Buddy Animation, formerly Buddy Animation Studios, is an Australian animation studio, serving as the animation division and label of Buddy Studios, a subsidiary of ToonBox Entertainment. The division was founded on March 9, 2017, following the box office success of Buddy Studios' own LarryBoy. The company is based in Melbourne, Australia.
The studio's first film, The Lucky Number, was released on July 4, 2017, and its latest release being Larrikins on June 15, 2023, with their next release being Daffy Duck on July 18, 2023.
Films produced by Buddy Animation have grossed a total of $22.9 billion worldwide. Its highest-grossing film to date is Happy Tree Friends 2, which grossed $2.512 billion.
Background[]
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History[]
2017-2019: Founding and creating movies and television series[]
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A horizontal version of Buddy Animation's current print logo, used for promoting films without the Buddy Studios label. The first film to use this was The Legend of Spyro
Buddy Animation was founded on March 9, 2017 as Buddy Animation Studios by Bob Persichetti.
2020-present: Head of animation, continuing successful movies and new era[]
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Logo[]
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Process[]
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Filmography[]
Main article: List of Buddy Animation productions
Feature Films[]
Released Films[]
| # | Title | Release date | Co-production with | Distributed by | Animation service(s) | Directors | Composers | Budget | Box office | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Lucky Number | July 4, 2017 | Buddy Studios | Paramount Pictures (United States and Canada) and 20th Century Studios (International) | Mikros Image | Kirk DeMicco | Alan Silvestri | $215 million | $814 million | First CGI animated film and first film from Buddy Animation |
| 2 | The Legend of Spyro | January 17, 2018 | Illumination Entertainment | Universal Pictures | Illumination Mac Guff | Chris Meledandri
Co-director: Scott Mosier |
Heitor Pereira (score)
Pharrell Williams (songs and themes) |
$90 million | $720 million | First film without the Buddy Studios label; originally created by Illumination Entertainment, project was given to Buddy Animation |
| 3 | The Santa Clause | August 18, 2018 | Walt Disney Pictures and Walt Disney Animation Studios | Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures | Autodesk Maya | Clark Spencer | Michael Giacchino | $100 million | $1.421 billion | First remake based on the film |
| 4 | Team Dogs | February 14, 2019 | Paramount Animation, Nickelodeon Movies and Buddy Studios | Paramount Pictures | Sony Pictures Imageworks | Matthew Fogel | $320 million | $720 million | First original film | |
| 5 | Crash Bandicoot | April 30, 2019 | Activision and Playstation Productions | 20th Century Studios | Weta Digital | Arthur Qwak | Conrad Wedde, Samuel Scott and Lukasz Buda | $95 million | $987 million | First live action/CGI hybrid film |
| 6 | Lola Bunny | November 12, 2019 | Warner Animation Group | Warner Bros. Pictures | Tonic DNA | Nick Bruno and Troy Quane | Kris Bowers | $100 million | $812 million | First traditional animated film; both a prequel and spinoff of Space Jam |
| 7 | Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer | December 25, 2019 | Buddy Studios | Netflix | Mikros Image | Chris Wedge | Danny Elfman | $46 million | $380 million | Second remake based on the film; released on Netflix |
| 8 | The New Kid | January 17, 2020 | Buddy Studios and Skydance Animation | Buddy+ | Rough Draft Studios | John Lasseter
Co-directors: Rob Minkoff and Alessandro Carloni |
Alan Menken | $50 million | $520 million | First Buddy Animation film was released on Buddy+: first film based on the comic Penny Arcade |
| 9 | Bruisers | August 11, 2020 | ToonBox Entertainment | Universal Pictures | Rainmaker Entertainment | Cal Brunker and Bob Barlen | Heitor Pereira | $92 million | $912 million | First collaboration with ToonBox Entertainment and first spinoff of The Nut Job |
| 10 | The Diamond Sword | October 8, 2020 | 20th Century Animation and Buddy Studios | 20th Century Studios | Mikros Image | Carlos Saldanha | $350–400 million | $978 million | Second original film | |
| 11 | Happy Tree Friends 2 | November 23, 2020 | 6 Point Harness and Mondo Media | Titmouse, Inc. | Kenn Navarro
Co-director: Mike Mitchell |
John Debney
Song producers: RJ Eleven, Jim Lively and Winn Winn Situation |
$450 million | $2.512 billion | First sequel without the Buddy Studios label | |
| 12 | The Flamingo Affair | February 14, 2021 | Walt Disney Pictures, Walt Disney Animation Studios and Bad Robot Productions | Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures | Autodesk Maya | J. J. Abrams
Co-director: Kirk DeMicco |
Alan Silvestri | $90 million | $702 million | Originally created by Paramount Animation; project was given to Buddy Animation |
| 13 | Mr. Feng | April 1, 2021 | ToonBox Entertainment | Universal Pictures | Rainmaker Entertainment | Cal Brunker and Bob Barlen | Heitor Pereira | $95 million | $845 million | Second collaboration with ToonBox Entertainment and second spinoff of The Nut Job |
| 14 | Looney Tunes: Dimensions | June 15, 2021 | Warner Animation Group and Buddy Studios | Warner Bros. Pictures | Reel FX Animation Studios | Steve Waterman | Theodore Shapiro | $400 million | $996 million | First Looney Tunes film; first sequel will produced by Warner Animation Group along with Buddy Studios |
| 15 | Spooky Jack | September 17, 2021 | 20th Century Studios and Blumhouse Productions | Buddy+ | DNEG | Tom McGrath | Christophe Beck | $75 million | $881 million | Originally created by DreamWorks Animation; project was given to Buddy Animation |
| 16 | Dot | January 14, 2022 | Warner Bros. Animation and Amblin Entertainment | Warner Bros. Pictures | Snipple Animation Studios | Steven Spielberg | Julie Bernstein and Steven Bernstein | $100 million | $1.720 billion | First spinoff film; first spinoff without the Buddy Studios label and spinoff of Animaniacs |
| 17 | Chip & Dale 2 | May 10, 2022 | Walt Disney Pictures and Mandeville Films | Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures | Autodesk Maya | Peggy Holmes | Alan Silvestri | $90 million | $958 million | Second sequel without the Buddy Studios label |
| 18 | The Pirates! In an Adventure with Cowboys! | June 18, 2022 | Aardman Animations | Buddy+ | DNEG | Peter Lord and Nick Park | Harry Gregson-Williams | $55 million | $287 million | Originally created by Sony Pictures Animation; project was given to Buddy Animation |
| 19 | Sandy In Texas | August 11, 2022 | Paramount Animation, Nickelodeon Movies and Bikini Bottom Pictures | Paramount Pictures | Cinesite | Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger | John Debney | $92 million | $465 million | Spinoff of the Spongebob film series |
| 20 | Pepé Le Pew | November 18, 2022 | Warner Animation Group | Warner Bros. Pictures | Reel FX Creative Studios | Mike Mitchell | Michael Giacchino | $98 million | $820 million | Originally created by Warner Bros. Animation; project was given to Buddy Animation |
| 21 | Open Season | December 22, 2022 | Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Animation | Sony Pictures Releasing | Moving Picture Company | Gary Rydstrom | $200 million | $1.954 billion | Third remake based on the film | |
| 22 | Screwy Squirrel | February 12, 2023 | Walden Media and Bron Creative | Warner Bros. Pictures (United States) and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (International) | Method Studios | Chris McKay | Mark Mothersbaugh | $90 million | $804 million | First and only film based on the cartoon of the same name |
| 23 | Mario Party Maximum | March 10, 2023 | Buddy Studios and Nintendo | Paramount Pictures | Autodesk Maya | Shigeru Miyamoto | Michael Giacchino | $100 million | $1.031 billion | First film based on the video game |
| 24 | Larrikins | June 15, 2023 | DreamWorks Animation | Universal Pictures (United States) and 20th Century Studios (United Kingdom) | DWA Glendale | Chris Miller
Co-director: Patrick Osborne |
Tim Minchin | $97 million | $694 million | Originally created by DreamWorks Animation; project was given to Buddy Animation |
| 25 | Daffy Duck | July 18, 2023 | Warner Bros. Pictures Animation | Warner Bros. Pictures | Yowza! Animation | Eric Goldberg | John Debney | $100 million | $923 milion | Prequel to Looney Tunes |
Upcoming Films[]
| # | Title | Release Date | Co-Production With | Distributed By | Animation Service(s) | Directors | Composers | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 | DuckTales | October 20, 2023 | Walt Disney Pictures and Walt Disney Animation Studios | Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures | Autodesk Maya | Matthew Humphreys
Co-directors: Tanner Johnson and Jason Zurek |
Dominic Lewis | First film based on the series |
| 27 | Captain Underpants: The Second Epic Movie | November 26, 2023 | DreamWorks Animation and Scholastic Entertainment | Universal Pictures | Mikros Image (Montreal) and Technicolor Animation Productions | David Soren | Theodore Shapiro | Sequel to Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie |
| 28 | Mega Man | December 23, 2023 | Columbia Pictures, Sony Pictures Animation, Chernin Entertainment and Capcom | Sony Pictures Releasing | Sony Pictures Imageworks | Genndy Tartakovsky | Christopher Lennertz | Originally created by 20th Century Animation; project was given to Buddy Animation; second film based on the video game |
| 29 | Bubbles | March 12, 2024 | Warner Bros. Pictures Animation and Cartoon Network Studios | Warner Bros. Pictures | Animal Logic | Dan Povenmire | John Debney | Spinoff of the Powerpuff Girls series |
| 30 | Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers 2 | May 20, 2024 | Walt Disney Pictures, Mandeville Films and The Lonely Island | Buddy+ and Disney+ | Moving Picture Company, Passion Pictures, Mercury Filmworks and Top Draw Animation | Akiva Schaffer | Brian Tyler | Sequel to Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers |
| 31 | Twitchy & Wolf | July 16, 2024 | Kanbar Entertainment and Kanbar Animation | 20th Century Studios | Jam Filled Entertainment | Cory Edwards | Murray Gold | Prequel of Hoodwinked! |
| 32 | Frogkisser! | October 2, 2024 | 20th Century Animation | Titmouse Inc. | Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman | Glen Daum | Originally created by Blue Sky Studios; project was given to Buddy Animation | |
| 33 | Zita the Spacegirl | December 31, 2024 | Paramount Animation and Chernin Entertainment | Paramount Pictures | Yowza! Animation | Jimmy Hayward | Hans Zimmer and John Powell | Originally created by 20th Century Animation; project was given to Buddy Animation |
| 34 | The Proud Family | February 26, 2025 | Walt Disney Pictures and Walt Disney Animation Studios | Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures | WildBrain Studios | Bruce W. Smith
Co-director: Ralph Farquhar |
Kurt Farquhar | Second film based on the series |
| 35 | Cool Runnings | April 14, 2025 | Walt Disney Pictures and The Montecito Picture Company | Reel FX Creative Studios | Jon Turteltaub | Hans Zimmer | Fourth remake based on the film | |
| 36 | The Royal Rabbits of London | June 19, 2025 | 20th Century Animation, Vertigo Entertainment and 21 Laps Entertainment | 20th Century Studios | Toon City | Mark Dindal | Heitor Pereira | First film based on the book |
| 37 | Mice | August 11, 2025 | Nickelodeon Movies and Buddy Studios | Paramount Pictures | Bardel Entertainment | Alec Sokolow | Alan Silvestri | Third original film |
| 38 | The Lorax 2 | October 24, 2025 | Illumination Entertainment | Universal Pictures | Illumination Mac Guff | Chris Renaud
Co-director: Kyle Balda |
John Powell | Sequel to The Lorax |
| 39 | Ron's Gone Wrong 2 | December 17, 2025 | 20th Century Animation, Locksmith Animation, TSG Entertainment and DNEG Feature Animation | 20th Century Studios | DNEG | Sarah Smith and Jean-Philippe Vine | Henry Jackman | Sequel to Ron's Gone Wrong |
| 40 | Pikachu | January 1, 2026 | Heyday Films and Nintendo | Warner Bros. Pictures | OLM, Inc. | Kunihiko Yuyama
Co-director: Tetsuo Yajima |
Taiiku Okazaki and Shinji Miyazaki | First and only film based on Pokemon |
| 41 | Gargoyles | April 8, 2026 | Walt Disney Pictures and Walt Disney Animation Studios | Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures | Sunwoo Animation | Jeff Fowler | Tom Holkenborg | First and only film based on the Disney Afternoon series |
| 42 | Dee's Big Nuts | August 11, 2026 | Lightstorm Entertainment | 20th Century Studios | Industrial Light & Magic | Mark Osborne | John Debney | Second film based on the book |
| 43 | Happy Tree Friends 3 | October 29, 2026 | 6 Point Harness and Mondo Media | Titmouse, Inc. | Kenn Navarro | Michael Giacchino
Song producers: RJ Eleven, Jim Lively and Winn Winn Situation |
N/A | |
| 44 | The LEGO Powerpuff Girls Movie | January 17, 2027 | Warner Bros. Pictures Animation, Lego System A/S, Vertigo Entertainment, Lord Miller Productions and Rideback | Warner Bros. Pictures | Animal Logic | Phil Lord and Christopher Miller | Mark Mothersbaugh | First LEGO film released by Warner Bros. Pictures since the second film |
| 45 | Thunderstorm | April 2, 2027 | Illumination Entertainment and nWave Pictures | Universal Pictures | Illumination Mac Guff | Kyle Balda | Christopher Lennertz | Fourth original film |
| 46 | My Little Pony: The Sequel | May 18, 2027 | Allspark Pictures and WildBrain Studios | Lionsgate (United States) and Entertainment One (Canada) | DHX Studios Vancouver (Canada), Top Draw Animation (Philippines), Feitong Cartoon (Mainland China) and Copa Studio (Brazil) | Jayson Thiessen | Daniel Ingram | Sequel to My Little Pony: The Movie |
| 47 | Hackwrench | July 16, 2027 | Disney Television Animation | Buddy+ and Disney+ | Passion Pictures | Tad Stones, John Kimball and Bob Zamboni
Co-director: Jorge R. Gutierrez |
Tim Minchin (score)
Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (songs) |
First female centered film and spinoff of Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers |
| 48 | Mr. Wolf | October 8, 2027 | DreamWorks Animation and Scholastic Entertainment | Universal Pictures | DWA Glendale and Jellyfish Pictures | Pierre Perifel | Daniel Pemberton | Spinoff of The Bad Guys |
| 49 | Roger Rabbit Origins | December 24, 2027 | Walt Disney Pictures and 20th Century Studios | Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures | WildBrain Studios | Paul Germain | Hans Zimmer | Spinoff of Who Framed Roger Rabbit |
| 50 | Zodiac | March 10, 2028 | Universal Pictures and DreamWorks Animation | Buddy+ | DWA Glendale and Jellyfish Pictures | David Soren | Dominic Lewis | Originally created by DreamWorks Animation; project was given to Buddy Animation |
In Development[]
| Title | Notes |
|---|---|
| Untitled third Chip & Dale film | co-production with Walt Disney Pictures and Mandeville Films |
| Untitled MC Skat Kat film | co-production with Reel FX Animation Studios; distributed by Buddy+ |
| Untitled original live action/cgi hybrid film | co-production with 20th Century Studios, 21 Laps Entertainment and TSG Entertainment |
| Timon | co-production with Walt Disney Pictures and Walt Disney Animation Studios |
| Untitled Oswald The Lucky Rabbit film | co-production with 20th Century Studios and Walt Disney Pictures |
| The Stink Files | co-production with Legendary Entertainment |
| Untitled Ratatouille sequel | co-production with Walt Disney Pictures and Pixar Animation Studios; both distributed by Buddy+ and Disney+ |
| Untitled original animated film | co-production with Searchlight Pictures and Village Roadshow Pictures |
| Untitled Kingsman animated remake | co-production with 20th Century Studios, 20th Century Animation and Marv Studios |
| Untitled third Puss in Boots film | co-production with Universal Pictures and DreamWorks Animation; distributed by Buddy+ |
| Untitled The Book of Life sequel | co-production with 20th Century Studios, 20th Century Animation and Reel FX Animation Studios |
Television Series[]
Released[]
| # | Title | Showrunner(s) | First Aired | Last Aired | Co-Production With | Animation Service(s) | Network | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Neighbors | Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg | May 19, 2017 | June 18, 2018 | Buddy Television
Point Grey Pictures |
Mikros Image | Cartoon Network | First television series and first animated series |
| 2 | The Itchy And Scratchy Show | Matt Groening | January 17, 2018 | March 31, 2020 | Buddy Television
20th Television 20th Television Animation Gracie Films |
Film Roman | Buddy+
Disney+ (2019-2020) |
First spinoff series |
| 3 | Shrek: The Series | Doug Langdale | July 2, 2018 | May 18, 2021 | Buddy Television
DreamWorks Animation Television |
DWA Glendale | Netflix | First television series based on the film |
| 4 | TaleSpin | Chris Neuhahn
Original series:Jymn Magon and Mark Zaslove |
December 28, 2018 | August 8, 2021 | Buddy Television
Disney Television Animation Mandeville Films |
Sunwoo Animation | Disney+ | First revival based on the series |
| 5 | Sonic Adventures | Jeff Fowler | March 16, 2020 | April 6, 2022 | Buddy Television
SEGA |
Moving Picture Company | Buddy+ | First live-action series and second television series based on the film |
| 6 | The Penguins of Madagascar | Dan Milano
Original series:Mark McCorkle and Bob Schooley |
July 16, 2021 | January 1, 2023 | Buddy Television
DreamWorks Animation Television |
Second revival based on the series | ||
| 7 | May 22, 2022 | March 14, 2023 | Buddy Television | Titmouse, Inc. | First original television series | |||
| 8 | Ugly Sonic, Uglier Crimes | Jeff Fowler | June 20, 2022 | June 28, 2024 | Buddy Television
SEGA |
Moving Picture Company | Second spinoff series | |
| 9 | July 4, 2022 | October 17, 2023 | Buddy Television
20th Television 20th Television Animation Fuzzy Door Productions |
Rough Draft Studios | Hulu | Third revival based on the series | ||
| 10 |
Upcoming[]
| # | Title | Showrunner(s) | First Aired | Last Aired | Co-Production With | Animation Service(s) | Network | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Related Productions[]
All films listed are distributed by other distributors unless noted otherwise.
| Title | Release date | Studio | Animation service(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LarryBoy | November 24, 2016 | Universal Pictures
Big Idea Entertainment Buddy Studios |
Autodesk Maya | Directed by Larry Whitaker. Success led to the creation of Buddy Animation. |
| Alvin And The Chipmunks | June 19, 2018 | 20th Century Studios
20th Century Animation Regency Enterprises Bagdasarian Productions Buddy Studios |
Mikros Image | Directed by Tim Hill. Based on the film series of the same name. |
| The Chowder Movie | November 20, 2019 | Warner Bros. Pictures
Cartoon Network Studios Buddy Studios |
Hong Ying Animation | Directed by C. H. Greenblatt. Created by Warner Bros. Pictures in April 2019 to be released under Warner Bros. Animation. Later revealed to be released under Buddy Studios. |
| Scratazons | September 3, 2021 | 20th Century Studios
20th Century Animation Buddy Studios MRC |
Autodesk Maya | Directed by Chris Wedge. Based on the film series of the same name. Spinoff of the Ice Age franchise. |
| Alvin And The Chipmunks: The Second Part | May 9, 2022 | 20th Century Studios
20th Century Animation Regency Enterprises Bagdasarian Productions Buddy Studios |
Mikros Image | Directed by Tim Hill. Based on the film series of the same name. Sequel to Alvin And The Chipmunks |
| Beekle | September 23, 2022 | Universal Pictures
DreamWorks Animation |
DWA Glendale | Directed by Jason Reitman. Based on the children's book The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend. |
| Undertale | October 17, 2023 | Columbia Pictures
Sony Pictures Animation AGBO |
Sony Pictures Imageworks | Directed by Anthony and Joe Russo. Based on the video game by Toby Fox |
| Alvin And The Chipmunks: Stranded Island | December 1, 2024 | 20th Century Studios
20th Century Animation Regency Enterprises Bagdasarian Productions Buddy Studios |
Mikros Image | Directed by Tim Hill. Based on the film series of the same name. Sequel to Alvin And The Chipmunks: The Second Part |
| Young Peabody | March 10, 2025 | Universal Pictures
DreamWorks Animation Bullwinkle Studios |
DWA Glendale | Directed by Tim Hill. Based on the film series of the same name. Prequel to Mr. Peabody & Sherman |
| Untitled fourth Alvin And The Chipmunks animated remake | December 26, 2026 | 20th Century Studios
20th Century Animation Regency Enterprises Bagdasarian Productions Buddy Studios |
Mikros Image | Directed by Tim Hill. Based on the film series of the same name. Sequel to Alvin And The Chipmunks: Stranded Island |
Trivia[]
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