Lacewood Productions was a Canadian animation studio and production company based in Ottawa, Ontario.[1] Founded in 1988, it was well-known for producing a television series, Katie and Orbie, as well as specials based on For Better or For Worse, and the 1990 feature The Nutcracker Prince. The company was originally owned by Wiseman & Sons. In 1995, Paragon Entertainment Corporation acquired the studio for CA $3.2 million. In 1997, Paragon raised the company's stake to 75% and eventually took control of it later that year.[2] Paragon eventually declared bankruptcy in 1998, with most of Lacewood's library and former assets being acquired by Amberwood Entertainment in 2000.[citation needed]
Industry | Animation |
---|---|
Predecessor | Hinton Animation Studios |
Founded | 1988 |
Founder | Sheldon Wiseman |
Defunct | 1998 |
Fate | Bankruptcy And Liquidation along with and by parent company Acquired by Amberwood Entertainment |
Successor | Amberwood Entertainment Corporation |
Headquarters | , Canada |
Products | Television series |
Owner | Wiseman & Sons (1984–1995) |
Parent | Paragon Entertainment Corporation (1995–1998) |
Lacewood was the successor to Hinton Animation Studios, a company created by Sheldon Wiseman, which closed down due to debt problems.[2]
The first productions made by the studio were The Railway Dragon and its sequel The Birthday Dragon.
Lacewood has also done animation services on the first season of The Ren and Stimpy Show. According to Thad Komorowski, the studio had a hostile working environment comparable to that of Spümcø, not paying employees well, and its output was subpar, with John Kricfalusi's high standards demotivating the studio; it backed out after animating six episodes, despite Kricfalusi's approval of their work.[3]
Lacewood has also done animation production in partnership with Universal Cartoon Studios on season 2 of Problem Child, Monster Force and 1995 episodes of The Savage Dragon.[citation needed]
Spinoff company
editIndustry | Animation |
---|---|
Predecessor | Lacewood Productions |
Founded | 1997 |
Founder | Sheldon Wiseman |
Headquarters | , Canada |
Products | Television series |
Owner | Bell Media (2011–present) |
Amberwood Entertainment Corporation (known by its animation industry name as Amberwood Productions) is a Canadian animation studio founded in 1997 by Sheldon Wiseman. The company bought Lacewood Productions' assets from Paragon Entertainment Corporation in 2000. Amberwood was best known for producing The Secret World of Benjamin Bear (a follow-up series to Lacewood's The Teddy Bears specials), Hoze Houndz, Katie and Orbie and RollBots.
Productions
editShow | Creator(s) | Years Aired | # of seasons | # of episodes produced | Status |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pumper Pups[a] | Ben Wicks | 1999 | 1 | 52 | Ended |
Hoze Houndz | Gerald Tripp | 1999–2006 | 6 | 78 | Ended |
Katie and Orbie[b] | Ben and Susan Wicks | 1993–2003 | 6 | 78 | Ended |
The Secret World of Benjamin Bear[c] | Sheldon Wiseman and Ken Anderson | 2003–2009 | 4 | 52 | Ended |
Zeroman | J.D. Smith, Gerald Tripp and Jonathan Wiseman | 2004 | 1 | 13 | Ended |
The Snow Queen | Sheldon Wiseman | 2005 | none | none | Completed |
RollBots | Michael Milligan ("MCM") | 2009 | 1 | 26 | Ended |
Rob the Robot[d] | Manuel Rosen | 2010–2013 | 3 | 104 | |
The Magic Hockey Skates | Sheldon Wiseman | 2013 | none | none | Completed |
Shutterbugs | Craig Young, Micheal Milligan and Cory Morrison | 2015 | 1 | 52 | Ended |
Wolf Joe | Alexander Bar | 2021 | 1 | 52 | Ended |
Notes
edit- ^ First series produced by the company.
- ^ Only the last three season were produced by Amberwood.
- ^ Follow up of Lacewood's Teddy Bears specials.
- ^ Only series to be produced where Sheldon Wiseman was already working on a different project.
Books
edit- Komorowski, Thad (2017). Sick Little Monkeys: The Unauthorized Ren & Stimpy Story. Albany, Georgia: BearManor Media. ISBN 978-1629331836.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Wise, Wyndham (2001), p. 9. Take One's Essential Guide to Canadian Filmmaking. ISBN 0-8020-8398-6. University of Toronto Press. Accessed April 14, 2007.
- ^ a b Bullock, Kelly (April 2005). Ottawa's animation action. Ottawa Insight. Retrieved April 17, 2007.
- ^ Komorowski 2017, p. 90.