REEL FX ANIMATION STUDIO HISTORY AND FUTURE OUTLOOK.
One of the famous animation producers in the world is Reel FX. You have probably heard of it or not. But in case you haven’t heard of it, you have probably heard about Texas Avery Animation Awards? These awards are given annually during the Dallas International Film Festivals. These awards are celebrated by the Reel FX studio to honor the creativity in the film animation industry. Secondly, Reel FX animation studios are the producer of some of the most exceptional animations such as SCOOB, Lonely Friends, Fast Birds, Best Friends, Ugly birds, among others. All these animation films are released under the Reel FX animation banner. I know you have probably come across any of them and probably enjoyed it. Despite all these creative works, Reel FX Animation Studio prefers to view itself as a start-upstart-up in the film and animation industry. But we all know it’s a big player in the industry. The history of the Reel FX Animation studio can be traced back to March 2007. Based on its history, the studio is more that one and a half-decade old.
Reel FX’s creative studio was founded in 1996. In March 2007, Reel FX Animation studio made its first industry appearance by acquiring Radium. Radium was a digital studio based in Canada. Radium was founded in 1996 by two partners that is Simon Mowbray and Jonathan Keeton. In 2010 Reel FX changed its name to Radium/Reel FX. This was done due to the acquisition. The studio would later change its name in 2012 to the Reel FX animation studio. The company has its headquarters in Dallas and is currently occupying the red brick house that was once used by Yahoo as an outlet. Since the inception, Reel FX has had one CEO that is Steve O’Brien.
Since its inception, Reel FX animation studio has made significant milestones in the industry, such as partnering with Cirque du Soleil in 2010 to produce a fantastic 3D film. The fil was called Worlds Away, and Paramount Pictures distributed it. However, its release in 2012 was received with average reviews far below the company’s expectations. It was then that Reel FX animations decided to stick their focus to standard CG animated films. Their first CG animated film would be free birds that were released in 2013. In 2012, it partnered with paramount films to produce the Rise of the Guardians, a film based on the BookBook the Guardians of Childhood written Joyce’s book series.
Between 2009 and 2013, Reel FX animation studio worked on its first animation that is the free birds, which was previously called Turkey. Jimmy Hayward directed the film. It was a story about two turkeys who were committed to saving the future of their species by preventing them from being the most preferred meals during the traditional Thanksgiving celebrations. To do that, the birds had to travel to the history of time and change the whole event. The film was, however, recalled in November 2013 before its release date, which was to be in 2014. The film arrived at minimal, perhaps terrible reviews. Many fans failed to realize the humor in the movie hence the very few reviews. In monetary terms, the film generated $110 million against the $55 million. The film only succeeded in breaking the even. The recall of the film Turkey, altered the course of the studio, the studio didn’t look great and were desperate for a correction. Well, luck was on their side since they had the film the BookBook of life on its way.
In February 2012, Reel FX animation Studio announced the release of the film the BookBook of life. The film was directed by George Gutierrez and was produced by Guillermo Del Toro. The film was focused on describing the love story that was based on the Romeo and Juliet love story and comparing it against the Mexican Day of the Dead. In December the same year, the studio partnered with 20th Fox Century studios to produce the film “The book of life”. The film released date was scheduled to be in 3rd October 2014. The release date was however pushed to 17th October the same year. The studio’s decision to trust Gutierrez eventually paid off since the BookBook of life received numerous rave reviews. It regained the amount of capital Reel FX animation studios had spent on production. Gutierrez strategy to minimize on the travel expenses such a travelling to Mexico to shoot the film and get inspiration. The BookBook of life has had many fans and remains to date, the most significant source of Reel FX revenues. Many fans, however, were disappointed to learn that Pixar was also set to release a film that was based on the same theme as that of the BookBook of life. Their next original film is set to be released on 31st July 2020. The film is title Rumble, Hamish Grieve directs it.
In 2018, Reel FX Animation studio announced its expansion plans to Montreal, Canada. The location will serve as film division, an outpost for the studio’s commercials, AR and VR divisions. The studio chose historical building Le Nordelec as their head office in Montreal, Canada. Despite the expansion, the studio’s headquarters remains to be in Dallas’ vibrant Deep Ellum artist community. The studio also has other offices in Los Angeles, Texas, and California. This move was aimed at gaining access to the heart of the film making industry and major studio locations.
Despite the progress made by Reel FX animation studios, the company prefers to treat itself as a start-upstart-up and focus on its development. Some of the plans by the company involves a rapid expansion to various locations. The most recent increase is just but a start with the company mission aiming to reach an enormous fan base. The future for Reel FX studios also means partnership with major studios such as Warner Bros, 20th Fox Century studies, paramount pictures, among others. AN upcoming collaboration is a partnership with Paramount Pictures to distribute the film the Rumble. Other films in development include Kungfu Punch and The BookBook of life 2