Sunbow Productions
Encyclopedia
Sunbow Entertainment was an animation studio
, founded in 1980 and owned up until 1998 by Griffin-Bacal Advertising
in New York
. The first animation efforts by Griffin-Bacal were producing the animated commercials for Hasbro
's G.I. Joe
toy line.
The success of the animated commercials led partners Tom Griffin and Joe Bacal to form Sunbow Productions.
. Although it is not limited to Hasbro's various toy line products its reputation is tied to the many cartoon series tied to them. Its animation was initially produced by the Japanese animation studio Toei Animation
, supplemented by the South Korean animation studio AKOM
later on. By 1987, most of Hasbro's toylines were losing money and various internal struggles forced the company to end popular series such as G.I. Joe and Transformers
. Two of Sunbow's animated movies, (The Transformers: The Movie
and My Little Pony: The Movie
) flopped at the box office, forcing a third project, G.I. Joe: The Movie
, to be released directly to video instead. Sunbow also worked with TMS Entertainment with Hasbro's Visionaries: Knights of the Magical Light
, and one episode of season 3 of The Transformers, "The Call of The Primitives".
In a bid to produce original material, Sunbow produced several cartoons through the early 1990s such as The Nudnik Show, The Tick and Conan the Adventurer
. Of these, only The Tick managed to gain popularity and critical acclaim.
On April 28, 1998 Sunbow Productions was bought by Sony Wonder
, a division of Sony Music. Sunbow was sold for US$10 million dollars in 2000 to TV Loonland AG, which then bought Metrodome Distribution, who had the European rights to the Sunbow catalogue. After TV-Loonland acquired Sunbow Productions and Sony Wonder's television business, the company formed Sunbow Entertainment.
Previously, Rhino Entertainment
owned the US home video distribution rights to the Sunbow catalogue. The rights then changed hands to Sony Wonder with its acquisition of the catalogue. However, Sony Wonder was shut down in March 2007.
On June 21, 2007 it was announced that Sony Wonder had been moved into Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
, which at the time owned the US rights to the Sunbow catalogue. In May 2008, Hasbro
released news that it had obtained the rights to all the Sunbow and Marvel co-produced cartoons based on its properties. This includes Transformers, G.I. Joe
, My Little Pony
, Jem and the Holograms and many more.
The only movies produced by Sunbow were:
Animation studio
An animation studio is a company producing animated media. The broadest such companies conceive of products to produce, own the physical equipment for production, employ operators for that equipment, and hold a major stake in the sales or rentals of the media produced...
, founded in 1980 and owned up until 1998 by Griffin-Bacal Advertising
Griffin-Bacal Advertising
Griffin-Bacal Advertising was a global advertising agency founded in 1978 by Tom Griffin and Joe Bacal. One of their first clients was Hasbro, whom employed their services for coming up with advertising campaigns for several of their toy lines such as "G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero" and...
in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. The first animation efforts by Griffin-Bacal were producing the animated commercials for Hasbro
Hasbro
Hasbro is a multinational toy and boardgame company from the United States of America. It is one of the largest toy makers in the world. The corporate headquarters is located in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, United States...
's G.I. Joe
G.I. Joe
G.I. Joe is a line of action figures produced by the toy company Hasbro. The initial product offering represented four of the branches of the U.S. armed forces with the Action Soldier , Action Sailor , Action Pilot , Action Marine and later on, the Action Nurse...
toy line.
The success of the animated commercials led partners Tom Griffin and Joe Bacal to form Sunbow Productions.
Company overview
Sunbow is noted for many cartoons aired during the 1980s. Most of their work was co-produced with Marvel ProductionsMarvel Productions
Marvel Productions Ltd. , last called New World Animation, was a television and film studio subsidiary of Marvel Entertainment Group , based in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, then New World Entertainment and News Corporation/Fox...
. Although it is not limited to Hasbro's various toy line products its reputation is tied to the many cartoon series tied to them. Its animation was initially produced by the Japanese animation studio Toei Animation
Toei Animation
Toei Animation Co., Ltd. is a Japanese animation studio owned by Toei Co., Ltd. The studio was founded in 1948 as Japan Animated Films . In 1956, Toei purchased the studio and it was reincorporated under its current name...
, supplemented by the South Korean animation studio AKOM
AKOM
AKOM Productions is a South Korean animation studio in Songpa-gu, Seoul that has provided much work since its conception in 1985 by Nelson Shin. Its biggest claim to fame is the overseas animation for 200 episodes of The Simpsons, to which that number is consistently rising...
later on. By 1987, most of Hasbro's toylines were losing money and various internal struggles forced the company to end popular series such as G.I. Joe and Transformers
The Transformers (TV series)
The Transformers is an animated television series depicting a war among giant robots who could transform into vehicles, other objects and animal-like forms. Written and recorded in America, the series was animated in Japan and South Korea...
. Two of Sunbow's animated movies, (The Transformers: The Movie
The Transformers: The Movie
The Transformers: The Movie is a 1986 animated feature film based on the animated series of the same name. It was released in North America on August 8, 1986 and in the UK on December 5, 1986....
and My Little Pony: The Movie
My Little Pony: The Movie
My Little Pony: The Movie is a 1986 animated feature film based on the Hasbro toy line, My Little Pony. It was released on June 20, 1986 by De Laurentiis Entertainment Group...
) flopped at the box office, forcing a third project, G.I. Joe: The Movie
G.I. Joe: The Movie
G.I. Joe: The Movie is a 1987 animated film spun off from the animated series G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, based on the original Hasbro toyline. It was produced by Sunbow Productions and Marvel Productions and was animated in Japan by Toei Animation.Created at the height of the G.I. Joe craze in...
, to be released directly to video instead. Sunbow also worked with TMS Entertainment with Hasbro's Visionaries: Knights of the Magical Light
Visionaries: Knights of the Magical Light
Visionaries: Knights of the Magical Light was originally a range of action figures from Hasbro, released in 1987. This action figure range was promoted by two different media, telling the stories of the characters...
, and one episode of season 3 of The Transformers, "The Call of The Primitives".
In a bid to produce original material, Sunbow produced several cartoons through the early 1990s such as The Nudnik Show, The Tick and Conan the Adventurer
Conan the Adventurer (animated series)
Conan the Adventurer is an American animated television series adaptation of Conan the Barbarian, the literary character created by Robert E. Howard in the 1930s. Produced by Jetlag Productions and Sunbow Productions, the series debuted on September 12, 1992, ran for 65 episodes and concluded on...
. Of these, only The Tick managed to gain popularity and critical acclaim.
On April 28, 1998 Sunbow Productions was bought by Sony Wonder
Sony Wonder
Sony Wonder is a children and family's music and home video arm of Sony Music Entertainment, founded in 1991. The division once distributed material from Sesame Workshop and Classic Media...
, a division of Sony Music. Sunbow was sold for US$10 million dollars in 2000 to TV Loonland AG, which then bought Metrodome Distribution, who had the European rights to the Sunbow catalogue. After TV-Loonland acquired Sunbow Productions and Sony Wonder's television business, the company formed Sunbow Entertainment.
Previously, Rhino Entertainment
Rhino Entertainment
Rhino Entertainment Company is an American specialty record label and production company. It is owned by Warner Music Group.-History:Rhino was originally a novelty song and reissue company during the 1970s and 1980s, releasing compilation albums of pop, rock & roll, and rhythm & blues successes...
owned the US home video distribution rights to the Sunbow catalogue. The rights then changed hands to Sony Wonder with its acquisition of the catalogue. However, Sony Wonder was shut down in March 2007.
On June 21, 2007 it was announced that Sony Wonder had been moved into Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is the home video distribution arm of Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation. It was established in November 1979 as Columbia Pictures Home Entertainment, releasing 20 titles: The Anderson Tapes, Bell, Book and Candle, Born Free, Breakout,...
, which at the time owned the US rights to the Sunbow catalogue. In May 2008, Hasbro
Hasbro
Hasbro is a multinational toy and boardgame company from the United States of America. It is one of the largest toy makers in the world. The corporate headquarters is located in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, United States...
released news that it had obtained the rights to all the Sunbow and Marvel co-produced cartoons based on its properties. This includes Transformers, G.I. Joe
G.I. Joe
G.I. Joe is a line of action figures produced by the toy company Hasbro. The initial product offering represented four of the branches of the U.S. armed forces with the Action Soldier , Action Sailor , Action Pilot , Action Marine and later on, the Action Nurse...
, My Little Pony
My Little Pony
My Little Pony is a brand of toy ponies marketed primarily to girls produced by the toy manufacturer Hasbro. These ponies can be identified by their colorful bodies and manes and a unique symbol on one or both sides of their flanks...
, Jem and the Holograms and many more.
Productions
Among the various series produced by Sunbow are:- DonnerDonnerDonner is a variation of Donar, the German name of the god Thor – particularly as a character in the first opera, Das Rheingold of Richard Wagner's opera cycle Der Ring des Nibelungen...
(2001) - Cramp Twins (2001)
- Lion of Oz (2000)
- Rainbow FishRainbow FishThe Rainbow Fish is an award-winning children's book drawn and written by Marcus Pfister, and translated into English by J. Alison James. The book is best known for its morals about the value of being an individual and for the distinctive shiny foil scales of the Rainbow Fish...
(1999) - The Right to Play (1998) (commercial for UNICEF)
- Salty's LighthouseSalty's LighthouseSalty's Lighthouse was a series for young children, produced by Sunbow Entertainment in 1997 in association with the Bank Street College of Education in New York. The show centred around a young boy named Salty, as he plays and learns with his friends in a magical lighthouse...
(1997) - Deepwater BlackDeepwater BlackDeepwater Black is a 1995 novel, first in the Deepwater trilogy, by the New Zealand science fiction writer Ken Catran, where a cast of young characters are supposedly stranded in space while a virus ravages Earth. The book series itself is quite different from the television series later developed...
(Mission: Genesis in the U.S.) (1997) - The Brothers FlubThe Brothers FlubThe Brothers Flub is an animated television series produced by Sunbow Productions and co-produced by Ravensburger. It aired in the United States of America on the television network Nickelodeon...
(1997) - G.I. Joe ExtremeG.I. Joe ExtremeG.I. Joe Extreme is the name of a short-lived line of military-themed toys by Hasbro, a two-season cartoon show by Sunbow Productions, and two 4-issue comic mini-series by Dark Horse Comics. It is a sequel of sorts to the previous G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero TV series, with a one-shot pack-in...
(1995) - The Adventures of HypermanThe Adventures of HypermanThe Adventures of Hyperman is an American animated series that aired from October 14, 1995 to August 10, 1996 on CBS. It was based on an edutainment computer game of the same name The property was created by Kevin O'Donnell and Ken Corr...
(1995) - The MaskThe Mask: The Animated SeriesThe Mask: The Animated Series is a television animated series based on the comic book superhero, The Mask, but is a sequel to the 1994 film adaptation. The show ran for three seasons, from August 12, 1995 to March 8, 1997, and spawned its own short-run comic book series, Adventures of The Mask....
(1995) (co-production with Dark Horse Entertainment, Film Roman Productions, and New Line Television) - The Littlest Pet ShopLittlest Pet ShopLittlest Pet Shop is a toy franchise owned by Hasbro. The original toy series was produced by Kenner in the early 1990s. An animated television series by Sunbow Productions and Creativite et Developpement, based on the franchise, debuted in 1995. However, an updated version of Littlest Pet Shop was...
(1995) - Sgt. Savage and his Screaming Eagles (1994) (G.I. Joe: A Real American HeroG.I. Joe: A Real American HeroG.I. Joe: A Real American Hero is a military-themed line of action figures and toys in Hasbro's G.I. Joe franchise. The toyline lasted from 1982 to 1994, producing well over 500 figures and 250 vehicles and playsets. The line reappeared in 1997 and has continued in one form or another to the...
spin-off) - The TickThe Tick (animated TV series)The Tick: The Animated Series is an American animated television series adaptation of the New England Comics superhero, The Tick. The series debuted September 10, 1994 on the Fox network's Fox Kids block and was responsible for introducing the satirical comic book character to a mainstream...
(1994) (co-production with Fox Children's Productions, Graz Entertainment. Inc and Saban Entertainment) - Conan the AdventurerConan the Adventurer (animated series)Conan the Adventurer is an American animated television series adaptation of Conan the Barbarian, the literary character created by Robert E. Howard in the 1930s. Produced by Jetlag Productions and Sunbow Productions, the series debuted on September 12, 1992, ran for 65 episodes and concluded on...
(1992) - Bucky O'Hare and the Toad WarsBucky O'Hare and the Toad WarsBucky O'Hare and the Toad Wars , debuted in 1991 in the UK on the BBC, as well as in the United States, and was created by Sunbow Productions, Abrams / Gentile Entertainment, Continuity Comics and IDDH it was based on the cult comic Bucky O'Hare...
(1991) (co-production with IDDH, Abrams / Gentile Entertainment and Continuity ComicsContinuity ComicsContinuity Publishing, also known as Continuity Comics, was an American independent comic book company formed by Neal Adams in 1984, publishing comics until 1994....
) - The Nudnik Show (1991)
- Transformers: The Rebirth (1987)
- Transformers: The Return of Optimus Prime (1986)
- Visionaries: Knights of the Magical LightVisionaries: Knights of the Magical LightVisionaries: Knights of the Magical Light was originally a range of action figures from Hasbro, released in 1987. This action figure range was promoted by two different media, telling the stories of the characters...
(1987) (co-production with TMS EntertainmentTokyo Movie Shinsha, formerly known as , is a Japanese animation studio, founded on October 1946. One of the oldest and most prominent anime studios in Japan, it has also produced numerous animated series airing in other countries such as France, the United States, and Italy. The company currently uses "TMS...
) - Transformers: Five Faces of Darkness (1986) (co-production with Marvel Productions and Akom Animation Studio)
- My Little Pony 'n Friends (1986) (co-production with Marvel Productions)
- RobotixRobotixRobotix may refer to:* Robotix * Robotix, a 1986 cartoon produced by Sunbow & Marvel Productions* Robotix , a robotics competition organized by the students of IIT Kharagpur...
(1986) (co-production with Marvel Productions) - InhumanoidsInhumanoidsInhumanoids was an animated series and Hasbro toy property in 1986. In the tradition of other Hasbro properties such as Transformers and G.I. Joe, the show was produced by Sunbow and Marvel Productions and animated in Japan by Toei Animation...
(1986) (co-production with Marvel Productions) - Glo FriendsGlo FriendsGlo Friends are small glow-in-the-dark toys in the shape of insects and other small creatures that were made by Hasbro's Playskool division in the mid 1980s . Books were also made by Ladybird to accompany each Glo Friend...
(1986) (co-production with Marvel Productions) - Moon Dreamers (1986) (co-production with Marvel Productions)
- Potato Head KidsPotato Head KidsPotato Head Kids was a TV show that aired in 1985. It was made to pair with a show called My Little Pony 'n Friends. An episode of My Little Pony was played for 15 minutes, and then an episode of Potato Head Kids, MoonDreamers, or Glo Friends was played.-Premise:Potato Head Kids was an outgrowth of...
(1986) (co-production with Marvel Productions) - The GLO Friends Save Christmas (1985)
- Bigfoot and the Muscle MachinesBigfoot and the Muscle MachinesBigfoot and the Muscle Machines is a special animated TV mini-series that was aired on the animated half-hour TV series Super Sunday and Super Saturday containing 9 segments that ran for 6 minutes each and every weekend, along with Jem, Robotix, and Inhumanoids...
(1985) (co-production with Marvel Productions) - RobotixRobotixRobotix may refer to:* Robotix * Robotix, a 1986 cartoon produced by Sunbow & Marvel Productions* Robotix , a robotics competition organized by the students of IIT Kharagpur...
(1985) (co-production with Marvel Productions) - Super Sunday (1985) (co-production with Marvel Productions)
- JemJem (TV series)Jem, also known as Jem and the Holograms, is an American animated television series that ran from 1985 to 1988 in U.S. first-run syndication...
(1985) (co-production with Marvel Productions) - G.I. Joe (1985) (co-production with Marvel Productions)
- TransformersThe Transformers (TV series)The Transformers is an animated television series depicting a war among giant robots who could transform into vehicles, other objects and animal-like forms. Written and recorded in America, the series was animated in Japan and South Korea...
(1984) (co-production with Marvel Productions) - G.I. Joe: The Revenge of Cobra (1984) (co-production with Marvel Productions)
- G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero (1983) (co-production with Marvel Productions)
- The Charmkins (1983) (co-production with Marvel Productions)
- The Great Space CoasterThe Great Space CoasterThe Great Space Coaster is a children's television show that ran from 1981 through 1986. The series was directed by Dick Feldman, and distributed by Sunbow Productions.-Show summary and history:...
(1981) (co-production with MetromediaMetromediaMetromedia was a media company that owned radio and television stations in the United States from 1956 to 1986 and owned Orion Pictures from 1986-1997.- Overview :...
)
The only movies produced by Sunbow were:
- G.I. Joe: The MovieG.I. Joe: The MovieG.I. Joe: The Movie is a 1987 animated film spun off from the animated series G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, based on the original Hasbro toyline. It was produced by Sunbow Productions and Marvel Productions and was animated in Japan by Toei Animation.Created at the height of the G.I. Joe craze in...
(1987) (co-production with Marvel Productions) - The Transformers: The MovieThe Transformers: The MovieThe Transformers: The Movie is a 1986 animated feature film based on the animated series of the same name. It was released in North America on August 8, 1986 and in the UK on December 5, 1986....
(1986) (co-production with Marvel Productions) - My Little Pony: The MovieMy Little Pony: The MovieMy Little Pony: The Movie is a 1986 animated feature film based on the Hasbro toy line, My Little Pony. It was released on June 20, 1986 by De Laurentiis Entertainment Group...
(1986) (co-production with Marvel Productions) - Inhumanoids: The Movie (1986)
External links
- The Ultimate G.I. Joe Cartoon Website
- The Internet Movie Database
- TheTransformers.net Europe's largest Transformers Fan Site
- The Visionaries.net The web's leading resource for Visionaries Cartoon, Visionaries Comic and Visionaries Toy information
- Transformers @ The Moon The largest Transformers resource for Transformers toys, cartoon and comic information