Atomic Cartoons

Atomic Cartoons, Inc.

Company type	Subsidiary
Industry	Animation
Founded	March 1999; 25 years ago (1999-03)
Founders	Trevor Bentley Mauro Casalese Olaf Miller Rob Davies
Headquarters	123 West 7th Avenue, Vancouver, British Columbia , Canada
Number of locations	3 (2020)
Key people	Jennifer McCarron (CEO) Matthew Berkowitz (CCO)
Number of employees	600 (2019)[1]
Parent	Thunderbird Entertainment (2015–present)
Divisions	Atomic Originals (US)
Website	atomiccartoons.com

Atomic Cartoons, Inc. is a Canadian animation studio founded in 1999 by Trevor Bentley, Mauro Casalese, Olaf Miller, and former Warner Bros. Animation employee Rob Davies.[2][3] Based in Vancouver, British Columbia, it produces service animation for a wide variety of clients, as well as creating its own properties. Since 2015, the company has been owned by Thunderbird Entertainment.[4]

History

The studio was founded in March 1999 by Trevor Bentley, Mauro Casalese, Olaf Miller, and Rob Davies.[5] Sent back to Vancouver, British Columbia, after losing his job at Warner Bros. Animation following the cancellation of Pinky, Elmyra & the Brain, Davies received a phone call from Sunwoo Entertainment's Jae Moh to help produce Milo's Bug Quest  [ko]. Together with Miller, Bentley, and Casalese, the four launched Atomic Cartoons to assist in creating the series.[2]

Between 2004 and 2008, the company produced Atomic Betty for Teletoon in association with Breakthrough Entertainment and Tele Images Kids. Atomic's first fully original creation, the show's titular heroine served as the studio's mascot for a number of years.

In 2010, Miller left to launch his own studio. The following year, Jennifer McCarron was appointed head of production.[6] On July 8, 2015, Atomic Cartoons was bought by Canadian production company Thunderbird Films.[4] The three founders remain on board. McCarron was named president and chief executive officer in 2016.[7]

In December 2018, the company opened a second animation studio in Ottawa, Ontario.[8] Its first project was the Netflix series The Last Kids on Earth.

In February 2020, Atomic Cartoons opened its third studio in Los Angeles, California.[9]

Productions

Television series

#	Title	Years	Network/channel/platform	Co-producer(s)	Notes
1	Spider-Man Unlimited	1999–2001	Fox Kids	Marvel Studios Saban Entertainment Koko Enterprise Co., Ltd. Dong Yang Animation	[10]
2	Courage the Cowardly Dog	1999–2002	Cartoon Network	Stretch Films	Additional storyboards only
3	Milo's Bug Quest  [ko]	1999–2000	KBS2	Sunwoo Entertainment	Character, prop and background designs, and storyboards[11]
4	The Zeta Project	2001–2002	Kids' WB	Warner Bros. Animation
5	Max & Ruby	2002–2019	Treehouse TV	Nelvana	Based on the book series by Rosemary Wells. Seasons 6–7 only, previously produced by Silver Lining Productions for the first five seasons, 9 Story Entertainment for seasons 3–5 and Chorion for seasons 4–5.
6	Atomic Betty	2004–2008	Teletoon M6 (seasons 1–2) Télétoon (season 3)	Breakthrough Entertainment Tele Images Kids Marathon Group (season 3)	[12]
7	Krypto the Superdog	2005–2006	Cartoon Network	Warner Bros. Animation	Storyboards only
8	Johnny Test	2005–2014	Kids' WB (seasons 1–3) Cartoon Network (seasons 4–6) Teletoon	Cookie Jar Entertainment Warner Bros. Animation (seasons 1–2) DHX Media (season 6)	Storyboards for the first season, animation services for seasons 4–6
9	Captain Flamingo	2006–2010	YTV GMA Network	Breakthrough Films and Television Heroic Film Company Philippine Animation Studio Inc.	[13]
10	Click and Clack's As the Wrench Turns	2008	PBS	Howard K. Grossman Productions	[14]
11	Babar and the Adventures of Badou	2010–2015	YTV TF1 Disney Junior	Nelvana TeamTO LuxAnimation (seasons 1–2) The Clifford Ross Company	[15] Based on the original Babar books by Jean and Laurent de Brunhoff. Computer-animated sequel and spin-off to the original Babar television series.
12	Transformers: Rescue Bots	2012–2016	Discovery Family	Darby Pop Productions (season 1) Hasbro Studios	Season 1 only, overtook by Vision Animation and Moody Street Productions for the second season and DHX Media Vancouver for the third and fourth seasons.
13	Rocket Monkeys	2013–2016	Teletoon	Breakthrough Entertainment Hornet Films	[16]
14	Ella the Elephant	2013–2014	TVOKids	DHX Cookie Jar Inc. FremantleMedia Kids & Family Entertainment	[17]
15	Little Charmers	2015–2017	Treehouse TV	Spin Master Entertainment Nelvana
16	Pirate Express	2015	Teletoon	Breakthrough Entertainment Sticky Pictures
17	Nico Can Dance!	2015	Knowledge Network
18	Screechers Wild	2016		Alpha Group Co., Ltd.
19	Counterfeit Cat	2016–2017	Teletoon	Wildseed Kids Tricon Kids & Family Aardman Animations
20	Beat Bugs	2016–2018	7TWO Netflix	Grace: A Storytelling Company Thunderbird Entertainment (seasons 1–2) Beyond Entertainment Seven Network	Animation services for seasons 1–2
21	Winston Steinburger and Sir Dudley Ding Dong	2016–2017	Teletoon	Entertainment One Sticky Pictures
22	Marvel Super Hero Adventures	2017–2020	Disney Junior	Marvel Animation
23	Minecraft Mini Series	2017–2018	YouTube	Mojang Studios Microsoft Studios Mattel Creations
24	Secret History of Comics	2017	AMC	Skybound Entertainment AMC Networks	Live action docuseries. Provided work for the title sequence as well as animation sequences in the show itself.
25	Legend of the Three Caballeros	2018	DisneyLife	Disney Digital Network 6 Point Harness Mercury Filmworks
26	Cupcake & Dino: General Services	2018–2019	Teletoon	Birdo Studio Entertainment One Corus Entertainment
27	Super Dinosaur	2018–2019	Teletoon	Spin Master Entertainment Skybound Entertainment Corus Entertainment
28	Hilda	2018–2023	Netflix	Silvergate Media Mercury Filmworks Nobrow Press (season 1) Flying Eye Books (seasons 2–3)	Animated 8 episodes for season one.[18]
29	101 Dalmatian Street	2019–2020	Disney Channel (UK) Disney+ (USA/Canada)	Passion Animation Studios	Loosely based on the 1956 novel The Hundred and One Dalmatians by Dodie Smith and its film franchise.
30	Molly of Denali	2019–present	PBS Kids CBC Kids	GBH Kids
31	Lego Jurassic World: Legend of Isla Nublar	2019	Nickelodeon	The Lego Group
32	The Last Kids on Earth	2019–2021	Netflix	Koko Production Inc. Cyber Group Studios
33	Hello Ninja	2019–2021	Netflix	Gorilla Poet Productions
34	Mighty Express	2020–2021	Netflix	Spin Master Entertainment
35	Trolls: TrollsTopia	2020–2022	Hulu/Peacock	DreamWorks Animation Television
36	Spidey and His Amazing Friends	2021–present	Disney Jr.	Marvel Animation (season 1) Marvel Studios Animation (season 2–present)
37	Dogs in Space	2021–2022	Netflix	Netflix Animation GrizzlyJerr Productions
38	Pinecone & Pony	2022–2023	Apple TV+	DreamWorks Animation Television First Generation Films
39	Little Demon	2022	FXX	Harmonious Claptrap Jersey Films 2nd Avenue Evil Hag Productions ShadowMachine FXP	First series from the company aimed at an adult audience.[19]
40	My Little Pony: Make Your Mark	2022–2023	Netflix	Entertainment One	[20]
41	Oddballs	2022–2023	Netflix	Netflix Animation	[21]
42	Cocomelon Lane	2023–present	Netflix	Infinite Studios Moonbug Entertainment	[22]
43	Princess Power	2023–present	Netflix	Flower Films	[23]
44	Teenage Euthanasia	2023–present	PFFR Adult Swim	Williams Street	Animation services for season 2[24]
45	Young Love	2023–present	Max	Sony Pictures Animation Lion Forge Animation Carl Jones Studios Cherry Lane Productions
46	Zokie of Planet Ruby	2023–present	Amazon Prime Video YTV	Nelvana	Additional production facility
47	Zombies: The Re-Animated Series	2024–present	Disney Channel Disney+	Disney Television Animation Bloor Street Productions	[25]
48	Wonderoos	2024–present	Netflix	7 Ate 9 Entertainment	[26]
49	Lego Pixar: BrickToons	2024	Disney+	The Lego Group Pixar	[27]
50	Lego Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy			Lucasfilm The Lego Group	[28]
51	Mermicorno: Starfall	2025-present	Max		[29][30]
52	Super Team Canada	2025	Crave	Electric Avenue	[31]
53	Iron Man and His Awesome Friends		Disney Jr.	Marvel Studios Animation	[32]

Films and specials

Title	Years	Network	Co-producer(s)	Notes
The Angry Birds Movie	2016	Theatrical	Columbia Pictures Rovio Animation	"Hal & Bubbles" opening
Lego Jurassic World: The Secret Exhibit	2018	NBC	The Lego Group
Lego Spider-Man: Vexed by Venom	2019	Disney XD	Marvel The Lego Group
Curious George: Royal Monkey	2019	Peacock	Universal Animation Studios
Lego Jurassic World: Double Trouble	2020	Nickelodeon	The Lego Group
Lego Star Wars Holiday Special	2020	Disney+	Lucasfilm The Lego Group	[33]
Curious George: Go West, Go Wild!	2020	Peacock	Universal Animation Studios
Lego Avengers: Climate Conundrum	2020	Disney XD	Marvel The Lego Group
Curious George: Cape Ahoy	2021	Peacock	Universal Animation Studios
Lego Star Wars: Terrifying Tales	2021	Disney+	Lucasfilm The Lego Group	[34]
Lego Marvel Avengers: Time Twisted	2022	Disney+	Marvel The Lego Group
Lego Star Wars: Summer Vacation	2022	Disney+	Lucasfilm The Lego Group	[35]
Night at the Museum: Kahmunrah Rises Again	2022	Disney+	Walt Disney Pictures 21 Laps Entertainment Alibaba Pictures	[36]
Lego Jurassic Park: The Unofficial Retelling	2023	Peacock	The Lego Group	[37]
Lego Marvel Avengers: Code Red	2023	Disney+	Marvel The Lego Group	[38]
Lego Marvel Avengers: Mission Demolition	2024	Disney+	Marvel The Lego Group	[39]

Other

• The Oblongs (2001; Layout)
• Chub City (2014; scrapped project)
• Five Alarm Funk 'Robot' (2015, music video)
• Vindicators 2 (2022, 10 episodes, short spin-off of Rick and Morty)
• The Mindful Adventures of Unicorn Island[40] (2023, web series)

References

1. Ross, Ailsa (June 27, 2019). "Zombies and Owls: How Atomic Cartoons Recruits Canada's Best Talent". Royal Bank of Canada. Archived from the original on July 5, 2019. Retrieved July 5, 2019.
2. Miller, Bob (2000-09-01). "The Power Behind Atomic Cartoons". Animation World Network. Archived from the original on 2015-04-02. Retrieved 2015-03-13.
3. Goodman, Martin (2002-03-18). "Atomic Betty: Defending the Universe and Trying to Find a Home on TV". Animation World Network. Archived from the original on 2015-04-02. Retrieved 2015-03-13.
4. Cummins, Juliana (July 8, 2015). "Thunderbird acquires Atomic Cartoons". Kidscreen. Brunico Communications. Archived from the original on July 11, 2015. Retrieved April 8, 2019.
5. Edwards, Ian (April 5, 1999). "New Vancouver studio Atomic Cartoons opens". Playback. Brunico Communications. Archived from the original on April 8, 2019. Retrieved April 8, 2019.
6. Getzler, Wendy (October 19, 2011). "Atomic Cartoons names head of production". Kidscreen. Brunico Communications. Archived from the original on April 8, 2019. Retrieved April 8, 2019.
7. Pinto, Jordan (June 16, 2016). "Twiner-McCarron named president of Atomic Cartoons". Playback. Brunico Communications. Archived from the original on April 8, 2019. Retrieved April 8, 2019.
8. "Animation studio drawn back to Hintonburg". CBC News. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. December 16, 2018. Archived from the original on April 10, 2019. Retrieved April 8, 2019.
9. Milligan, Mercedes (February 5, 2020). "Thunderbird's Atomic Cartoons Opens LA Studio". Animation Magazine. Archived from the original on February 6, 2020. Retrieved February 6, 2020.
10. "'the Walking Dead' Creator Robert Kirkman Quietly Launched a Tv Series in Canada". 12 October 2018. Archived from the original on 28 January 2021. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
11. Edwards, Ian (1999-11-15). "Animal Planet calls on 'Wild'". Playback. Archived from the original on 2015-04-02. Retrieved 2015-03-13.
12. Brodsky, Katherine (2012-09-05). "World's love of toons makes these nerds cool". Variety. Archived from the original on 2015-04-02. Retrieved 2015-03-13.
13. DeMott, Rick (2007-09-11). "Captain Flamingo Lands On Jetix Programming Block". Animation World Network. Archived from the original on 2015-02-02. Retrieved 2015-03-13.
14. Mallory, Michael (2012-06-14). "The Tooning Up of 'Car Talk'". Animation Magazine. Archived from the original on 2015-04-02. Retrieved 2015-03-13.
15. "Atomic Cartoons Goes Boom". 16 May 2019. Archived from the original on 17 April 2021. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
16. Wolfe, Jennifer (2014-10-15). "TELETOON Commissions Third Season of Breakthrough's 'Rocket Monkeys'". Animation World Network. Archived from the original on 2014-12-25. Retrieved 2015-03-13.
17. "Atomic Cartoons Revs up Creative Investment". Archived from the original on 2021-04-19. Retrieved 2021-04-19.
18. "Hilda". Atomic Cartoons. Archived from the original on 17 November 2020. Retrieved November 26, 2022.
19. "FX Orders Animated Comedy Pilot 'Little Demon'; Danny & Lucy DeVito, Aubrey Plaza to Star, Dan Harmon to EP". 23 April 2020. Archived from the original on 23 April 2020. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
20. Tuchow, Ryan (February 18, 2022). "Hasbro Saddles Up New My Little Pony Content". Kid Screen. Archived from the original on February 19, 2022. Retrieved February 19, 2022.
21. "Youtube Creator James Rallison's Animated Series 'Oddballs' to Premiere on Netflix in 2022". Netflix Media Center (Press release). June 23, 2022.
22. Zahed, Ramin (Nov 17, 2023). "Singing & Dancing along the New 'CoComelon Lane'". Animation Magazine. Retrieved Sep 30, 2024.
23. Milligan, Mercedes (2022-09-07). "'Princess Power,' 'Spirit Rangers' Join Netflix's Fall Preschool Slate". Animation Magazine. Archived from the original on 2022-09-07. Retrieved 2022-09-07.
24. O'Rourke, Ryan (2022-03-31). "'Teenage Euthanasia' Renewed for Season 2 at Adult Swim". Collider. Archived from the original on 2023-04-06. Retrieved 2023-04-06.
25. Zahed, Ramin (June 26, 2024). "Showrunners Behind Disney's 'ZOMBIES: The Re-Animated Series' Discuss the Franchise's New Incarnation". Animation Magazine. Retrieved June 29, 2024.
26. "Video: "Wonderoos" New Series Teaser Trailer - Netflix Jr" (Press release). Netflix. June 17, 2024 – via The Futon Critic.
27. Milligan, Mercedes (August 21, 2024). "'LEGO Pixar: BrickToons' Brings Beloved Characters into Newly Built Adventures". Animation Magazine. Retrieved September 5, 2024.
28. Desowitz, Bill (May 7, 2024). "ANIMATED 'LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy' Trailer: 'Four-Piece' Animated Special Mixes Up Good and Evil". IndieWire. Retrieved September 5, 2024.
29. Milligan, Mercedes (February 4, 2019). "Tokidoki's Mermicorno Getting Animated with Atomic Cartoons". Animation Magazine. Archived from the original on December 22, 2019. Retrieved February 6, 2020.
30. Whittock, Jesse (May 24, 2023). "Max Boards 'Mermicorno: Starfall' Animated Series From Thunderbird's Atomic Cartoons And Tokidoki". Animation Magazine. Archived from the original on May 24, 2023. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
31. "From Will Arnett, Crave Announces New Original Adult Animated Comedy Series, SUPER TEAM CANADA". Bell Media. February 2, 2024.
32. Petski, Denise (2024-10-15). "'Marvel's Iron Man And His Awesome Friends' Preschool Series Gets Disney Jr. Greenlight". Deadline. Retrieved 2024-10-15.
33. Zahed, Ramin (August 13, 2020). "Disney+ Gets Festive with 'LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special'". Animation Magazine. Archived from the original on August 21, 2020. Retrieved August 27, 2020.
34. "LEGO STAR WARS TERRIFYING TALES IS HERE!". Atomic Cartoons. 2021-10-21. Archived from the original on 2021-12-06. Retrieved 2021-11-03.
35. Zahed, Ramin (June 21, 2022). "Disney+ Unveils New Taste of the 'LEGO Star Wars Summer Vacation'". Animation Magazine. Archived from the original on June 22, 2022. Retrieved June 21, 2022.
36. "Night At The Museum Kahmunrah Rises Again Animated Film Gets Animation Studio". Tumblr. Archived from the original on 2023-07-23. Retrieved 2022-11-04.
37. Thompson, Jaden (August 29, 2023). "'Jurassic Park' Animated Lego Special Coming to Peacock". Variety. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
38. Tingley, Anna (September 18, 2023). "Lego Marvel Avengers: Code Red to Arrive on Disney+ in October". Variety. Archived from the original on September 18, 2023. Retrieved September 18, 2023.
39. Flook, Ray (September 21, 2024). "LEGO Marvel Avengers: Mission Demolition Arrives Oct. 18th (Poster)". Bleeding Cool. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
40. "Atomic Cartoons on LinkedIn: Premiering September 12: The Mindful Adventures of Unicorn Island".

External links

• Official website