Latest news with #ONAnimationStudios
Yahoo
25-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Mediawan's ON Animation Studios, Behind ‘Ladybug & Cat Noir: The Movie,' Shuts Down Amid Industry Turmoil
Mediawan-owned ON Animation Studios, the Montreal-based banner whose credits include 'Ladybug & Cat Noir: The Movie,' 'The Little Prince' and 'Playmobil the Movie,' has shut down, Variety has confirmed. ON Animation Studios, which was launched by French producers Aton Soumache ('Little Nicholas') and Dimitri Rassam ('The Count of Monte Cristo') in 2012, was acquired by Mediawan five years later. The company quickly became a key animation studio in Montreal and attracted talented animators from overseas, boosted by a pipeline of projects based on famed IP's such as the blockbuster 'Ladybug & Cat Noir: The Movie' which ranks as one of the most-watched French animated films worldwide; and 'The Little Prince,' which played at the Cannes Film Festival and won a Cesar Award, as well as nod from the British Academy Children's Awards. More from Variety 'Little Prince' Chinese Adaptation in the Works From Stars Collective, Shanghai's El Pajaro (EXCLUSIVE) 'Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir' Season 6 Sets January U.S. Premiere on Disney Channel XD With Revamped Designs (EXCLUSIVE) 'The Count of Monte-Cristo' Producer Dimitri Rassam Launches Financial-Distribution Powerhouse Yapluka With Backing From Pathe, M6, CMA Media (EXCLUSIVE) ON Animation Studios was also one of the several companies that was able to tap into Quebec's attractive tax rebate which turned the region into a hotbed for animation and drew Hollywood and European productions. But that all changed when Quebec's conservative government restricted the province's tax scheme with a 65% cap on eligible expenses for international films which resulted in a 28% cut in tax credits, as of May 2024. 'Amid the changes in our industry, ON Animation Studios is ceasing its activities. It is sad to say goodbye to a team as incredible, talented, and skilled as ours. We will deeply miss the joy and excitement of creating outstanding films alongside such remarkable people and partners,' said ON Animation in a statement posted on its Linkedln page. 'We are grateful to have had the opportunity to do what we love for so many years while remaining true to ourselves. The way we shared, learned, and grew together, and the respect and care we showed one another, were as essential as the stories we told and the values they embodied,' the company added. Mediawan, meanwhile, told Variety that the 'company will continue developing and producing animated feature projects through its Paris-based outfit Mediawan Kids & Family and Miraculous Corp, and will collaborate with animation studios in different locations, on a case-by-case basis, depending on the source of financing and talent attached.' Miraculous Corp, is a recently-launched joint venture between Mediawan and Zag, the animation studio behind 'Miraculous' founded by Jeremy Zag. ON Animation's folding is far from being an isolated case. Earlier this week, a giant in the world of VFX, Technicolor – which hires thousands of visual effects workers in countries including the U.S., UK, Canada and India — announced it was shutting down. Technicolor encompasses VFX giant MPC ('Mufasa,' 'The Lion King'), commercial VFX brand The Mill, Mikros Animation and Technicolor of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week Grammy Predictions, From Beyoncé to Kendrick Lamar: Who Will Win? Who Should Win? What's Coming to Netflix in February 2025
Yahoo
25-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Mediawan's Montreal ‘Miraculous' & ‘The Little Prince' Production Studio ON Animation Closes As Tax Credit Squeeze Bites
ON Animation Studios, the Mediawan-owned, Montreal-based facility which worked on hits such as Mune: Guardian of the Moon, The Little Prince, Playmobil: The Movie, and Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir, is shutting down. The company announced the news on its LinkedIn page on Monday, saying the closure was due to changes across the animation industry. More from Deadline Chantal Kreviazuk Changes Canadian National Anthem Lyrics During NHL Game Against U.S. 'Mayday: Air Disaster' Spin-Off In The Works Sony Pictures Classics Acquires Rebecca Zlotowski's Jodie Foster Murder Mystery 'Vie Privée' 'It is sad to say goodbye to a team as incredible, talented, and skilled as ours. We will deeply miss the joy and excitement of creating outstanding films alongside such remarkable people and partners,' read the ON Animation statement. The closure has been greeted with dismay by the Quebec animation scene and past collaborators, but is not wholly unexpected. Both the animation and VFX sectors in Canada's province of Quebec have gone from boom to bust in recent months following the provincial government's decision to set a 65% cap on tax credits for international film studios when they employ companies operating in the mainly French-speaking region. The local administration says the tax credit, which was introduced in 1998, has become too expensive to bankroll. Quebec animation and VFX professionals lobbied for the tax credits to remain in place, warning their reduction would decimate local businesses, but their calls went unheeded. In the backdrop, tighter Canadian restrictions around employing Temporary Foreign Workers (TFW) have also hit both sectors. ON Animation Studios was originally created by Aton Soumache and Dimitri Rassam under their ON Entertainment banner to execute the animation on features The Little Prince and Playmobil: The Movie. ON Entertainment was acquired by Mediawan in 2017, while the former producing partners have since gone their separate ways. Soumache is now honorary chairman of Mediawan Kids & Family as well as co-head with Joann Sfar of Mediawan-owned Magical Society. Rassam produces under the banner of Chapter 2 which is also in the Mediawan fold. Contacted by Deadline, Mediawan confirmed the closure and laid-out its animation production strategy going forward.'Mediawan Kids & Family Cinéma (formerly Onyx Films) and Miraculous Corp continue to develop their animated film production line-ups in their France-based studios, and will now collaborate with partner studios around the world for their animated films, selecting them on a project-by-project basis based on funding and the location of the talent attached to each production,' it said in a statement. Miraculous Corp is a joint venture between producer and composer Jérémy Zag, the driving force behind the Ladybug & Cat Noir franchise, and Mediawan co-founder Pierre-Antoine Capton. News of ON Animation's closure comes days after historic visual effects company Technicolor announced it was on the cusp of foreclosure due to long-running financial challenges, and that it was closing The Mill, MPC Advertising and Mikros Animation subsidiaries in the U.S. with immediate effect. Its UK pole, Technicolor Creative Studios UK Limited, is also due to file administration while its French outpost has been placed in receivership. Best of Deadline 'Severance' Season 2 Release Schedule: When Do New Episodes Land On Apple TV+? All The Songs In 'Severance' Season 2: From The Who To Ella Fitzgerald 'Severance' Cast Through Seasons 1 & 2: Innies, Outies, Severed And Unsevered
