| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Animation,motion pictures,television |
| Founded | September 1999; 26 years ago (1999-09) |
| Founders | Aaron Augenblick |
| Headquarters | Brooklyn, New York City, United States |
Key people | Aaron Augenblick |
| Divisions | Future Brain Media |
| Website | www |
Augenblick Studios is an Americananimation studio founded in 1999 byAaron Augenblick, and located inBrooklyn, New York City.[1] The company has created a wide array of animated shorts for television, film, and the Internet, with the target audience typically being adults. Their clients includeCartoon Network,Comedy Central,Adult Swim, theTED conference,PBS,MTV, andNickelodeon. Their logo features a moonshine bottle with wings.
Aaron Augenblick studied animation at theSchool of Visual Arts in New York City. After graduating in 1997, Augenblick worked atMTV Animation on shows such asDaria,Downtown, andCartoon Sushi.
In 1999, Augenblick opened Augenblick Studios in theDumbo section of Brooklyn.[2] The first cartoon produced by the company was "Ramblin' Man", an independent short film based on theHank Williams song. "Ramblin' Man" was released to critical acclaim and was a 2001SXSW award winner.[3] Several other independent shorts followed, including "Drunky" (2001) and "Plugs McGinniss" (2003).
The first television production from Augenblick Studios wasShorties Watchin' Shorties on Comedy Central in 2004.[4] The show featured animated interpretations of stand up comedy segments from comedians includingDenis Leary,Patton Oswalt,Louis C.K.,Dane Cook, andMitch Hedberg. In 2004, Augenblick Studios produced the animated content for two seasons of PFFR'sWonder Showzen on MTV2.[5] Augenblick created short segments, motion graphics, and illustrations for the show.
In 2006, they created the faux-documentaryGolden Age for Comedy Central, which was an official selection of theSundance Film Festival.[6] In 2007, Augenblick Studios animated the short "Lying Rhino" for the feature film comedyThe Ten.[7] In 2008, the studio completed 11 episodes ofSuperjail! for the Adult Swim programming block on Cartoon Network.[8] They also created several short cartoons forYo Gabba Gabba on Nickelodeon.
Augenblick Studios created 31 episodes of the Comedy Central seriesUgly Americans which aired between 2010 and 2012.[9] In 2011, the studio also created a video for the track "Another Tattoo" on Weird Al Yankovic's albumAlpocalypse.[10] In 2013, they worked on a cartoon short forSaturday Night Live, withSNL writerZach Kanin. In 2015, Augenblick Studios collaborated withAnimation Domination High Def onGolan the Insatiable, a primetime half-hour series forFox.[11] In 2015, Augenblick Studios animated a new TV series written and created byTyler, the Creator calledThe Jellies! which premiered in 2017.[12] Augenblick Studios also did additional animation for the Cartoon Network animated seriesMAD. The Netflix seriesLosers, released in March 2019, features animated segments created by Augenblick Studios.[13]
In January 2016, Augenblick Studios announced it is producing its first animated feature film,The Adventures of Drunky. The R-rated comedy starsSam Rockwell,Jeffrey Tambor,Steve Coogan, andNina Arianda.[14] Its release date was slated to be 2018, but was stalled due to Jeffrey Tambor's sexual harassment allegations. On September 24, 2021, it was stated that the film will be completed in 2022.[15]
Death Hacks, was released on Snapchat on August 29, 2020.[16] The company producesTeenage Euthanasia which started airing on Adult Swim in September 2021.[17]
In 2021,Future Brain Media was established as a children's animation division with Augenblick and Daniel Powell as co-founders.[18] The company has produced two seasons ofCity Island onPBS Kids.
| Year | Title | Notes | Client |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Shorties Watchin' Shorties | Comedy Central | |
| 2005–06 | Wonder Showzen | animated segments | MTV2 |
| 2007 | Sesame Street: Kids' Favorite Country Songs | "Tall Tale" segment | Sesame Workshop |
| 2007–08 | Superjail! | pilot and season 1 only | Adult Swim |
| 2009 | Xavier: Renegade Angel | animated contest entry | Adult Swim |
| 2010–12 | Ugly Americans | season 1 and 5 episodes of season 2 | Comedy Central |
| 2012–13 | Mad | additional animation | Warner Bros. Animation |
| 2012 | Saturday Night Live | animation ("Cool Drones", "Faberge Egg Cop" segments) | NBC |
| 2013–15 | Golan the Insatiable | Fox | |
| 2013–14 | The Heart, She Holler | animated segments | Adult Swim |
| 2013 | T.I. & Tiny: The Holiday Hustle | VH1 | |
| 2017–19 | The Jellies! | Adult Swim | |
| 2019 | Losers | Netflix | |
| 2021 | Headspace Guide to Meditation | animation | |
| 2021 | Teenage Euthanasia | season 1 only | Adult Swim |
| 2021 | Cake | season 5 (Swan Boy segments) | FXX |
| 2022–present | City Island | produced by Future Brain Media | PBS Kids |
| 2023 | One Piece | 2nd-key animation; ep 1066 | Toei Animation |
| † | Denotes works that have not yet been released |
| Year | Title | Co-production with | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | The Ten | ThinkFilm | animation services for "The Lying Rhino" segment for the story "Thou Shalt Not Bear False Witness" |
| 2019 | Murder in the Front Row: The San Francisco Bay Area Thrash Metal Story | Bonded By Blood | animation |
| 2020 | Have a Good Trip: Adventures in Psychedelics | Netflix | animation |
| Zoolander: Super Model | CBS All Access | animation | |
| 2022 | Weird: The Al Yankovic Story | Funny or Die | animated sequence |
| TBA | Toad † | Muse Entertainment | in-camera animation |
| The Adventures of Drunky † | Cartuna | animation and post-production |
| Year | Title | Client | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Ramblin' Man | animation | |
| 2002 | Moomie's Garage | Nickelodeon | one-shot interstitial |
| 2003 | The Man with the Smallest Penis in Existence and the Electron Microscope Technician Who Loved Him | animation | |
| 2007 | Golden Age | Comedy Central | animation |
| 2013–14 | DC Nation Shorts | Warner Bros. Animation | Metal Men shorts |
| 2013 | Cookie Chemistry | TED-Ed | |
| What Is JASH? | Jash | ||
| Spacemen From Brookstonia | Ottawa Animation Festival | ||
| 2017 | ASAP Fables: The Snake With No Manners | Topic | animation |
| 2017–18 | The Nib | Topic | |
| 2018–19 | Monologue | Topic | animation; 3 episodes |
| 2020 | Death Hacks | Snapchat | animation |
| NYS COVID PSA | Tribeca Film Institute | animation |
| Year | Title | Artist |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | "Another Tattoo" | "Weird Al" Yankovic |
| 2013 | "Tiny Anthem" | The M Machine |
| 2014 | "Far Away" | Feed Me &Kill the Noise |
| 2015 | "Rubble Kings Theme" | Run the Jewels |
| 2019 | "Expensify This" | 2 Chainz xAdam Scott |
| 2020 | "Ultraviolent" | Kill the Noise |
| 2023 | "Your Horoscope for Today" | "Weird Al" Yankovic |
| 2024 | "Polkamania!" ("Hello" segment) | "Weird Al" Yankovic |
