Paramount créé sa propre division d'animation

Paramount Pictures Launching New, In-House Animation Division

Paramount Pictures is launching a new, in-house animation division, the studio announced Wednesday. It is aiming to release its first title in 2014.
Rango, the animated Western directed by Gore Verbinski wthat was released in March, was the studio's first full-owned CGI animated movie, and it grossed more than $240 million worldwide.
To date, however, Paramount, a unit of Viacom, has largely relied on Jeffrey Katzenberg's Dreamworks Animation, with which it has a distribution deal, to fill the animation slots on its release schedule. DWA's deal with Paramount expires at the end of 2012.
Sources say Paramount has offered Jeffrey Katzberg a one-year extension at the same terms. Beyond that, the studio wants to renegotiate the deal so as to make the terms better for Paramount. Katzenberg has yet to agree to the extension.
In announcing the new division, Paramount chairman & CEO Brad Grey said the initiative was part of the studio's long-term strategy for growth and that the new division, Paramount Animation, will focus on high quality animation with budgets of up to $100 million per picture.
It will develop a broad range of family CGI animated films, with some titles released under the Nickelodeon label.
The studio already has at least one project in development: It is currently developing an adaptation of the Penny Arcade web comic New Kid, about a lone earthling who is a new kid in a school full of intergalactic aliens. Gary Whitta is writing the screenplay for producer Mary Parent and Cale Boyter.
The division will be part of the Paramount Motion Picture Group, reporting to the group's president, Adam Goodman, and will initially target one release per year. Vice chair Rob Moore, COO Frederick Huntsberry and Goodman are now conducting a search for the leader of the division.
"The marketplace has never offered as many opportunities to create wonderfully imaginative pictures at very appealing budget levels, so we feel this is a perfect moment to launch this effort. We are now eager to expand in animation with appropriate and prudent overhead and production budgets in a way that will allow us to be nimble, creative and innovative," Grey said.

Paramount Animation’s mandate will be the development of the broadest range of family CGI animated films, with a key piece being titles under the label of Viacom’s Nickelodeon, the number one entertainment brand for kids worldwide. Paramount will also look to build on Viacom’s already thriving global consumer products business by seeking to capitalize on merchandising opportunities tied to all Paramount Animation releases.

The division will be part of the Paramount Motion Picture Group, reporting to the group’s president, Adam Goodman, and will initially target one release per year. Vice Chair Rob Moore, COO Frederick Huntsberry and Goodman are now conducting a search for the leader of the division.

“We’ve come a long way over the last six years," said Grey. "Our team has worked hard to build best in class production, marketing and distribution divisions which have proven they consistently execute at the highest level across all genres and price points. Establishing an in-house animation division was the logical next step for us.”

“The marketplace has never offered as many opportunities to create wonderfully imaginative pictures at very appealing budget levels, so we feel this is a perfect moment to launch this effort. We are now eager to expand in animation with appropriate and prudent overhead and production budgets in a way that will allow us to be nimble, creative and innovative,” added Grey. “Paramount also has the distinct advantage of being part of the Viacom family, giving us the ability to leverage its portfolio of powerful and youthful brands to create and market great films and consumer products.”

While Paramount has released an array of successful animated films in its history, the company’s first fully owned CGI animated property was "Rango", released to great acclaim in March 2011. The Western, directed by Gore Verbinski and featuring the voice of Johnny Depp in the title role, has grossed over $240 million worldwide and is the best reviewed animated movie so far this year.