FilmFair was a British production company and animation studio that produced children's television series, animated television series, educational films, and television advertisements. The company made numerous stop motion films using puppets, clay animation, and cutout animation.

Quick Facts Industry, Founded ...
FilmFair Communications
Filmfair Animation
IndustryTelevision production
Film
Founded1959; 66 years ago (1959) (as FilmFair)
1968; 57 years ago (1968) (as FilmFair London)
Defunct1996; 29 years ago (1996)
FateFilmFair: Folded into Altschul Group Corporation
FilmFair London: Folded into CINAR Films
SuccessorAltschul Group Corporation
Cookie Jar Group
HeadquartersLos Angeles, California, U.S.
London, England
Key people
ParentCentral Independent Television (early 1980s–1991)
Caspian Group (1991–1996)
CINAR Films (FilmFair London, 1996–2001)
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Quick Facts 1986/1987 ...
The evolution of WildBrain
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1968FilmFair London is founded
1971DIC Audiovisuel is founded
1972Strawberry Shortcake brand is first developed
1974CPLG is founded
1976CINAR and Colossal Pictures are founded
1982DIC Enterprises is founded
1984Ragdoll Productions is founded
1986/1987Andy Heyward takes over DIC Enterprises and renames it DIC Animation City with help from both Bear Stearns & Co and Prudential Insurance Co
Jean Chalopin retains DIC Audiovisuel and establishes Créativité et Développement
1988Studio B Productions is founded
1992Epitome Pictures is founded
1993Capital Cities/ABC purchases DIC Animation City, renaming it DIC Entertainment
1994Both Wild Brain and Red Rover Studios were founded
1995Platinum Disc Corporation is founded
1996The Walt Disney Company purchases Capital Cities/ABC, which included DIC Entertainment as well
CINAR buys FilmFair's library
1997Decode Entertainment is founded
1999Wild Brain acquires Colossal Pictures' employee base
2000Andy Heyward re-acquires DIC Entertainment from The Walt Disney Company with help this time around from both Bain Capital and Chase Capital Partners
2002Nerd Corps Entertainment is founded
DIC Entertainment rebrands themselves onscreen as The Incredible World Of DIC
2004Halifax Film Company is founded
Michael Hirsh takes over CINAR and renames it as Cookie Jar Group
2005Platinum Disc Corporation merge as Echo Bridge Home Entertainment
2006Decode and Halifax Film merge as DHX Media
DIC Entertainment acquires CPLG
Ragdoll Productions forms a joint-venture with BBC Worldwide called Ragdoll Worldwide
Wildbrain acquires stake in Kidrobot
2007DHX Media buys Studio B Productions
Wild Brain becomes Wildbrain Entertainment
2008Cookie Jar Group purchases and folds DIC Entertainment
House of Cool absorbs Red Rover Studios
2010DHX Media buys Wildbrain Entertainment
Peanuts Worldwide is founded
2011Decode Entertainment and Red Rover Studios both close
2012DHX Media buys Cookie Jar Group
Wildbrain Entertainment acquires Kidrobot as a whole
2013DHX Media acquires Ragdoll Worldwide from Ragdoll Productions and BBC Worldwide; despite that though, Ragdoll Productions themselves remain independent
2014DHX Media buys Epitome Pictures, Nerd Corps, and Echo Bridge Home Entertainment's family content library, as well as Family, the Canadian English and French Disney Junior channels, and the Canadian version of Disney XD
National Entertainment Collectibles Association acquires Kidrobot from Wildbrain Entertainment
2016The WildBrain multi-channel network launches
Studio B and Nerd Corps merge as DHX Studios
2017Wildbrain Entertainment closes
DHX Media buys Peanuts Worldwide and Strawberry Shortcake
2018Halifax Film becomes Island of Misfits
2019DHX Media rebrands as WildBrain
Epitome Pictures closes
the WildBrain MCN becomes WildBrain Spark
2020CPLG becomes WildBrain CPLG
2021Echo Bridge folds into SP Distribution
2023WildBrain acquires House of Cool
2024WildBrain Spark merged into its parent company as WildBrain London
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History

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Foundation

FilmFair was founded in 1959 by American animator Gus Jekel in Los Angeles, California. After working with Walt Disney Productions and other Hollywood animation studios in the 1930s, Jekel incorporated FilmFair because he wanted the freedom to create live action work as well. The studio was in Animation Alley, a stretch of Cahuenga Boulevard that runs through Studio City in northern Los Angeles.[1]

Jekel's company produced television advertisements—some animated, others live action—and was extremely successful; even Disney was a client.[2][3]

In the late 1960s, Jekel asked an English colleague, Graham Clutterbuck, to start a European office for FilmFair. Clutterbuck had been producing and coordinating television ads for European advertising agencies and had just lost his job as director general of Les Cinéastes Associés in Paris. Although he was not well-acquainted with animation, Clutterbuck accepted the job offer. Clutterbuck established FilmFair's European office in Paris. It was there that he met Serge Danot, who pitched his ideas for a children's series, but Clutterbuck turned him down. Soon after, Danot signed a contract with the BBC to produce the series The Magic Roundabout. He invited Clutterbuck to watch them film. While there, Clutterbuck met the series' co-creator, Ivor Wood.[2] Later, the two men agreed that Wood would make animated films for FilmFair. The success of The Magic Roundabout paved the way for more stop-motion animation at the BBC. Soon, Wood came up with the idea for The Herbs, which premiered on BBC1 in 1968.[2]

FilmFair London

By this time, Beatlemania had made England a cultural hotspot. Clutterbuck found it too difficult to attract English talent to France, so he moved the office to London.[2] There, Barry Leith joined the company as director of animation. Wood and Leith collaborated on The Wombles, but Wood also had a few ideas for animating Michael Bond's stories about Paddington Bear. Bond was enthusiastic about Wood's artistic vision and began scripting the first series.[4] BBC1 premiered Paddington in 1976 to great acclaim. FilmFair produced new episodes of the programme for three years, and it expanded into a considerable media franchise.

FilmFair continued to produce successful stop motion programmes through the mid-1970s. The company's first classically animated series, Simon in the Land of Chalk Drawings, premiered in 1974 on ITV. It was adapted from a series of children's books written and illustrated by Edward McLachlan.[5] The company's first series not directed by Wood was The Perishers, a classically animated series directed by Dick Horn.

As FilmFair London continued to produce animated television series for the BBC and ITV, they eventually reached an international audience through broadcast syndication and home video distribution.

Acquisitions

In the early 1980s, Central Independent Television bought a controlling share of the European branch of FilmFair. Graham Clutterbuck died of cancer on 30 April 1988; FilmFair dedicated Bangers and Mash to his memory.

In 1991, Central sold FilmFair London to Storm Group (also known as the Caspian Group), one of FilmFair's video distributors. Altschul Group Corporation (AGC) bought FilmFair's American branch in 1992, as part of campaign to acquire more than a dozen film companies. Discovery Education, a subsidiary of Discovery Communications, bought AGC's film catalogue in 2003.[6] As of 2022, Discovery Education is now owned by Clearlake Capital, with Francisco Partners along with Discovery, Inc.'s successor and Warner Bros. parent company Warner Bros. Discovery holding minority stakes.

Sale of FilmFair London to CINAR and reopening (1996-2001)

On 1 November 1996, it was announced that CINAR Films, a Canadian-based company, agreed to a deal with the Caspian Group to purchase FilmFair London's catalogue and production amenities for $10.5 Million. The deal would include all television, video, music publishing, licensing and merchandising rights, and the opportunity to produce new episodes of select shows.[7] The deal was completed at the end of the month.[8]

On 25 March 1997, CINAR announced the opening of their London-based European production and distribution studio CINAR Europe. Alongside that, they had announced that they had also reopened FilmFair as a fully-fledged animation studio to produce new content with their parent company, as well as remaster and restore their existing catalogue for an international expansion. The first two shows to be produced under the revived studio would be The Wombles and The Adventures of Paddington Bear, themselves being revivals of shows FilmFair previously produced.[9][10] The company also co-produced the series The Upstairs Downstairs Bears[11] in 2000, and announced a revival of Simon in the Land of Chalk Drawings in November 2001, which would be handled in Canada by CINAR themselves.[12]

Following CINAR's founders being implicated in a financial scandal in 2000, the CINAR Corporation went under major economic issues. The company announced that they would put up CINAR Europe for sale in September 2001[13] but after being unable to find a buyer, the company shut down in February 2002 with all sales and distribution activity moving to CINAR's main headquarters in Montreal.[14]

In 2004, after being bought out under new management, the CINAR Corporation rebranded to Cookie Jar Group, which in turn was acquired by DHX Media (now WildBrain) in 2012, thus acquiring the rights to the European FilmFair properties and making DHX the largest independent producer of kids programming with 8,550 half hours up from 2,550.[15]

Productions

Animated television series

More information Title, Original broadcast ...
Title Original
broadcast
Network Animation Director(s)
The Herbs1968BBC1Stop motionIvor Wood
Hattytown Tales1969–1973Thames for ITVStop motionIvor Wood
The Adventures of Parsley1970BBC1Stop motionIvor Wood
The Wombles1973–1975BBC1Stop motionIvor Wood
Barry Leith (dir. of animation)
Simon in the Land of Chalk Drawings1974–1976Thames for ITVTraditionalIvor Wood
Paddington1975–1986BBC1Stop motionIvor Wood
Barry Leith (dir. of animation)
The Perishers1978–1979BBC1TraditionalDick Horn
Moschops1983Central for ITVStop motionMartin Pullen
The Adventures of Portland Bill1983Central for ITVStop motionJohn Grace
The Blunders1986Central for ITVTraditionalIan Sachs
The Shoe People1987TV-am for ITVTraditionalClennell Rawson
Edward and Friends1987BBC2Stop motionMartin Pullen
Jo Pullen
Jeff Newitt
Windfalls1988Central for ITVStop motionJenny Kenna
Stories of the Sylvanian Families1988Central for ITVStop motionJo Pullen
Martin Pullen
Bangers and Mash1988Central for ITVTraditionalIan Sachs
Huxley Pig1989–1990Central for ITVStop motionMartin Pullen
Nellie the Elephant1990–1991Central for ITVTraditionalTerry Ward
The Dreamstone1990–1995Central for ITVTraditionalMartin Gates
Rod 'n' Emu1991Central for ITVTraditionalIan Sachs
Dick Horn
The Gingerbread Man1992Central for ITVStop motionMartin Pullen
Astro Farm1992–1996Central for ITVStop motionDavid Johnson
The Legends of Treasure Island1993–1995Central for ITVTraditionalDino Athanassiou
Simon Ward-Horner
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Television specials

More information Title, Premiere ...
Title Premiere Network Animation Director
Paddington Goes to the Movies1980BBC1Stop motionBarry Leith[16]
Paddington Goes to School1984BBC1Stop motionMartin Pullen[17]
Paddington’s Birthday Bonanza1986BBC1Stop motionGlenn Whiting[18]
Totally Minnie1988NBCTraditionalScot Garen
World Womble Day1990Central for ITVStop motionMartin Pullen[19]
The Wandering Wombles1991Central for ITVStop motionMartin Pullen[19]
Brown Bear's Wedding1991Central for ITVTraditionalChris Randall (anim.)[20]
White Bear's Secret1992Central for ITVTraditionalChris Randall (anim.)[21]
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Pilots

More information Title, Premiere ...
Title Premiere Animation
The Further Adventures of Noddy[22]1983Stop motion
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See also

References

Further reading

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