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Powerhouse Animation Studios, Inc. is an American animation studio based in Austin, Texas. It was founded in April 2001 with a subsidiary called Powerhouse Animation LLC, established in the summer of 2014. The company develops and produces traditional 2D animation, motion comics, motion graphics, art assets, digital paint, illustration for television series, motion pictures, video game cinemas, commercials, advertising campaigns, educational properties, and entertainment companies.
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Animation |
| Founded | April 1, 2001 |
| Headquarters | Austin, Texas Hollywood, California |
Key people | Frank Gabriel, Brad Graeber, Bruce Tinnin |
| Products | Animation |
Number of employees | 175 |
| Divisions | Powerhouse Animation LLC |
| Website | www |
Powerhouse Animation's name is partially inspired by Raymond Scott's song "Powerhouse", which was often placed in scores that Carl Stalling wrote for Warner Bros. shorts and has been featured in numerous animated cartoons.
In the fall of 2014, Powerhouse Animation Studios, Inc. opened its first satellite office in Burbank, California.
Powerhouse Animation LLC, a division of parent company Powerhouse, joined The Animation Guild and became a Signatory of IATSE (International Alliance of Theatrical and Stage Employees) in May 2015.
In 2021, Powerhouse signed a first-look deal with Netflix to produce new animated shows for them.[1]
In 2002, Powerhouse produced the short "Heroes" which parodied the film Clerks as well as Marvel Comics characters. After seeing the short, Kevin Smith, the director of Clerks, contacted the firm to produce an unfinished commercial from Dogma. After producing the short, Smith hired Powerhouse to create an arcade machine that featured a custom video game. The game was given, as a wrap party present, to Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez for their work on Jersey Girl. In the game, the main character is Lopez trying to rescue Affleck from an unknown villain and a band of ninjas.
In 2003, the firm created a 35 mm test for a feature film based on Clerks: The Animated Series for Smith. They animated Clerks: The Lost Scene[2][3] which was included on the Clerks X: 10th Anniversary DVD. As writer–director Smith explains in the introduction to the scene on the DVD, it had originally been written for Clerks, but was not filmed due to budgetary restraints.
In 2004, they animated the "Mr. Mom" video for the band Lonestar.
The firm produces animated versions of many syndicated comic strips including Dilbert, Pearls before Swine, Cul de Sac, Liō, Pooch Café[4] and Over the Hedge produced by RingTales. Powerhouse has animated over 300 Dilbert shorts. It has produced animated content for educational companies including TED-Ed, Brain Chase, Compass Learning, Ignite! Learning and the National Fire Protection Association.[citation needed]
It produces animated content for websites, podcasts and other internet companies including several segments of the "B.S. Report Animated Archives" and "Jalen Rose Story Time" for ESPN's Grantland, and episodes of Kevin Smith's Spoilers series for SModcast and Hulu.
In November 2010, they finished working with Disney Interactive Studios to make the cutscenes for Epic Mickey, and in 2012, Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two.
In November 2013, Powerhouse worked with Disney Interactive Media Group and Disney Television Animation with collaboration by language instruction company Rosetta Stone to create a nine-episode season of It's a Small World: The Animated Series, Based on the Disney Parks attraction, It's a Small World.
Powerhouse has produced animated advertising content for brands such as Old Spice, IAMS, Disney Parks, Disneyland, Metlife, Coca-Cola, Oreo, Mountain Dew, Ruffles, GoDaddy.com and many others. In 2015, they worked with Weiden+Kennedy to animate a segment for a Weight Watchers ad called "All You Can Eat" that aired during Super Bowl XLIX.
Powerhouse has produced animated music videos for Lizzo, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Wale ft. French Montana, A Sound of Thunder and Lonestar. The firm also develops original IPs and has optioned a series to a toy company. In 2015, the company wrote, created, designed and voiced a short series for AwesomenessTV/DreamWorksTV called Advice Times with Grandpa Theo that can be seen on DreamWorksTV's YouTube page. In 2017, the firm worked on numerous cutscenes featured in the action-adventure game Agents of Mayhem.
From 2017 to 2021, Powerhouse Animation Studios worked on the Netflix animated series, Castlevania, written by Warren Ellis; produced by Frederator Studios and Adi Shankar.[5][6] Castlevania released July 7, 2017, on Netflix.[7]
Powerhouse worked on a Greek mythology–based anime-influenced animation series titled Blood of Zeus, released on Netflix in March 2019.[citation needed]
In August 2019, it was announced Powerhouse would be working on Masters of the Universe: Revelation for Netflix. It will serve as a sequel series to the original He-Man and the Masters of the Universe.[8]
In late June 2021, the studio signed a first look deal with Netflix.[9]
October 2, 2021: the studio worked with OfflineTV to create an animated music video called "Break Out".[10]
October 5, 2021: Powerhouse Animation worked with Sega to release a launch trailer for Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania.[11]
October 11, 2022: Mark Phillips of RDCWorld1 announced that their new animated show, Dark Lights, is being animated by Powerhouse Animation.[citation needed]
November 1, 2022: the Sonic Frontiers promotional short "Sonic Frontiers Prologue: Divergence" was released, featuring animation by Powerhouse Animation.[12]
September 20, 2023: the Sonic Superstars promotional short "Trio of Trouble" was released, animated by Powerhouse Animation. November 22, 2023: the Sonic Dream Team opening animation was released, with animation by Powerhouse Animation.
Television series
| Title | Year | Notes | Refs. |
|---|---|---|---|
| It's a Small World: The Animated Series | 2013 | Based on the Disney theme park attraction It's a Small World | |
| Castlevania | 2017–2021 | Based on the Castlevania video game franchise | [13] |
| The Adventures of Kid Danger | 2018 | Based on the Henry Danger (2014–2020) television series | |
| Seis Manos | 2019 | ||
| Epithet Erased | 2019 | ||
| Blood of Zeus | 2020–present | Based on Greek mythology | |
| Masters of the Universe | 2021–present | Sequel to the He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (1983–1985) television series | [14] |
| Skull Island | 2023 | Part of the MonsterVerse franchise. Based on the King Kong fictional monster. | |
| Castlevania: Nocturne | 2023–present | Based on the Castlevania video game franchise. Sequel to the Castlevania (2017–2021) television series | |
| Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft | 2024–present | Based on the Tomb Raider video game franchise. Sequel to the Shadow of the Tomb Raider (2018) video game |
Projects
| Year | Title | Type | Refs. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Heroes | short | |
| 2003 | Clerks: The Lost Scene | 35 mm test for a feature film | [15] |
| 2004 | "Mr. Mom" | animated video for the band Lonestar | |
| 2015 | "All You Can Eat" | Weight Watchers ad | |
| 2015 | Advice Times with Grandpa Theo | short series | |
| 2017 | Agents of Mayhem | action-adventure game cutscenes | |
| 2021 | "Break Out" | animated music video | [16] |
| 2021 | Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania | launch trailer | [17] |
| 2022 | Sonic Frontiers "Sonic Frontiers Prologue: Divergence" | promotional short | [18] |
| 2023 | Sonic Superstars "Trio of Trouble" | promotional short | |
| 2023 | Sonic Dream Team | opening animation | |
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