Add Category
Global streaming giant Netflix has bought the Australian animation studio behind films Happy Feet and The Lego Movie, in a sign of Netflix’s plans to rapidly expand its animated film and programming slate and own the production process.
The $US84.8 billion ($123 billion) streaming service has acquired Animal Logic, the visual-effects studio founded in Australia in 1991.
The terms of the deal were not disclosed, but sources familiar with the transaction said the dollar figure was substantial.
Animal Logic is the animation studio behind films such as The Lego Movie and Happy Feet.Credit:Warner Bros
Animal Logic has produced visual effects and animation for more than 30 years. Its headquarters are based in Sydney, but it also has a studio in Vancouver, Canada. It has made films such as Happy Feet, The LEGO Movies and Peter Rabbit 1 & 2 and run visual effects for films such as The Great Gatsby and The Matrix.
The deal will allow Netflix to grow its slate, which already includes Academy Award-nominated programs such as Robin, Robin, Klaus and Over the Moon. It is one of several acquisitions for Netflix in the past year, including the Roald Dahl Story Company and visual-effects house Scanline.
Loading
The deals are considered a way to give Netflix its own intellectual property as other major studios bring their content in-house and launch their own streaming services. The Roald Dahl deal, for example, is being used to create animated and live-action films, as well as publishing, games, live theatre and products, which it can do easily now that it owns the IP for titles such as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and The Fantastic Mr. Fox. The company has also invested in gaming studios such as Next Games.
Amy Reinhard, Netflix’s vice president of studio operations, said the latest deal showed the streaming giant’s commitment to animation. “Working with Animal Logic will accelerate the build out of Netflix’s end-to-end animation production capabilities,” Reinhard said.
Animal Logic will remain under the leadership of chief executive and co-founder Zareh Nalbandian and will continue to work with its long-standing studio partners and filmmakers.