–2019 Teletoon
26 Super Dinosaur 2018–2019 Teletoon Spin Master Entertainment
27 Hilda 2018–present Netflix Silvergate Media
Mercury Filmworks		 Animated 8 episodes for season one.[19]
28 101 Dalmatian Street 2019–2020 Disney Channel (UK)
Disney+ (USA/Canada)		 Passion Animation Studios Loosely based on the 1956 novel The Hundred and One Dalmatians by Dodie Smith and its film franchise.
29 Molly of Denali 2019–present PBS Kids
CBC Kids		 GBH Kids
30 Lego Jurassic World: Legend of Isla Nublar 2019 Nickelodeon
31 The Last Kids on Earth 2019–present Netflix
32 Hello Ninja 2019–21 Netflix
33 Mighty Express 2020–present Netflix Spin Master Entertainment
34 Trolls: TrollsTopia 2020–2022 Hulu/Peacock DreamWorks Animation Television
35 Spidey and His Amazing Friends 2021–present Disney Junior Marvel Animation
36 Dogs in Space 2021–present Netflix Netflix Animation
37 Pinecone & Pony 2022–present Apple TV+ DreamWorks Animation Television
First Generation Films
38 Little Demon 2022–present FXX Harmonious Claptrap
Jersey Films 2nd Avenue
Evil Hag Productions
ShadowMachine
FXP		 First series from the company aimed at an adult audience.[20]
39 My Little Pony: Make Your Mark 2022 Netflix Boulder Media
Entertainment One		 [21]
40 Oddballs 2022–present Netflix Netflix Animation [22]
41 Princess Power 2023–present Netflix Flower Films [23]
42 Teenage Euthanasia 2023 Adult Swim Williams Street Animation services for season 2[24]
43 Young Love 2023 Max Sony Pictures Animation
44 Mermicorno: Starfall 2025 Max [25][26]
45 Nate Create TBA TBA The Jim Henson Company [27]

Films and specials

Title Years Network Co-producer(s) Notes
The Angry Birds Movie 2016 Theatrical Rovio Animation "Hal & Bubbles" opening
Lego Jurassic World: The Secret Exhibit 2018 NBC
Lego Spider-Man: Vexed by Venom 2019
Curious George: Royal Monkey 2019 Peacock Universal Animation Studios
Lego Jurassic World: Double Trouble 2020
Lego Star Wars Holiday Special 2020 Disney+ [28]
Curious George: Go West, Go Wild! 2020 Peacock Universal Animation Studios
Lego Avengers: Climate Conundrum 2020
Curious George: Cape Ahoy 2021 Peacock Universal Animation Studios
Lego Star Wars: Terrifying Tales 2021 Disney+ [29]
Lego Marvel Avengers: Time Twisted 2022
LEGO Star Wars Summer Vacation 2022 Disney+ [30]
Night at the Museum: Kahmunrah Rises Again 2022 Disney+ [31]

Other

References

  1. ^ Ross, Ailsa (June 27, 2019). "Zombies and Owls: How Atomic Cartoons Recruits Canada's Best Talent". Royal Bank of Canada. Retrieved July 5, 2019.
  2. ^ a b Miller, Bob (2000-09-01). "The Power Behind Atomic Cartoons". Animation World Network. Retrieved 2015-03-13.
  3. ^ Goodman, Martin (2002-03-18). "Atomic Betty: Defending the Universe and Trying to Find a Home on TV". Animation World Network. Retrieved 2015-03-13.
  4. ^ a b Cummins, Juliana (July 8, 2015). "Thunderbird acquires Atomic Cartoons". Kidscreen. Brunico Communications. Retrieved April 8, 2019.
  5. ^ Edwards, Ian (April 5, 1999). "New Vancouver studio Atomic Cartoons opens". Playback. Brunico Communications.
  6. ^ Getzler, Wendy (October 19, 2011). "Atomic Cartoons names head of production". Kidscreen. Brunico Communications. Retrieved April 8, 2019.
  7. ^ Pinto, Jordan (June 16, 2016). "Twiner-McCarron named president of Atomic Cartoons". Playback. Brunico Communications. Retrieved April 8, 2019.
  8. ^ "Animation studio drawn back to Hintonburg". CBC News. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. December 16, 2018. Retrieved April 8, 2019.
  9. ^ Milligan, Mercedes (February 5, 2020). "Thunderbird's Atomic Cartoons Opens LA Studio". Animation Magazine. Retrieved February 6, 2020.
  10. ^ "'the Walking Dead' Creator Robert Kirkman Quietly Launched a Tv Series in Canada". 12 October 2018.
  11. ^ Edwards, Ian (1999-11-15). "Animal Planet calls on 'Wild'". Playback. Retrieved 2015-03-13.
  12. ^ Godfrey, Leigh (October 25, 2001). "Timberwolf On The Web". Animation World Network. Retrieved February 6, 2020.
  13. ^ Brodsky, Katherine (2012-09-05). "World's love of toons makes these nerds cool". Variety. Retrieved 2015-03-13.
  14. ^ DeMott, Rick (2007-09-11). "Captain Flamingo Lands On Jetix Programming Block". Animation World Network. Retrieved 2015-03-13.
  15. ^ Mallory, Michael (2012-06-14). "The Tooning Up of 'Car Talk'". Animation Magazine. Retrieved 2015-03-13.
  16. ^ "Atomic Cartoons Goes Boom". 16 May 2019.
  17. ^ Wolfe, Jennifer (2014-10-15). "TELETOON Commissions Third Season of Breakthrough's 'Rocket Monkeys'". Animation World Network. Retrieved 2015-03-13.
  18. ^ "Atomic Cartoons Revs up Creative Investment".
  19. ^ "Hilda". Atomic Cartoons. Archived from the original on 17 November 2020. Retrieved November 26, 2022.
  20. ^ "FX Orders Animated Comedy Pilot 'Little Demon'; Danny & Lucy DeVito, Aubrey Plaza to Star, Dan Harmon to EP". 23 April 2020.
  21. ^ Tuchow, Ryan (February 18, 2022). "Hasbro Saddles Up New My Little Pony Content". Kid Screen. Retrieved February 19, 2022.
  22. ^ "Youtube Creator James Rallison's Animated Series 'Oddballs' to Premiere on Netflix in 2022". Netflix Media Center (Press release). June 23, 2022.
  23. ^ Milligan, Mercedes (2022-09-07). "'Princess Power,' 'Spirit Rangers' Join Netflix's Fall Preschool Slate". Animation Magazine. Retrieved 2022-09-07.
  24. ^ O'Rourke, Ryan (2022-03-31). "'Teenage Euthanasia' Renewed for Season 2 at Adult Swim". Collider. Retrieved 2023-04-06.
  25. ^ Milligan, Mercedes (February 4, 2019). "Tokidoki's Mermicorno Getting Animated with Atomic Cartoons". Animation Magazine. Retrieved February 6, 2020.
  26. ^ Whittock, Jesse (May 24, 2023). "Max Boards 'Mermicorno: Starfall' Animated Series From Thunderbird's Atomic Cartoons And Tokidoki". Animation Magazine. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
  27. ^ Tuchow, Ryan (February 25, 2020). "How Jim Henson & Atomic are differentiating Nate Create". Kidscreen. Brunico Communications. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  28. ^ Zahed, Ramin (August 13, 2020). "Disney+ Gets Festive with 'LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special'". Animation Magazine. Retrieved August 27, 2020.
  29. ^ "LEGO STAR WARS TERRIFYING TALES IS HERE!". Atomic Cartoons. 2021-10-21. Retrieved 2021-11-03.
  30. ^ Zahed, Ramin (June 21, 2022). "Disney+ Unveils New Taste of the 'LEGO Star Wars Summer Vacation'". Animation Magazine. Retrieved June 21, 2022.
  31. ^ "Night At The Museum Kahmunrah Rises Again Animated Film Gets Animation Studio". Tumblr. Retrieved 2022-11-04.

External links

Animation industry in Canada
Categories