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 Logo used since 2007 | |
| Company type | Division |
|---|---|
| Industry | |
| Founded | 1994; 31 years ago (1994) |
| Founders |
|
| Headquarters | Dublin, Ireland |
Number of locations | 4 (2020) |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people |
|
| Parent | 9 Story Media Group (2015–present) |
| Website | brownbagfilms |
Brown Bag Films UC. (BBF) is an Irish television andcomputer-animation studio owned by Canadian production studio9 Story Media Group[3][4] and based inDublin with 2D and 3D animation facilities inBali,Los Angeles,Toronto and formerlyManchester.[5]
Founded in 1994 by Cathal Gaffney and Darragh O'Connell, the studio is well known for the production of computer-animated television series and short films, includingGive Up Yer Aul Sins[6] andGranny O'Grimm's Sleeping Beauty. The studio has garnered a number of awards, includingAcademy Award nominations forGive Up Yer Aul Sins (Best Animated Short Film at the73rd Academy Awards) andGranny O'Grimm's Sleeping Beauty (Best Animated Short Film at the83rd Academy Awards),[7] 6Emmy Awards forPeter Rabbit,[8] an Emmy award forBing[9] and a number ofBAFTA,Emmy andAnnie Award nominations for their shows;Octonauts,Doc McStuffins,Henry Hugglemonster, andVampirina.[7]
Brown Bag Films was established in 1994 by Cathal Gaffney and Darragh O'Connell, producing their first seriesPeig forRTÉ using hand-painted acetate celluloids shot on 35mm film. In 1995, the studio moved to an old Georgian house off Gardiner Street, producing a few commercials and illustrations.Wolves, Witches and Giants was created in 1996 forITV Studios.
The studio moved to new premises in Dublin city centre in 1997, establishing Ireland's first digital ink-and-paint workstation. They worked on theWarner Bros. feature filmThe King & I, coordinating European animation with LA via the a 56K modem.Barstool and Taxi were produced for RTÉ and they began to grow their commercials service.
In 1998, Brown Bag Films produced the series "Why?" for RTÉ which sold in over 100 countries worldwide.
In 1999, Brown Bag Films released their short filmThe Last Elk, directed by Alan Shannon. The film went on to win numerous international awards.
In 2002, Brown Bag Films was nominated for its first Oscar,Give Up Yer Aul Sins, directed by Gaffney and produced by O'Connell and the company grew to a staff of 22.
In July 2007, Brown Bag Films moved to a new studio inSmithfield Square, Dublin, designed by Douglas Wallace Architects, and began production on their first animated series,Olivia, for Nickelodeon. In the same year development began onNoddy in Toyland.
In 2008, the studio began working onGranny O'Grimm's Sleeping Beauty, directed by Nicky Phelan, landing a second Academy Award (Oscar) nomination.
In 2009, Brown Bag Films delivered 20 hours of animation to international broadcasters and was awarded European Producer of the Year at Cartoon Tributes, Norway. The studio has grown to more than 160 people and is equipped with a high-definition picture and 5:1 audio post production facility.
In July 2010, the company established an office in Los Angeles to produce animated feature films.
In 2011, they premiered Darragh O'Connell's short film, "23 Degrees, 5 Minutes", voiced by John Hurt. They began production onDoc McStuffins – the first show commissioned by newly re-brandedDisney Junior which it would premiere on alongsideDisney Channel. The Octonauts was nominated for a BAFTA award. Brown Bag Films began production on their own original series,Henry Hugglemonster, based on a book by Niamh Sharkey, for Disney Junior.
On 23 March 2012, the premiere ofDoc McStuffins broke rating records for the most watched preschool premiere ever in the United States. Brown Bag Films continue production on it as well asHenry Hugglemonster following Disney Junior's announcement of their series renewals and a second season of the Octonauts, and are joined by a very special new staff member – Toby the Studio Dog.
In 2013, Brown Bag Films began production on a short filmANYA, made to raise awareness for the charity To Russia With Love. Brown Bag Films recruit 30 new staff and expand the studio into a third premises.
In February 2014, Brown Bag Films announceda television series adaptation of theBing book series by author and illustratorTed Dewan. Following series renewals by the host TV networks, they continued production on a second season ofHenry Hugglemonster andPeter Rabbit, a third season of Doc McStuffins and a fourth season ofThe Octonauts. Brown Bag Films launchedBrown Bag Labs, an online space for behind-the-scenes fun and tutorials from the studio. Octonauts was awarded with anIFTA for Best Children's Programme.ANYA was released online to raise funds for To Russia With Love charity. They announce the opening of their 2D studio in Manchester. Their short film An Ode To Love is awarded Best Irish Animation at Foyle Film Festival. They release the Christmas Special episode of their new online series Trouble in Paradise.
In January 2015, their pilot episode ofThe Stinky and Dirty Show, based on the 'I Stink!' book series by Kate and Jim McMullan, debuted onAmazon Prime (now Amazon Prime Video) and was later greenlit for a full series. Bing is awarded for Best Writing in a Children's TV Episode by The Writer's Guild of Great Britain. Doc McStuffins received an award for Outstanding Children's Program at the46th NAACP Image Awards and aPeabody Award at the 74th Annual Peabody Awards.
Brown Bag Films was bought by9 Story Media Group on 18 August 2015 as a way of "re-introducingCGI animation to 9 Story" after "a failed first-attempt implementation", according to its president, Vincent "Vince" Commisso.[10][11][12] On 7 March 2016, they began work on a computer-animated series for Disney Junior,Vampirina, based on the Vampirina Ballerina series of children's books written byAnne Marie Pace and illustrated byLeUyen Pham[13][14] which debuted on 1 October 2017.
In October 2017, more than two years after Brown Bag was bought, it became one of 9 Story's two main divisions alongside 9 Story Distribution International, taking over all 2D and 3D animation across 9 Story's studios in Dublin, Manchester and Toronto. 9 Story also renamed its two animation studios inBali (formerlyBASE Animation Studios) and its base in Toronto after Brown Bag Films.[15][16]
At the 2014 Daytime Emmy Awards, Brown Bag Films bagged three awards and scored another five nominations for the seriesPeter Rabbit, earning the most nominations for an animated show that year.[17]
| Title | Release date | Distributor | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Angela's Christmas | November 30, 2018 | Netflix | co-production with9 Story Media Group |
| Angela's Christmas Wish | December 1, 2020 | ||
| Blue's Big City Adventure | November 18, 2022 | Paramount+ | co-production withNickelodeon Movies,Nickelodeon Animation Studio,9 Story Media Group, Boxel Animation and Line by Line Media |
| The Sneetches[39] | November 3, 2025 | Netflix | co-production withDr. Seuss Enterprises |
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