- For the unrelated isometric graphics engine used by Ultimate Play the Game in their 8-bit computer games, see Filmation engine. Filmation is the Trademark name of the isometric graphics engine employed in a series of games developed by Ultimate Play The Game during the
Filmation Associates was an American production company that produced animation for television during the later half of the 20th century. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Production company refers to a company responsible for the development and physical production of Performing arts, Film, Radio or a Television program An animated cartoon is a short hand-drawn (or made with computers to look similar to something hand-drawn Film for the cinema, Television or computer Television ( TV) is a widely used Telecommunication medium for sending ( Broadcasting) and receiving moving Images, either monochromatic The twentieth century of the Common Era began on Located in Reseda, California, the animation studio was founded in 1963. Reseda ( IPA:) is a district in the San Fernando Valley in the City of Los Angeles California. Year 1963 ( MCMLXIII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. During a period lasting from the 1960s through the 1980s, the only real competitors to Hanna-Barbera Productions in the field of TV cartoons were Filmation and DePatie-Freleng Enterprises. The 1960s decade refers to the years from the beginning of 1960 to the end of 1969 The 1980s was the decade spanning from January 1 1980 to December 31 1989. DePatie-Freleng Enterprises (DFE was a Hollywood-based American animated production company active from 1963 to 1981 Filmation's founders and principal producers were Lou Scheimer and Norm Prescott. Louis Scheimer (born October 19, 1928 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) is an American producer one of the original founders of Norman "Norm" Prescott ( January 31, 1927 - July 2 2005) was co-founder and executive producer at Filmation Studios
A trademark of the company's productions beginning in 1969 was a rotating "Produced by" (and on some shows, "Executive Producers") credit seen in the end credits (and in later productions, the opening sequences) of Filmation programs, a device that was supposedly created to allow them to share equal billing (previously, Scheimer's name was placed above Prescott's), although later Filmation productions credited only Scheimer, in the form of his signature ("Lou Scheimer, Executive Producer"), starting with 1982's Gilligan's Planet. Gilligan's Planet was a Saturday morning cartoon produced by the Filmation Animation studio and MGM/UA Television which aired during the
Many of its shows—particularly the productions of the late 1970s and 1980s—are notable for imparting a simple moral or life-lesson (explained by a key character, in a child-friendly manner) in the epilogue.
Origins
Lou Scheimer and Filmation's main director, Hal Sutherland met while working at Larry Harmon Pictures on the made-for-TV Bozo and Popeye cartoons. An animation director is the director in charge of all aspects of the animation process during the production of an animated film or animated segment for a live-action film Hal Sutherland was an Animator who became a director of animated productions at Filmation in the late 1960's Larry Harmon Pictures is the production company of Larry Harmon, and owner of the characters Bozo the Clown and Laurel & Hardy. Popeye the Sailor Man is a fictional hero famous for appearing in comic strips and animated films as well as numerous TV shows Eventually Larry Harmon closed the studio. SIB Productions, a Japanese firm with U. S. offices in Chicago, approached Scheimer and Sutherland about producing a cartoon called Rod Rocket. The two agreed to take on the work and also took on a project for Family Films, owned by the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod, for ten short animated films based on the life of Christ. The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS founded in 1847 in Missouri, is the eighth largest Protestant denomination in the United States and the second-largest Christ is the English term for the Greek ( Khristós) meaning "the anointed " The project enabled Scheimer and Sutherland to finance their own small Los Angeles animation studio True Line. Paramount Pictures soon purchased SIB Productions, and True Line's staff increased; including the arrival of former radio disc-jockey Norm Prescott, who became a partner in the firm. Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American motion picture production and Distribution company, based in Hollywood California. A disc jockey (also known as DJ or deejay) is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience He had already been working on the animated feature Pinocchio in Outer Space which was soon released by a Belgian company, and also brought in the Journey Back To Oz project, which would be released over ten years later by Filmation. Pinocchio in Outer Space was a Belgian-American animated film which sets Carlo Collodi 's Pinocchio character on a rocketship adventure Journey Back To Oz is an official animated sequel to the 1939 MGM film The Wizard of Oz. Both Rod Rocket and the life of Christ series credited "Filmation Associates" with "Production Design" in addition to Scheimer and Sutherland as directors; but True Line was not officially changed into the Filmation Associates corporation until Rod Rocket entered syndication in 1963. A corporation is a separate legal entity usually used to conduct business Year 1963 ( MCMLXIII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. [1]
(SIB Productions, whose logo bore a resemblance to the original Filmation logo, would soon go on to become "Sib-Tower 12 Productions" and produce the first few of Chuck Jones' Tom & Jerry films for MGM, until becoming MGM Animation/Visual Arts for the remainder of the films). Charles Martin "Chuck" Jones ( September 21, 1912 &ndash February 22, 2002) was an American Animator, Tom and Jerry is a series of theatrical Short subjects (cartoons created by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer MGM Animation/Visual Arts was an Animation Studio established in 1962 by Animation director/producer Chuck Jones and producer Les Goldman
The new Filmation studio would for the next few years make TV commercials, until approached by CBS executive Fred Silverman to do a Superman cartoon. A television advertisement or television commercial (often just commercial or advert (US or ad (UK is a span of television programming produced CBS Broadcasting Inc ( CBS) is an American radio and Television network. Fred Silverman (born September 13, 1937 in New York City) is an American Television executive and producer This premiered in 1966, and was followed by several of the other DC Comics heroes, and then in 1968, the first Archie show. Year 1966 ( MCMLXVI) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the 1966 Gregorian calendar. DC Comics is an American comic book and related media company The Archie Show was the first in a long line of Saturday morning cartoon Animated series produced by Filmation and based upon Bob Montana Both series greatly helped Filmation's popularity to increase, into the 1970s, when it really scored big with several of its shows (see below).
Animation style
As with other producers of Saturday morning cartoons, Filmation was more concerned with quantity rather than quality; however, they did make a number of attempts to rise above the standard animated fare and produce reasonably well-written cartoons. A Saturday morning cartoon is the colloquial term for the animated television programming which was typically scheduled on Saturday mornings on the major American The best-known example of this is their animated adaptation of the Star Trek series, which included scripts contributed by well-known science fiction writers and starred most of the original cast. Star Trek The Animated Series (also known as The Animated Adventures of Gene Roddenberry 's Star Trek) is an Emmy Award winning Other favorably remembered Filmation series included a 16-part animated serial of Flash Gordon (originally intended as a movie for theatrical release but shown in its entirety only thrice on NBC); Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids, an animated educational series created by and starring Bill Cosby; and He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, based on the popular line of Mattel toys. Serials in Television and Radio are series often in a weekly Prime time slot that rely on a continuing plot that unfolds in a serial fashion Flash Gordon is the hero of a Science fiction adventure Comic strip originally drawn by Alex Raymond, which was first published on January 7, The National Broadcasting Company ( NBC) is an American Television network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids is an animated series created produced and hosted (in Live action bookends by comedian Bill Cosby, who also William Henry Cosby Jr (born July 12 1937 is an American Comedian, Actor, Author, Television producer and Activist. He-Man and the Masters of the Universe is an American Animated television series produced by Filmation based on Mattel 's successful Mattel Inc ( is the world's largest Toy importing company based on revenue The animated adaptations of the Archie Comics characters were also noteworthy for the pop music produced for it, particularly the song, "Sugar, Sugar", which was a #1 hit single. Archie Comics is an American Comic book publisher known for its many series featuring the fictional teenage Archie Andrews, Betty Cooper Pop music as a genre features a noticeable rhythmic element catchy melodies and hooks, a mainstream style and conventional structure For the Baby Bash song see Suga Suga " Sugar Sugar " was a four week 1969 number-one hit single by fictional
In addition, certain episodes of He-Man and Bravestarr, in substance, and often animation, were pioneers in children's animated series of their time and paved the way for broader storytelling. Examples include He-Man's "The Problem With Power" which dealt with He-Man believing he had killed an innocent bystander, "Teela's Quest" which introduced a now famous mythology on The Sorceress being Teela's mother, whom she is heir to the mantle of safeguarding Grayskull, the versed continuity shared between He-Man and She-Ra, among others. Likewise, the scripts for Star Trek, which were often written by the same people who had written for the live-action version of the show, tended to be quite sophisticated, and garnered the franchise's first Emmy award. Star Trek The Animated Series (also known as The Animated Adventures of Gene Roddenberry 's Star Trek) is an Emmy Award winning
Quality issues
Filmation had a reputation for exploiting the technique of limited animation to produce a number of animated series with a distinct look. Limited animation is a process of making Animated cartoons that do not follow a "realistic" approach An animated cartoon is a short hand-drawn (or made with computers to look similar to something hand-drawn Film for the cinema, Television or computer They made heavy use of rotoscoping in later years (beginning with their Tarzan and Flash Gordon series), and they also re-used the same animated sequences over and over, many times, to the point where the Filmation style was instantly recognizable. Rotoscoping is an Animation technique in which Animators trace over live-action film movement frame by frame for use in Animated films Originally Veteran He-Man writer Chris Weber noted this in verse, set to "I've Been Working on the Railroad": "Can't you see the kiddies streaming / home to watch him after school? / Can't you hear my boss a-screaming / 'Use stock footage, fool!'"
This frequent use of stock footage saved production money, but often resulted in sacrifice of continuity. Continuity may refer to In mathematics: Continuous probability distribution or random variable in probability and statistics For This was countered by cutting from one stock shot to another after only a second or two—long enough to set the scene but before the eye could notice all of the unexplained errors. This became part of Filmation style during a period when most TV and motion picture production tended to run minimum shots of 4 - 5 seconds. This was so successful for Filmation that it became the standard in music videos, which must tell a story in a very short period of time, and eventually had become common in all types of video production. A music video is a Short film or video that accompanies a complete piece of music most commonly a Song with lyrics
In contrast to the rapid jump cuts during action sequences, another Filmation trademark was the recurring use of long establishing shots in which the camera would pan slowly across a very wide background painting, thus filling up screen time with sequences requiring little or no animation. However, these background paintings were often acclaimed for the high quality of their artwork. Filmation also pioneered other animation technologies, particularly in Flash Gordon, which included backlighting effects for the first time in American animation (they were already in use in Japan), including moire effects to represent energy fields (a technique that was later used in He-Man and later in She-Ra). They also pioneered a unique method of generating 3-D vehicle animation by filming white-outlined black miniatures against black backgrounds using a computerized motion-control camera and high-contrast film, then printing the negatives onto acetate frame-by-frame to create animation cels which were then hand-painted. This produced a dynamic, three-dimensional effect which had never been seen in cel animation before and predated the modern use of 3-D computer animation for vehicles in 2-D animated productions (although it had a distinctive "flicker" to it as some of the painted lines went in and out of visibility as the miniatures moved). Unlike many American studios, Filmation never relied upon animation studios outside the United States for the bulk of its production; Ghostbusters and Bravestarr both state in the end credits that they were "made entirely in the U. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the S. A. ". Filmation is also noteworthy for its lavish background paintings such as the purple-colored "night sky" backgrounds used in He-Man and She-Ra.
(Note: Filmation relied on outsourcing once, when the company created its animated Zorro series. The The New Adventures of Zorro can refer to The New Adventures of Zorro (1981 The New Adventures of Zorro (1997 It was animated by Tokyo Movie Shinsha of Japan. The storyboards and graphics however, were made by Filmation themselves. )
Characters, as well as plots, were typically run of the mill for the time. For example, most episodes of Ghost Busters had the same scheme (Bad guys develop an evil plan, the heroes are needed but always absent, Ghost Buggy the talking car complains about their dangerous position, Tracey the Gorilla pulls out of his back pack exactly the miscellaneous item the Ghost Buster needs in a moment of despair, Eddie doing a number of clumsy/stupid things etc. Ghostbusters was an Animated television series created by Filmation and distributed by Tribune Broadcasting and launched following the success ). Although as previously mentioned, Filmation made various attempts to rise above the norm. Many of the sounds and explosion effects used in their cartoons are also very familiar (though this was, and still is a common trait among animation companies).
Original characters
There were very few original animated characters created by the studio. Two examples were Fraidy Cat, a timid feline who has lost 8 of his 9 lives, which come back to haunt him; and Wacky and Packy, a caveman and his pet mammoth ("Packy" refers to the latter character being a "pachyderm") who enter the modern age through a time warp. Both of these originally aired as segments of the Uncle Croc's Block show on ABC (hosted by Charles Nelson Reilly). Uncle Croc's Block was a short-lived hour-long live-action/ animated series on ABC, produced by Filmation Associates. The American Broadcasting Company ( ABC) is an American Television network. Charles Nelson Reilly (January 13 1931 – May 25 2007 was an American Actor, Comedian, director and drama teacher known for his comedic Apparently the show did so poorly that ABC ceased ordering programs from Filmation. In a period where ideas for cartoons had run dry (comedy was heavily scrutinized for violence, and everything else seemed to copy the popular Scooby Doo format), Filmation's strong point was its adaptations of popular TV shows, movies and other works, although at least one show, "M*U*S*H" (the third animated segment on Uncle Croc's Block), while not a direct adaptation was inspired by the film (and later TV series) M*A*S*H.
Live-action shows
While Filmation incoporated live-action into some of their animated series such as The Hardy Boys, Archie's Funhouse, and Fat Albert, and while they also made a live-action variety show with animated segments, Filmation only made six fully live-action shows, including Space Academy, its spin-off Jason of Star Command, Ark II, Shazam! (based on the DC Comics character Captain Marvel), and Isis. The Kid Super Power Hour with Shazam! was a NBC Saturday morning cartoon produced by Filmation Studios in 1981. Space Academy was a live-action Sci-fi Children's television program produced by Filmation and airing on CBS television on Saturday Jason of Star Command was a live action Television show by Filmation which ran between 1978 and 1981. Ark II was a live-action Science fiction series aimed at children that aired on CBS beginning in 1976 as part of its Saturday morning line-up Shazam! was a half-hour Live-action Television program produced by Filmation (the animation studio's first such program based upon DC DC Comics is an American comic book and related media company Captain Marvel is a fictional Comic book Superhero, originally published by Fawcett Comics and later by DC Comics. The Secrets of Isis is a live action CBS television series produced by Filmation in the 1970s that appeared during the Saturday morning cartoon Filmation also produced a live-action series called The Ghost Busters in 1975 which was followed nine years later by the release of an unrelated 1984 movie of almost the same name. Not to be confused with Ghostbusters. The Ghost Busters was a live-action children's Television series that ran from Events The Walt Disney Company founds Touchstone Pictures to release movies with subject matter deemed inappropriate for the Disney name Zuul redirects here For the videogame see Zool. Ghostbusters (titled on-screen as Ghost Busters) is Filmation capitalized on the momentum by producing a new cartoon based on their earlier series. Ghostbusters was an Animated television series created by Filmation and distributed by Tribune Broadcasting and launched following the success
Looney Tunes/Groovie Goolies crossover
Also deserving mention was a special featuring several of Warner Bros.' Looney Tunes stars (paired with Filmation's own Groovie Goolies, a group of classic monsters). Warner Bros Entertainment Inc (or Warner Bros, Warner Bros Pictures) is one of the world's largest producers of Film and Looney Tunes is a Warner Bros Animated cartoon series which ran in many movie theatres from 1930 to 1969 Groovie Goolies, created in 1970 was a take off of Filmation 's wildly popular The Archie Show with a monster bent This aired on The ABC Saturday Superstar Movie in 1972. The ABC Saturday Superstar Movie — renamed The New Saturday Superstar Movie in its second season — was a series of one-hour animated TV-movies The year 1972 in television involved some significant eventsBelow is a list of Television -related events in 1972. While most of the Warner Brothers characters were drawn well (veteran Warners animator Virgil Ross was working there at the time), and voiced by veteran voice actor Mel Blanc, the special is not liked by many fans of classic Warner Bros. Melvin "Mel" Jerome Blanc ( May 30, 1908 – July 10, 1989) was an American voice actor and Comedian animation because of its limited animation, as well as a weak storyline. This was not Filmation's last dalliance with classic cartoon characters; in the late 1970s the company produced new series based on the characters from the Terrytoons archive (Mighty Mouse and Heckle & Jeckle) and a new Tom & Jerry series as well. Terrytoons was an Animation studio founded by Paul Terry. The studio located in New Rochelle New York, United Mighty Mouse is an animated Superhero mouse character created by the Terrytoons studio for 20th Century Fox. Heckle and Jeckle was a theatrical Cartoon series created by Paul Terry, and released by his own studio Terrytoons. Tom and Jerry is a series of theatrical Short subjects (cartoons created by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Feature Films
Filmation also ventured into the feature film business. In fact, one of Filmation's first projects was Journey Back To Oz, an animated sequel to the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz. Journey Back To Oz is an official animated sequel to the 1939 MGM film The Wizard of Oz. The Wizard of Oz is a 1939 American musical - Fantasy film mainly directed by Victor Fleming and based on the 1900 children’s Begun in 1964, the project was held back for eight years when Filmation did not have enough money to finish the film. It was only after its successes with their other series that the company was profitable enough to complete "Journey" for theatrical release in 1972.
In their final years, Filmation produced feature film versions of their He-Man and She-Ra franchises, as well as unofficial cult animated sequels to other established films, such as Pinocchio and the Emperor of the Night and Happily Ever After. Pinocchio and the Emperor of The Night is an animated Feature film that was released in Christmas of 1987 by New World Pictures. Happily Ever After is the name of an animated film created by Filmation in 1988 and released to theaters 5 years later in 1993
Voice Talent
Like other animation studios, Filmation had its stock company of voice-over actors. Some of the most famous included Larry Storch, Dallas McKennon (best known as the voice of Archie), Adam West (who recreated his role as Batman for Filmation's 1977 animated incarnation), Jane Webb, and good friends and colleagues Ed Asner and Linda Gary (Gary voiced a majority of Filmation's work in the 1980s and 1990s), along with John Erwin (voice of Reggie Mantle, and later the voice of He-Man), Alan Oppenheimer (character actor in TV and film), Ted Knight, George DiCenzo (John BlackStar, Hordak), Melendy Britt, Pat Fraley, Charlie Adler, Ed Gilbert, Susan Blu, Erika Scheimer (daughter of Lou Scheimer), and even Lou Scheimer himself (either uncredited, or under the pseudonym of "Erik (sometimes "Eric") Gunden"). Lawrence Samuel "Larry" Storch (born January 8, 1923) is an American actor best known for his comedic television roles including voiceover Dallas R McKennon (born July 19, 1919) is an American actor sometimes credited as Dal McKennon, with extensive work as a Voice actor Batman (originally referred to as the Bat-Man and still referred to at times as the Batman) is a fictional Comic book Superhero co-created Edward Asner (born November 15, 1929) is an American Actor primarily known for his Emmy -winning role as Lou Grant on Linda Gary ( November 4, 1944 – October 5, 1995) was an American voice-over artist who worked on many animated projects John Erwin is a Voice actor known for voicing Morris the Cat and He-Man. He-Man ( "The Most Powerful Man in the Universe!") ( IPA: /ˈhiː Alan Oppenheimer (born April 23 1930) is an American Voice actor who has had an active career in cartoons since the 1970s Ted Knight ( December 7, 1923 &ndash August 26, 1986) was an American Actor best known for playing the comedic role of George Ralph DiCenzo (born April 21, 1940) is an American Character actor and once associate producer for Dark Shadows. The Animated television series Blackstar was a Science fantasy story sometimes reported as a product inspired by the popularity of Thundarr the Hordak is a Fictional character in the Masters of the Universe franchise Melendy Britt is an American actress active in television and Voice acting since the 1970s Patrick Fraley (born February 18, 1949) is an American Voice actor. Charles Michael "Charlie" Adler (born October 2, 1956 in Boston) is an American Voice actor. Ed Gilbert (born Edmund F Giesbert on June 29, 1931 - May 8, 1999) was an American actor with extensive credits in both live action Graduated from Stephens College Columbia Missouri 1968 Susan Blu sometimes credited as Sue Blu, is an American voice actress voice director and casting director in Erika Scheimer (born "Erica" Schiemer circa 1960 is an occasional voice-actress in the cartoons of the defunct Filmation animation-studio Louis Scheimer (born October 19, 1928 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) is an American producer one of the original founders of A pseudonym is a fictitious alternative to a person's legal name (see Alias)
Background Musical Talent
According to the booklets accompanying some of the DVDs of Filmation's shows, legendary composer Ray Ellis (who was assisted by his son Marc Ellis[2]) had produced the background music for most Filmation series under the pseudonyms "Yvette Blais and Jeff Michael. Ray Ellis (born July 28, 1923 in Philadelphia Pennsylvania) is an American Record producer, Arranger and conductor "[1] Yvette Blais was Ellis' wife, while "Jeff" and "Michael" were the names of producer Norm Prescott's two sons. (It isn't clear what part Prescott played in the music other than hiring the composers and musicians). The full length features Treasure Island and Oliver Twist credit "George Blais". Ellis' name does appear in Archie [3] and Sabrina, the Teenage Witch credits, and both "Ray Ellis", and "Jeff Michaels" appear side by side on "Groovie Goolies" credits, where "Ellis" is credited for "Sabrina background Music", and "Michaels" is credited for "Groovie Goolies background music". Sabrina the Teenage Witch is the name of a Comic book series published by Archie Comics about the adventures of a teenage Fictional Groovie Goolies, created in 1970 was a take off of Filmation 's wildly popular The Archie Show with a monster bent
Much of Ellis' background music in the early 70's had a distinct, richly orchestrated sound not found on many other made-for-TV cartoon series of that period; though as time went on, it became more synthesized. Orchestration is the study or practice of writing Music for Orchestra (or more loosely for any Musical ensemble) or of adapting for orchestra music composed Ellis' work at the studio lasted from 1968 to 1982. Haim Saban and Shuki Levy composed and produced the studio's music for He-Man and She-Ra (during 1983-1986), along with the other studios they produced music scores for. Haim Saban (Hebrew חיים סבן born 15 October 1944 in Alexandria, Egypt Personal life Haim Saban was born in Alexandria Shuki Levy ( Hebrew: שוקי לוי born June 3, 1947 in Tel Aviv, Palestine) is a Music Frank W. Becker provided the music for Filmation's final animated series, Bravestarr.
Ownership
The Filmation studio was owned by The TelePrompTer Company in the early 1970s, then by Westinghouse (through its Group W Productions division) in 1982, though in 1988 it was purchased by the L'Oreal cosmetics company. Founded in 1886 as Westinghouse Electric Company and later renamed Westinghouse Electric Corporation by George Westinghouse. Westinghouse Broadcasting Company, also known as Group W, was the Broadcasting division of Westinghouse Electric Corporation. Year 1988 ( MCMLXXXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar) The L'Oréal Group is the world's largest Cosmetics and Beauty company and is headquartered in the Paris suburb of Clichy, France L'Oreal promptly closed the studio on February 3, 1989 and ended Filmation's legacy. Events 1112 - Ramon Berenguer III of Barcelona and Douce I of Provence marry uniting the fortunes of those two states Year 1989 ( MCMLXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar) The studio may also have been closed for tax purposes.
Filmation's last production was the feature film Happily Ever After (an unofficial sequel to the story of Snow White), released to theaters in 1993. Happily Ever After is the name of an animated film created by Filmation in 1988 and released to theaters 5 years later in 1993 Snow White (in Low German Sneewittchen; in High German Schneeweißchen) is the title character of a Fairy tale known from many countries in The year 1993 in film involved many significant films (For more about films in foreign languages check sources in those languages Also, at the time of the closing, two new animated TV shows, Bugzburg and Bravo (a spinoff of Bravestarr), were beginning production.
Since then, most of the Filmation back catalog had come under the ownership of Hallmark Cards, through their Hallmark Entertainment subsidiary; however, since a large amount of Filmation's output was based on characters licensed from other companies, many titles which are also under the ownership of Entertainment Rights (see next paragraph) are actually under the control of other studios (such as Paramount and Warner Bros.). Hallmark Cards is a privately owned American company based in Kansas City Missouri. Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American motion picture production and Distribution company, based in Hollywood California. Warner Bros Entertainment Inc (or Warner Bros, Warner Bros Pictures) is one of the world's largest producers of Film and
In March 2004, ownership of the Filmation back catalog which was under the ownership of Hallmark was sold to a British company called Entertainment Rights. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Entertainment Rights Plc is a global media company listed on the London Stock Exchange. Entertainment Rights have since made the revelation that when Hallmark converted all of their Filmation shows to digital format in the 1990s, only PAL-format copies were made, with the original film prints apparently discarded. This was due to Hallmark's previously unknown (but long suspected) short-sighted policy of only distributing Filmation shows outside of the United States. As a result, many of Entertainment Rights' DVD releases (distributed by BCI Eclipse in the United States) are based on the international versions (which have PAL prints).
Because they were taken from PAL-based prints, without correction, these releases exhibit the so-called "PAL speedup" effect in which the soundtrack plays 4% too fast resulting in the pitch being a half-step higher than it was originally (see PAL and Telecine for more information). PAL, short for Phase Alternating Line, is a colour -encoding system used in Broadcast television systems in large parts of the world PAL, short for Phase Alternating Line, is a colour -encoding system used in Broadcast television systems in large parts of the world Telecine (ˈtɛləˌsɪni/ /ˌtɛləˈsɪni/ ˌtɛləˈsɪnə also /ˌtɛləˈsiːn/ — "tel-e-Sin-ee" "tel-e-Sin-a" as 'cine' is the same root as in 'cinema' The exception appears to be at least four titles from ER's library: Groovie Goolies, Ark II, and both the live-action and animated "Ghostbusters" series. Groovie Goolies, created in 1970 was a take off of Filmation 's wildly popular The Archie Show with a monster bent Ark II was a live-action Science fiction series aimed at children that aired on CBS beginning in 1976 as part of its Saturday morning line-up Not to be confused with Ghostbusters. The Ghost Busters was a live-action children's Television series that ran from Ghostbusters was an Animated television series created by Filmation and distributed by Tribune Broadcasting and launched following the success These series appear to have been sourced from their original NTSC prints for their U. NTSC ( National Television System Committee) is the Analog television system used in the United States, Canada, Japan, Mexico S. release by BCI.
Filmation on DVD
Urban Works Entertainment
Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids was first released on DVD in Late 2004, first with a "best-of" collection, then later with collections of the first two seasons (each with an audio CD featuring songs from the show). Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids is an animated series created produced and hosted (in Live action bookends by comedian Bill Cosby, who also Their Halloween and Christmas specials were also released on DVD. All Fat Albert DVDs are released in the US and Canada by Urban Works Entertainment. As of 2007, they are now out of print.
- Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids - 5 Episodes - December 14th 2004
- Fat Albert's Greatest Hits The Ultimate Collection - 20 Episodes - December 14th 2004
- Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids Vol. 1 - Episodes 1-12 - March 8th 2005
- Fat Albert's Easter Special - March 8th 2005
- Fat Albert's Halloween Special - September 6th 2005
- Fat Albert's Christmas Special - October 11th 2005
- Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids Vol. 2 - Episodes 13-24 - October 11th 2005
- Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids Vol. 3 - Episodes 25-36 - July 11th, 2006
BCI's Ink and Paint
He-Man was distributed by BCI Eclipse as part of their Ink and Paint label in the fall of 2005 as The Best of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (10 Episode Collector's Edition). Following the success and critical acclaim for this set, BCI Eclipse on January 16th 2006, struck a long-term exclusive deal with Entertainment Rights for distribution rights to their entire Filmation catalog (with the exception of the Archie series which was acquired by Genius Products). The Archie Show was the first in a long line of Saturday morning cartoon Animated series produced by Filmation and based upon Bob Montana Genius Products (also known as Genius Entertainment) is a Home video company based in Santa Monica California. [4] In addition, Entertainment Rights shares ownership of the animated Lone Ranger series with Classic Media, the current owners of the Jack Wrather properties (which includes The Lone Ranger). Classic Media Inc is an American Production company /distributor of family programming acquired in 2007 by UK-based rival Entertainment Rights. John Devereaux "Jack" Wrather Jr ( May 24, 1918 - November 12, 1984) was a Petroleum millionaire who became a Television The Lone Ranger is an American, long-running Old-time radio and early Television show created by George W
BCI Releases to Date:
- The Best Of He-Man And The Masters Of The Universe: Top 10 Collector's Edition DVD Set July 12th 2005
- He-Man And The Masters Of The Universe: Season 1 Volume 1 October 18th 2005
- He-Man And She-Ra A Christmas Special December 6th 2005
- He-Man And The Masters Of The Universe: Season 1 Volume 2 February 14th 2006
- He-Man And The Masters Of The Universe: Season 2 Volume 1 June 6th 2006
- The Best Of She-Ra: Princess Of Power: Top 5 Episodes & "Secret Of The Sword" Collector's Edition July 18th 2006
- Flash Gordon – The Complete Series July 18th 2006
- Space Sentinels: The Complete Series + Freedom Force: The Complete Series August 22nd 2006
- Blackstar — The Complete Series August 22nd 2006
- He-Man And The Masters Of The Universe: Season 2 Volume 2 September 19th 2006
- Groovie Goolies — The Saturday "Mourning" Collection October 24th 2006
- Journey Back To Oz — Special Edition October 24th 2006
- She-Ra: Princess Of Power: Season 1 Volume 1 November 7th 2006
- Ark II – The Complete Series November 7th 2006
- Space Academy — The Complete Series January 16th 2007
- Ghost Busters: The Animated Series Volume 1 February 27th 2007
- She-Ra: Princess of Power: Season 1, Volume 2 April 3rd 2007
- The Ghost Busters: Live Action — The Complete Series April 17th, 2007
- Jason of Star Command — The Complete Series May 8th, 2007
- Mission Magic — The Complete Series May 8th, 2007
- Hero High — The Complete Series May 22nd, 2007
- Snow White: Happily Ever After: Special Edition (feature film) June 5th, 2007
- Ghost Busters: The Animated Series Volume 2 July 3rd, 2007
- The Best of Bravestarr: Top 5 Episodes & Bravestarr: the Legend July 3rd, 2007
- The Secrets of Isis — The Complete Series July 24th, 2007
- She-Ra: Princess of Power: Season 2 September 4th, 2007
- A Snow White Christmas November 6th, 2007
- Bravestarr: Volume 1 (erroneously listed by BCI as "Legend of Bravestarr") November 20th, 2007
- Storybook Tales (boxset featuring Journey Back to Oz, Happily Ever After, and A Snow White Christmas) December 3rd, 2007
- The New Adventures of the Lone Ranger and Zorro Volume 1 December 18, 2007
Upcoming BCI Releases:
- Bravestarr: Volume 2 July 1st, 2008 [5]
- The New Adventures of the Lone Ranger and Zorro Volume 2 July 15th, 2008 [6]
Unknown
- The Cat Pack: Waldo Kitty & Fraidy Cat Volume 1
- The Cat Pack: Waldo Kitty & Fraidy Cat Volume 2
- Fabulous Funnies — The Complete Series
BCI had contracted Andy Mangels to produce Special Features content for about 40 DVD releases[7], however TVShowsonDVD. com has made the revelation that BCI and Mangels have since parted ways.
Paramount/CBS
On November 21, 2006 the home video arm of CBS released a DVD collecting all 22 episodes of the Filmation-produced Star Trek, to coincide with the 40th anniversary of the Trek franchise (with distribution by Paramount Home Entertainment). Events 164 BC - Judas Maccabaeus, son of Mattathias of the Hasmonean family restores the Temple in Jerusalem. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. CBS Home Entertainment is the new Home video entertainment arm of CBS Corporation. CBS Corporation () is an American Media conglomerate focused on Broadcasting, Publishing, Billboards, and Television Star Trek The Animated Series (also known as The Animated Adventures of Gene Roddenberry 's Star Trek) is an Emmy Award winning Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American motion picture production and Distribution company, based in Hollywood California.
The rights to The Brady Kids also rest with CBS (along with all other Brady Bunch-related media). The Brady Kids was an animated television series produced by Filmation in association with Paramount Television and seen on ABC from The Brady Bunch is an American Television Situation comedy based around a large blended family. However, there are currently no plans for a release of the series at this time. The first two episodes were included on The Brady Bunch Complete Series DVD. A potential release is also further complicated by the fact that one episode each feature appearances by Superman and Wonder Woman, characters owned by Time Warner through its DC Comics subsidiary. Superman is a fictional Comic book Superhero widely considered to be one of the most recognized of such characters and an American Cultural icon Time Warner Inc ( is the world's largest media and entertainment conglomerate, headquartered in New York City. DC Comics is an American comic book and related media company
In addition, "The New Adventures of Mighty Mouse, Heckle and Jeckle, and Quackula" is also controlled by CBS/Paramount since it owns the home video rights to the Terrytoons properties. The New Adventures of Mighty Mouse and Heckle & Jeckle is an updated version of Mighty Mouse and Heckle & Jeckle cartoons from the 1940s Terrytoons was an Animation studio founded by Paul Terry. The studio located in New Rochelle New York, United However, there is no planned DVD release at this time.
Warner Bros.
- The New Adventures of Superman - Season One - June 26th, 2007
- The New Adventures of Batman (1977) - Complete Series - June 26th, 2007
- Adventures of Aquaman - Complete Series - October 23rd, 2007
- DC Superheroes: The Filmation Adventures - August 12th, 2008 [8]
Warner Bros. has also released a single episode of Shazam!, included as a bonus disc with the release of the third-season Wonder Woman DVD set. The New Adventures of Batman is an Animated series produced by Filmation in 1977 featuring the DC Comics Superheroes Aquaman is a Filmation Animated series that premiered on CBS on September 9 1967, and ended June 1970 Warner Bros Entertainment Inc (or Warner Bros, Warner Bros Pictures) is one of the world's largest producers of Film and Shazam! was a half-hour Live-action Television program produced by Filmation (the animation studio's first such program based upon DC So far there is still no word on releases for Gilligan’s Island/Planet, the original Batman animated series, or The Tom and Jerry Comedy Show. The New Adventures of Gilligan is an animated series produced by Filmation and was aired on ABC during the 1974 - 1975 season Gilligan's Planet was a Saturday morning cartoon produced by the Filmation Animation studio and MGM/UA Television which aired during the Batman with Robin the Boy Wonder was a Filmation Animated series that premiered on CBS on September 13, 1969; it was The Tom and Jerry Comedy Show is an animated television program produced by Filmation for Metro Goldwyn Mayer Television in 1980 on CBS The Adventures of Superboy is not currently available because of a legal battle over the rights to the "Superboy" name (see that article for details). The Adventures of Superboy was a series of six-minute animated Superboy cartoons produced by Filmation that were broadcast on CBS between Superboy is the name of several Fictional characters that have been published by DC Comics, most of them youthful incarnations of Superman.
Genius Products/The Weinstein Company
- The Archie Show - The Complete Series - July 31st, 2007
- Archie's Funhouse - The Complete Series - March 4, 2008
- Sabrina, the Teenage Witch - The Complete Animated Series - April 29th, 2008
TVShowsonDVD. The Archie Show was the first in a long line of Saturday morning cartoon Animated series produced by Filmation and based upon Bob Montana com has reported, citing "reliable sources" that Genius Products has acquired Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids from ER and is planning a DVD release for sometime in 2008. [9] The first release announced is a DVD of the Halloween special which will be released on August 26th 2008, and will contain 2 bonus episodes[10]. Plans for a release of the regular series have yet to be announced.
FOX
FOX presumably owns the rights to the Journey to the Center of the Earth and Fantastic Voyage TV series. A Journey to the Centre of the Earth (Voyage au centre de la Terre also translated as A Journey to the Interior of the Earth, is a classic 1864 Fantastic Voyage is a 1966 Science fiction film written by Harry Kleiner However, there are currently no plans for a DVD release of either series at this time.
Other
The rights status to The Hardy Boys, Will the Real Jerry Lewis Please Sit Down, and Sport Billy are unknown at this time, nor is it known whether or not they survive in any form. The Hardy Boys is a Juvenile detective/adventure series chronicling the Fictional adventures of Teenage brothers Frank and Will the Real Jerry Lewis Please Sit Down was a 1970 animated showcase for various caricatured Jerry Lewis characters all based on characters Sport Billy was a 1979 animated Television Cartoon made by Filmation Associates, initially for broadcast in These three series do not appear in the Entertainment Rights library, nor do the Superstretch and Microwoman, Manta and Moray, and Web Woman segments from Tarzan and the Super 7. According to science fiction writer and animation historian Andy Mangels, who hosts commentary for many Filmation releases, the three Super 7 segments in question were pulled from distribution due to "various lawsuits" from Marvel Comics and DC Comics. Andy Mangels is an American Science fiction author who in collaboration with partner Michael A Marvel Comics is an American comic book company owned by Marvel Publishing Inc DC Comics is an American comic book and related media company It also is unknown whether or not the three segments still survive in any form.
The rights to Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle presumably rest with the estate of Edgar Rice Burroughs, the original author of the Tarzan novels. Tarzan Lord of the Jungle is also the title of the eleventh novel in the original Tarzan series by Edgar Rice Burroughs. Edgar Rice Burroughs ( September 1, 1875 – March 19, 1950) was an American author best known for his creation of the jungle hero
Filmation series
1960s
- Rod Rocket (1963; production design only)
- The New Adventures of Superman (1966–1967 CBS)
- The Superman/Aquaman Hour of Adventure (1967–1968 CBS)
- Journey to the Center of the Earth (1967 ABC)
- Fantastic Voyage (1968 ABC)
- Aquaman (1968 CBS)
- The Archie Show (1968 CBS)
- The Batman/Superman Hour (1968–1969 CBS)
- The Archie Comedy Hour (1969 CBS)
- The Adventures of Batman and Robin the Boy Wonder (1969–1970 CBS)
- The Hardy Boys (1969 ABC)
1970s
- Will the Real Jerry Lewis Please Sit Down (1970 ABC)
- Sabrina and the Groovie Goolies (1970 CBS & ABC)
- Archie's Funhouse (live-action/animation hybrid) (1970 CBS)
- Sabrina The Teenage Witch (1971–1974 CBS)
- Archie's TV Funnies (1971 CBS)
- Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids (1972 CBS)
- The Brady Kids (1972–1974 ABC)
- Lassie's Rescue Rangers (1973–1975 ABC)
- Star Trek: The Animated Series (1973 NBC)
- My Favorite Martians (1973 CBS)
- Mission: Magic (1973 ABC)
- The U.S. of Archie (1974)
- The New Adventures of Gilligan (1974 ABC)
- Shazam! (live-action TV series) (1974 CBS)
- The Secret Lives of Waldo Kitty (1975 NBC)
- The Secrets of Isis (live-action TV series) (1975 CBS)
- The Ghost Busters (live-action TV series) (1975 CBS)
- Uncle Croc's Block (1975 ABC) (featuring Fraidy Cat, Wacky and Packy, and M*U*S*H)
- Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle (1976 CBS)
- Ark II (live-action TV series) (1976 CBS)
- The New Adventures of Batman (1977 CBS)
- Space Academy (live-action TV series) (1977 CBS)
- Space Sentinels (1977 NBC)
- The New Archie and Sabrina Hour (1977 NBC)
- Tarzan and the Super 7 (1978 CBS)
- Fabulous Funnies (1978 NBC)
- The New Adventures of Mighty Mouse and Heckle & Jeckle, & Quackula (1979–1981 CBS)
- Jason of Star Command (live-action TV series) (1979 CBS)
- The New Adventures of Flash Gordon (1979–1980 NBC)
- The Brown Hornet (single segment on Fat Albert) (1979 CBS)
1980s
- The Tom and Jerry Comedy Show (1980 CBS)
- The Tarzan/Lone Ranger Adventure Hour (1980–1981 CBS)
- Blackstar (1981 CBS)
- Kid Superpower Hour with Shazam! (1981 NBC)
- The Tarzan/Lone Ranger/Zorro Adventure Hour (1981–1982 CBS)
- Sport Billy (1982 NBC)
- Gilligan's Planet (1982 CBS)
- He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (1983–1985 Synd)
- The Adventures of Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids (1984–1985 Synd)
- She-Ra: Princess of Power (1985–1987 Synd)
- The Original Ghostbusters (animated) (1986–1988 Synd)
- Bravestarr (1987–1988 Synd)
History
- Toon Tracker- Rod Rocket (Early History, with screenshots from prenatal "SIB Productions" shows)
- Guide To Animated Star Trek - Filmation Associates
- Animated Views - A Fond Look Back At Filmation (Part 1) (October 31, 2004)
- Animated Views - A Fond Look Back At Filmation (Part 2) (November 13, 2004)
- LouScheimerProductions.com - My Dad: The Trend Setter (Archive)
Lou Scheimer Interviews
- He-Man.org - Playthings: Lou Scheimer Interview (June 1987)
- The Unofficial Isis Appeciation Page - Lou Scheimer Interview (July 2002)
- Newsarama - Lou Scheimer Interview (Pt. 1) (June 28, 2006)
- Newsarama - Lou Scheimer Interview (Pt. 2) (July 5, 2006)
- Newsarama - Lou Scheimer Interview (Pt. 3) (July 12, 2006)
- Newsarama - Lou Scheimer Interview (Pt. 4) (July 18, 2006)
- Masters Cast - Comic-Con: Lou & Erika Scheimer Interview (Quicktime) (July 30, 2006)
- Animation World Magazine - Lou Scheimer Interview (November 7, 2006)
Former Staff Interviews
- Two Morrows - Bruce Timm Interview
- Platypus Comix - Tom Ruegger Interview
- X-Entertainment - Larry DiTillio Interview
- Retro Crush - David Teague Interview
- Phase II - Jackson Bostwick Interview
- He-Man.org - Bob Foward Interview (September 1997)
- Animation World Magazine - Robby London (October 1997)
- Louis Kessler - Robby London Interview (April 1998)
- Small Art Works - Chuck Comisky Interview (August 1999)
- The Unoffical Disney Archive - Ellen Woodbury Interview (October 29, 2003)
- TVShowsOnDVD.com - David Gerrold Interview (July 26, 2004)
- The Unoffical Disney Archive - Glen Keane Interview (August 22, 1990)
- Disney History Network - Glen Keane Interview (May 2, 1997)
DVD Staff Interviews
- Shaun’s Quadrant - He-Man DVD Staff Interviews: Andy Mangels, Jeff Hayne, James Eatock, Val Staples, and Casey Nolan (February 2006)
- Comic Book Bin - Jeff Hayne Interview (May 29, 2006)
- ^ Mangels, Andy, DVD booklets for Space Sentinels/The Freedom Force, Hero High, The Ghost Busters, Space Academy, Jason of Star Command, and The Secrets of Isis
External links
- Filmation Studios at the Big Cartoon DataBase
- List of Filmation titles at the Internet Movie Database
- Entertainment Rights Official website
- Official list of Filmation toons owned by Entertainment Rights
- Filmation page at Toonopedia
- Lou Scheimer Productions Website of Lou Scheimer
- Comic-Con - 2005 Guest: Lou Scheimer
- Jim's Filmation Page
- Unofficial Live-Action Filmation Appeciation Pages
- International Hero - Filmation Cartoon Superheroes
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