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Studio Spotlight
Modern Classics: In the past half a century, Nelvana has produced numerous award-winning series and specials, including (clockwise from top) Franklin, The Most Magnificent Thing, Ranger Rob and Max & Ruby.
Northern Star Nelvana celebrates 50 years of producing memorable animation content.
I
f you’re an animation fan, the image of a polar bear eying the North Star will immediately remind you of the famous logo of Canadian animation studio Nelvana, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this July. Founded by Michael Hirsh, Patrick Loubert and Clive A. Smith, the studio is best known for a long string of animated TV series and features, many based on popular children’s books, which have entertained global audiences for five decades. The list of quality animated hits from the studio is quite dazzling: Babar, Clifford the Big Red Dog, Rupert, Franklin, Rolie Polie Olie, Bob and Margaret, Donkey Kong Country, The Fairly OddParents, Cyberchase, Max & Ruby, Clone High, 6Teen, The Backyardigans, Beyblade, Mike the Knight, Bravest Warriors and Esme & Roy are just a few of the many outstanding titles Nelvana has produced through the years. And the studio, which is a subsidiary of Canada’s Corus Entertainment, is showing no signs of slowing down. According to Nelvana president Pam Westman, who joined the com-
pany five years ago, the studio has been experiencing a highly productive period. “With a focus on improving our development slate, expanding our studio’s capabilities and maximizing the value of our vast catalogue, Nelvana has established an impressive portfolio of content bolstering our animation expertise and attracting some of the world’s Pam Westman best content production partners.” She mentions the 2020 Emmy awarded to the studio’s in-house cloud-based VFX project management system Nelnet, the partnerships with Sesame Workshop on the show Esme & Roy, with Mattel on Thomas & Friends: All Engines Go!, with Nickelodeon on Ollie’s Pack and the upcoming ZJ Sparkleton and The Hamster Show, and hot titles such as The Dog & Pony Show, Agent Binky: Pets of the Universe and the recently announced Super Wish show.
www.animationmagazine.net 48
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june|july 21
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