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Company type | Division |
---|---|
Industry | Television animation |
Predecessors | Terrytoons |
Founded | October 2018; 6 years ago (2018-10) |
Headquarters | CBS Studio Center,, United States |
Key people | Alec Botnick (head of animation) |
Parent | CBS Studios |
Divisions | Late Night Cartoons, Inc. |
CBS Eye Animation Productions is thetelevisionanimation studio division ofCBS Studios, owned byParamount Global. The studio is closely associated with theStar Trek franchise with its first projects,Star Trek: Lower Decks andStar Trek: Prodigy. CBS reinstated it as an animation division in late 2018 beforeits re-merger with Viacom in late 2019. The company does not have an on-screen logo nor a print logo, it instead uses the parent CBS Studios logo.[1][2]
In the 1950s, CBS began to invest further into television programs, creating many live shows asI Love Lucy andCaptain Kangaroo. However, in 1955 CBS purchasedTerrytoons from Paul Terry underCBS Films. After the deal's closure in 1956, CBS placed Terrytoons under the management ofUPA'sGene Deitch (who had already secured a contract with CBS). Deitch would soon produce animatedTom Terrific shorts forCaptain Kangaroo in 1957. Terrytoons would continue animation under CBS until its closure in 1972 after the corporate spin-off ofthe original Viacom International.
Despite the change of operations, CBS would continue to air many animated programs such as Terrytoons (which they still owned) andHanna-Barbera Productions through the 1970s and mid-1980s. Throughout the late 1980s and 1990s, they acquired broadcasting rights to multiple series from different studios such asTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,Garfield and Friends (both now owned by parent company Paramount Global),Muppet Babies (now owned byDisney), as well several toy-based shows.
The network would continue with broadcast syndication cartoons from several companies (such asNelvana) up until the late 1990s. In the 2000s, CBS (by this time merged with Westinghouse) switched to licensing more educational shows. Viacom had also acquired CBS as it agreed to airNickelodeon/Nick Jr. on CBS until 2006 (after the split between Viacom and CBS).
CBS would later resume airing animated programs by launchingCookie Jar TV until 2013.
In late 2018, CBS Studios unveiled CBS Eye Animation Productions to produce animated content for CBS All Access (nowParamount+).Star Trek: Lower Decks would become the first animated television series, followed byStar Trek: Prodigy (a co-production with sister studioNickelodeon Animation Studio). Initially, the studio would only create shows based on theStar Trek franchise but has invested in other shows such asThe Harper House andShowtime'sOur Cartoon President, as well as critically acclaimed live-action/animated news program,Tooning Out the News.
On September 29, 2022, the CBS Eye Animation Productions employees formed a union withAnimation Guild IATSE Local 839 to publicly submit a letter for voluntary recognition.[citation needed]
The Late Show hostStephen Colbert and his production company, Spartina Productions, founded Late Night Cartoons, Inc., an animation studio that has collaborated with developers ofAdobe Character Animator to produce and provide real-time interactive animations for broadcast. Their topical productions range from a live interview with an animated cartoon version ofDonald Trump andHillary Clinton in 2016 to several animated series including;Showtime'sOur Cartoon President,Paramount+/Comedy Central’sTooning Out the News, and Comedy Central’sFairview. Another series,Washingtonia, was announced with a trailer in October 2021, but has not aired anywhere since.
All productions are co-produced withCBS Studios (formerly CBS Television Studios).
# | Title | Creator(s) / Developer(s) | Years | Co-production with | Network | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2020s | ||||||
1 | Star Trek: Lower Decks | Mike McMahan | 2020–2024 | Secret Hideout Important Science Roddenberry Entertainment Titmouse, Inc. | CBS All Access (2020) Paramount+ (2021–2024) | Based onthe 1966 TV series and its spin-offs byGene Roddenberry |
2 | The Harper House | Brad Neely | 2021 | Neely Comics 219 Productions Titmouse, Inc. | Paramount+ | |
3 | Star Trek: Prodigy | Kevin and Dan Hageman | 2021–2024 | Nickelodeon Animation Studio Secret Hideout Roddenberry Entertainment Brothers Hageman Productions | Paramount+(2021–2022) Nickelodeon(2021–2022) Netflix(2024) | Based onthe 1966 TV series and its spin-offs by Gene Roddenberry[3] |
4 | Everybody Still Hates Chris | Sanjay Shah | 2024–present | Sanjay Shah Productions CR Enterprises, Inc. 3 Arts Entertainment Titmouse, Inc. MTV Entertainment Studios | Comedy Central | Revival and sequel toEverybody Hates Chris[4][5] |
Upcoming | ||||||
5 | Among Us | Owen Dennis | TBA | Innersloth Titmouse, Inc. | TBA | Based onthe video game by Innersloth[6] |
6 | Golden Axe | Mike McMahan Joe Chandler | Important Science Original Film Sega Sammy Group Titmouse, Inc. Sony Pictures Television | Comedy Central | Based onthe video game series bySega[7] |
# | Title | Year | Co-production with | Network | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Reindeer in Here | 2022 | The Tiny Toons Co. Jam Filled Entertainment | CBS | Based on the children's book by Adam Reed[8] |
# | Title | Creator(s) / Developer(s) | Years | Co-production with | Network | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2010s | ||||||
1 | Our Cartoon President | Stephen Colbert Chris Licht Tim Luecke R. J. Fried Matt Lappin | 2018–2020 | Spartina Productions Licht Media Solutions Showtime Networks | Showtime | |
2020s | ||||||
2 | Tooning Out the News | Stephen Colbert R. J. Fried Chris Licht Tim Luecke Zach Smilovitz Mike Leech | 2020–2023 | Spartina Productions Licht Media Solutions RJ Fried Worldwide | CBS All Access (2020) Paramount+ (2021) Comedy Central (2022–2023) | |
3 | Fairview | R. J. Fried Stephen Colbert Chris Licht Tim Luecke Kim Gamble Grant Gish Mike Leech Zach Smilovitz | 2022 | Spartina Productions Licht Media Solutions RJ Fried Worldwide MTV Entertainment Studios | Comedy Central |