Titmouse, Inc. is an American animation studio based in Los Angeles, California founded in 1999 that develops and produces animated television programming, feature films, music videos, title sequences, commercials, and short films. The name is derived of the titmouse, which serves as the company's mascot.
 | |
| Company type | Privately |
|---|---|
| Founded | August 1999 |
| Founders | Chris Prynoski Shannon Prynoski |
| Headquarters | , U.S.[1] |
Key people | |
Number of employees | over 700[2] |
| Subsidiaries | Titmouse New York Titmouse Canada |
| Website | titmouse |
History
editFounder and CEO Chris Prynoski began working at MTV in New York on shows such as Daria, Beavis and Butt-Head, and his own creation, Downtown, which was nominated for a primetime Emmy Award.[3] In the early 2000s, Prynoski opened a small T-shirt company with his wife, Shannon Prynoski. However, upon getting more requests for cartoons than for T-shirts, they decided to abandon screen-printing in favor of animation. The Prynoskis moved to California, and opened the revamped Titmouse, Inc., an animation studio. Antonio Canobbio, who had worked with Chris Prynoski at MTV and both Prynoskis at Cartoon Network in L.A., was hired as creative director.[4] Titmouse opened a games division in 2009.[5]
Due to projects like Cartoon Network's Metalocalypse, Superjail! and The Venture Bros.[6][7] the company expanded and opened a sister studio in New York City in 2010.[8] The California studio later added a wholly owned subsidiary, Robin Redbreast, which was then unionized in order to produce Motorcity for Disney XD.[9]
The company has a YouTube channel, Rug Burn, launched in December 2012 with 6 Point Harness. Rug Burn was launched with a handful of shows.[10]
In April 2016, Titmouse released its first feature-length film, the R-rated Nerdland, which stars Paul Rudd and Patton Oswalt.[11] Two years later, in 2018, Titmouse became the studio behind the Disney and Lucasfilm YouTube series of one-minute shorts, Star Wars: Galaxy of Adventures. The series is directed by Titmouse’s Barry Kelly.[12]
Unionizing
editIn October 2020, Titmouse Vancouver became the first animation studio in Canada to join a union. Following a vote that captured 87% of the workforce, 98% of Titmouse Vancouver's workforce voted to join the newly founded Animation Guild IATSE Local 938.[13] In response to this, some said that the issues raised by the workers of Titmouse were the same ones heard "from unrepresented animation workers everywhere" and that the unionization of the Titmouse workers acknowledges the contributions by animation workers to the industry.[14][15][a]
In January 2022, the employees of Titmouse New York formed a union with Animation Guild IATSE Local 839, the first to do so outside of Los Angeles County in more than 70 years. In the card check process, Titmouse NY employees showed more than 90% of support for the organizing effort. Following the union becoming public, Titmouse management chose to voluntarily recognize the union and agreed to negotiate with the Animation Guild in good faith.[16]
Partnerships
editTitmouse has been the animation studio for the Paramount+ comedy series Star Trek: Lower Decks since 2020.[17][18] In early 2020, Titmouse signed a multiyear production deal with Netflix.[19] Titmouse and Netflix co-produced the Pendleton Ward and Duncan Trussell-created series The Midnight Gospel, which aired the same year.[20] Also for Netflix, Titmouse animated an episode of Blur Studio's sci-fi anthology series Love, Death & Robots titled "Kill Team Kill".[21][22]
Titmouse worked with Critical Role and Amazon MGM Studios to co-produce and serve as the animation studio for the Amazon Prime Video series The Legend of Vox Machina.[23][24]
Titmouse also co-produced the Emmy-nominated spinoff series, The Boys Presents: Diabolical for Amazon Prime Video,[25] and produced the adult animated science fiction television series Scavengers Reign with Green Street Pictures in 2023, with Chris Prynoski serving as an executive producer.[26]
In 2024, Titmouse, Inc. announced a partnership with Polygon Pictures for mulitple CG animated series.[27]
Filmography
editThis section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (January 2024) |
Television
editFeature films
editMusic videos
edit| Title | Year | Artist | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Let's Get Dirty (I Can't Get in da Club) | 2001 | Redman | Animation |
| Breaking the Habit | 2004 | Linkin Park | With Gonzo Digimation |
| Dirty Little Thing | Velvet Revolver | Animation (produced for ka-chew!) | |
| Heartless | 2009 | The Fray | |
| Black Rain | Soundgarden | ||
| The Wind | 2012 | Zac Brown Band | |
| Miss Atomic Bomb | The Killers | Animation | |
| The Story of O.J. | 2017 | Jay-Z | Character animation |
| Hallucinate | 2020 | Dua Lipa | |
| Don't Cry | MorMor | ||
| Yankee and the Brave | Run the Jewels | ||
Area21
|
2021 | Area21 |
Short films
editVideo games
edit| Title | Year | Production company | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock | 2007 | Neversoft | Cinematics[69] |
| Guitar Hero Aerosmith | 2008 | Intro and outro cinematics | |
| Guitar Hero World Tour | Cinematics[69] | ||
| Guitar Hero: Metallica | 2009 | Cinematics[70] | |
| Guitar Hero Smash Hits | Cinematics | ||
| Marvel Heroes | 2013 | Gazillion Entertainment | Opening cinematic |
| The Legend of Korra | 2014 | PlatinumGames | Cinematics[71] |
| Soundfall | 2018 | Drastic Games | Trailer |
| Indivisible | Lab Zero Games | Opening cinematic (co-animated with Trigger) | |
| Speed Brawl | Double Stallion | Animated launch trailer | |
| Apex Legends | 2019 | Respawn Entertainment | "Stories from the Outlands: A Father's Letter" |
| SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom – Rehydrated | Purple Lamp Studios | Teaser | |
| Hi-Fi Rush | 2023 | Tango Gameworks | Cinematics |
| Spectre Divide | 2024 | Mountaintop Studios | Animated launch trailer |
Notes
edit- ^ A related union is The Animation Guild, IATSE Local 839, formerly named the Motion Picture Screen Cartoonists, located in Burbank, California
References
edit- ^ "Titmouse, Inc. - Central Hollywood - 267 visitors". Foursquare.com. Retrieved May 24, 2016.
- ^ "About - Titmouse". Titmouse. Retrieved November 10, 2017.
- ^ a b "52nd Emmy Awards Nominees and Winners". Television Academy. Retrieved September 17, 2020.
- ^ a b "Antonio Canobbio". Titmouse. July 30, 2020. Retrieved July 21, 2021.
- ^ French, Michael (March 19, 2009). "Animation house Titmouse opens game studio". Develop Online.
- ^ Kilkenny, Katie (January 10, 2022). "Animation Guild Expands Beyond L.A. With Unionization of Titmouse New York". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 22, 2024.
- ^ Popescu, Adam (May 9, 2018). "A Studio That's Animated in More Ways Than One". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 22, 2024.
- ^ "Titmouse, maker of 'Big Mouth' and other animated series, is opening a Burbank office". Burbank Leader. February 8, 2020. Retrieved February 22, 2024.
- ^ "You are being redirected..." www.animationmagazine.net. Retrieved February 22, 2024.
- ^ "Six Point Harness and Titmouse launch Rug Burn channel". Animation Magazine. December 7, 2012.
- ^ Wickline, Dan (October 9, 2015). "NYCC '15: Paul Rudd To Lead Titmouse' First Feature Length Film". Bleeding Cool. Retrieved October 10, 2015.
- ^ Spangler, Todd (November 28, 2018). "Disney Launches 'Star Wars' Digital Animated Series to Turn Kids Into Fans". Variety. Retrieved March 20, 2024.
- ^ Amidi, Amid (October 20, 2020). "Historic Moment in Canadian Animation: 98% Of Titmouse Vancouver Workers Vote To Unionize". Cartoon Brew. Archived from the original on November 2, 2020. Retrieved January 10, 2021.
- ^ Larsen, Karin (October 22, 2020). "Vancouver animation workers unionize after precedent-setting vote". CBC News. Archived from the original on November 1, 2020. Retrieved January 10, 2021.
- ^ Milligan, Mercedes (October 20, 2020). "Titmouse Canada Becomes Country's First TAG Union Toon Shop". Animation Magazine. Archived from the original on November 1, 2020. Retrieved January 10, 2021.
- ^ Kilkenny, Katie (January 10, 2022). "Animation Guild Expands Beyond L.A. With Unionization of Titmouse New York". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 10, 2022.
- ^ Zahed, Ramin (August 24, 2023). "'Star Trek: Lower Decks' Theatrical Screenings Planned for Star Trek Celebration Day". Animation Magazine. Retrieved March 20, 2024.
- ^ Campione, Katie (August 24, 2023). "'Star Trek: Lower Decks' Season 4 To Premiere In September; Paramount+ Debuts New Trailer — Comic-Con". Deadline. Retrieved March 20, 2024.
- ^ Sakoui, Anousha (February 7, 2020). "Titmouse, maker of 'Big Mouth' and other animated series, expands into Burbank". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 9, 2023.
- ^ Petski, Denise (December 19, 2019). "Netflix Orders Adult Animated Series 'The Midnight Gospel' From Pendleton Ward & Duncan Trussell". Deadline. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
- ^ Griffin, David (August 17, 2022). "Pantheon: Exclusive Season 1 Trailer Reveal For AMC+ Animated Series Starring Paul Dano". IGN. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
- ^ Webster, Andrew (May 20, 2022). "The new season of Love, Death and Robots doesn't miss". The Verge. Retrieved June 3, 2024.
- ^ Otterson, Joe (October 6, 2022). "'Legend of Vox Machina' Renewed for Season 3 at Amazon". Variety. Retrieved March 20, 2024.
- ^ Edwards, Belen (January 28, 2022). "'The Legend of Vox Machina' puts a zany twist on fantasy — with killer results". Mashable. Retrieved March 20, 2024.
- ^ Complex, Valerie (February 2, 2022). "'The Boys Presents: Diabolical'; Voice Talent Revealed In New Teaser Trailer". Deadline. Retrieved March 20, 2024.
- ^ Hailu, Selome (May 10, 2024). "'Scavengers Reign' Season 1 Heads to Netflix After Cancellation at Max, Season 2 Not Yet Greenlit". Variety. Retrieved June 3, 2024.
- ^ Sartro, Debbie Diamond (August 15, 2024). "Titmouse and Polygon Pictures Team Up to Produce Multiple New CG Series". Animation World Network.
- ^ Futter, Mike (October 17, 2014). "The Legend of Korra: Get a Look at the Animation and Combat of The Legend Of Korra". Game Informer. Archived from the original on November 19, 2014. Retrieved November 20, 2014.
- ^ a b c d e Webb, Charles (May 3, 2013). "ECCC 2013: Animation Studio Titmouse Unleashes The 'Disco Destroyer!'". MTV Geek. Archived from the original on May 1, 2013. Retrieved August 8, 2013.
- ^ Moody, Annemarie (July 29, 2009). "Jeff Katz and Titmouse Animation Team Up in Four Picture Deal". AWN. Retrieved November 20, 2014.
- ^ Aaron (October 29, 2009). "AOTS and Titmouse Attend Slasher School". Cold Hard Flash. Retrieved March 2, 2014.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (December 20, 2012). "Adult Swim's 'Black Dynamite' Renewed For Second Season". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 17, 2013.
- ^ Beck, Jerry (June 20, 2014). ""Community" goes Anime". Cartoonbrew.com. Retrieved May 24, 2016.
- ^ "2013 Official Selection, film index, Community "Digital Estate Planning"". Annecy. Retrieved November 22, 2014.
- ^ "Candace Bailey Goes Behind The Scenes At Titmouse Studios". G4. Archived from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved November 20, 2014.
- ^ Zahed, Ramin (March 6, 2012). "Disney's 'Randy Cunningham' Goes into Production". Animation Magazine. Retrieved November 20, 2014.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (January 10, 2014). "Comedy Central Greenlights Animated Cop Comedy Series Produced By Rob Lowe & Will Gluck And Voiced By Lowe, Elizabeth Banks, Will Forte & Kate Mara". Deadline. Retrieved January 12, 2014.
- ^ "Demo Reel 2016". Vimeo. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
- ^ "Hasbro: The Next Chapter in Storytelling | License! Global". www.licensemag.com. Retrieved October 13, 2016.
- ^ Amidi, Amid (September 18, 2017). "Watch All The Animated Sequences In The New Netflix Series 'Disjointed'". Cartoon Brew. Retrieved November 10, 2017.
- ^ Petski, Denise (April 11, 2018). "Disney Junior Greenlights Animated Comedy 'T.O.T.S.' For 2019 Premiere".
- ^ Bennett, Anita (May 20, 2019). "Cartoon Network Unveils Adventure Comedies 'Mao Mao, Heroes of Pure Heart' And 'Tig N' Seek'".
- ^ Zahed, Ramin (December 19, 2019). "Netflix Nabs New Show from 'Adventure Time' Creator Pen Ward".
- ^ @catsuka (March 16, 2020). "First trailer of Netflix "The..." (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ @iamkateherron (June 12, 2021). "This thread is awesome. Our..." (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ "Arlo the Alligator Makes His Debut In An All-New Animated Movie Musical and Series On Netflix". Netflix Media Center (Press release). November 12, 2020.
- ^ "'Chicago Party Aunt' Animated Series Ordered at Netflix, Lauren Ash and RuPaul Charles Among Voice Cast". Variety. July 27, 2021.
- ^ Whitten, Sarah (March 4, 2019). "Critical Role fans finance Dungeons & Dragons Kickstarter in an hour". CNBC. Retrieved March 5, 2019.
- ^ "Smash parties, talking vulvas and Big Mouth: inside Titmouse animation studio". The Guardian. March 4, 2021. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
- ^ Spangler, Todd (October 8, 2021). "Critical Role's 'Legend of Vox Machina' Series Premiere Date Set on Amazon Prime Video". Variety. Retrieved October 8, 2021.
- ^ "AMC+ Slates 'Pantheon' for Sept. 1 with Extended First Look". July 26, 2022.
- ^ "Corus Upfronts Slate More Adult Swim & Kids Toons for Canada". June 8, 2022.
- ^ Petski, Denise (June 6, 2023). "Amazon Orders 'Angry Birds Mystery Island' Animated Series; Harvey Guillén, Kate Micucci, Dominic Monaghan, Nasim Pedrad Among Cast". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
- ^ Sarto, Debbie Diamond (September 24, 2024). "Titmouse Teams with Cool Cats on 'The Milk Chug' Animated Series". Animation World Network.
- ^ "Disney Branded Television and Disney EMEA Original Productions Celebrate Next 100 Years of Disney Animated Storytelling at Annecy International Animation Film Festival". June 13, 2023. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
- ^ Among Us (June 27, 2023). "HELLO / 🚨 WE'RE MAKING AN ANIMATED TV SHOW!!!!! 🚨". Twitter. Retrieved June 27, 2023.
- ^ Otterson, Joe (June 27, 2023). "'Among Us' Animated Series in the Works at CBS Studios From 'Infinity Train' Creator Owen Dennis (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved June 27, 2023.
- ^ Petski, Denise (April 17, 2024). "'Golden Axe' Animated Series Based On Video Game Ordered By Comedy Central; Matthew Rhys, Danny Pudi Among Voice Cast". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 17, 2024.
- ^ Rohit Kelkar on Twitter
- ^ McLean, Tom (October 2, 2023). "How the 'Trolls Band Together' Team Tuned Up a World-Expanding DreamWorks Reunion". Animation Magazine. Retrieved October 6, 2023.
- ^ "Arthur F. Padua FX Demo Reel- 'The Day The Earth Blew Up: a Looney Tunes Movie' 2023". YouTube. June 14, 2024.
- ^ "'Ghostbusters' Animated Feature In Works With Jason Reitman & Gil Kenan". Deadline. June 8, 2022.
- ^ "Titmouse's 'Owl' Takes Wing on iTunes". April 9, 2013.
- ^ "The Latest Titmouse Short – Pinched".
- ^ Blauvelt, Christian (May 8, 2012). "'Diablo III': Chris Metzen discusses the inspiration for Peter Chung's 'Diablo: Wrath' video". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved February 15, 2014.
- ^ "Obey the Call – Heroes of the Storm". Archived from the original on December 21, 2021 – via www.youtube.com.
- ^ ""An Almost Christmas Story," New Animated Holiday Short Directed By David Lowery And Produced By Academy Award-Winning Filmmaker Alfonso Cuarón, Coming To Disney+ This Fall". Disney Plus Press. Retrieved September 14, 2024.
- ^ Petski, Denise (September 12, 2024). "Alfonso Cuarón's 'An Almost Christmas Story' Animated Short Set To Premiere On Disney+; Written & Directed By David Lowery". Deadline. Retrieved September 14, 2024.
- ^ a b Faylor, Chris (March 18, 2009). "Metalocalypse Animators Found Game Studio, Developing Post-apocalyptic Zombie Pirate Game". Shacknews. Retrieved February 15, 2014.
- ^ "Titmouse Opens Game Studio". IGN (Press release). March 18, 2009. Retrieved February 15, 2014.
- ^ "The Legend of Korra - Behind the Scenes with Titmouse Animation Studio". IGN. October 16, 2014. Retrieved November 21, 2014.