 | |
| Company type | PublicSEHK |
|---|---|
| Industry | CGI animation |
| Founded | 2000; 26 years ago (2000) |
| Defunct | 5 February 2010; 16 years ago (2010-02-05) |
| Fate | Bankruptcy |
| Headquarters | Chai Wan, Hong Kong |
Key people |
|
| Owner | Imagi International Holdings Limited |
Number of employees | 400 in Hong Kong[1] |
| Website | www |
Imagi Animation Studios, also known asImagi Studios, was acomputer animation andvisual effectsstudio based inHong Kong, and established in 2000 by Imagi International Holdings Limited (SEHK: 585), a Hong Kong–based investment company.
In 2000, Imagi Animation Studios was set up and production started on its first project, the CGI-animated television seriesZentrix. The company had a studio inChai Wan,Hong Kong, as well as a creative development and production facility inLos Angeles, California and a satellite office inTokyo.
The company's firstCGI-animated theatrical filmTMNT was released on March 23, 2007, byWarner Bros. in theUnited States andCanada, opening No. 1 at thebox office, and was being distributed internationally by theWeinstein Company. Imagi's focus was to create high-quality CGI-animated feature films withsuperhero themes to entertain global audiences, combiningHollywood storytelling with computer animation done in Hong Kong.
In January 2009, Imagi's auditing firm announced that the studio lacked funding to complete the release ofCat Tale (which was to have been released byMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer[2]) andGatchaman.Art director Felix Ip reported thatGatchaman's release was not expected until later in 2009.[3] In June 2009, Imagi openedGatchaman to licensing partners and announced a 3-D theatrical release for 2011.[4] In October 2009, Imagi releasedAstro Boy, based on themanga series of the same name. The film received generally mixed reviews from film critics and was abox-office bomb, losing the company $23 million in the process.
In January 2010, Imagi'sHong Kong–based parent company Imagi International Holdings Limited announced that theGatchaman project will be "delivered in 100% Stereoscopic 3-D" and that in order to safeguard working capital, it closed itsUnited States subsidiaries. This closure was finalized in late January with the layoff of approximately 30 staffers and the retaining of a few key personnel who will continue to work as consultants as Imagi seeks $30 million from investors to continue its animation projects.[5][6][7]
On February 5, 2010, following the financial failure ofAstro Boy, Imagi Animation Studios filed for bankruptcy.[8][9][10]
| # | Title | Release date(s) | Distributor/Co-production with |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | TMNT | March 23, 2007 | Warner Bros. The Weinstein Company |
| 2 | Astro Boy | October 8, 2009 | Summit Entertainment |
| # | Title | Release date(s) | Distributor/Co-production with | Note(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Digital Monster X-Evolution | January 3, 2005 | Toei Animation Toei Company | Television film |
| 2 | Highlander: The Search for Vengeance | June 5, 2007 | Madhouse Manga Entertainment | OVA |
| # | Title | Release date | Associated Feature Film |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The RRF in New Recruit | 2010 | Astro Boy |
| 2 | Astro Boy vs. The Junkyard Pirates |
| # | Title | Release date(s) | Distributor/Co-production with |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zentrix | 2002 | Bandai Entertainment |
| 2 | Father of the Pride | 2004–2005 | DreamWorks Animation NBCUniversal Syndication Studios |
| # | Title | Planned release date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gatchaman[11] | 2011 |
| 2 | T28[12] | 2012 |
| 3 | The Legend of Zelda[13] | N/A |
| 4 | Cat Tale[14] | 2013 |
| 5 | Tusker[15] | N/A |
| 6 | Trigun[16] | N/A |
| 7 | Fluorescent Black[17] | N/A |
| 8 | Project: Monster[18] | N/A |
{{cite AV media}}:Missing or empty|title= (help)| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
