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Marvel Studios Animation

This article is about the animation company formed in 2021. For the company formed in 2008, see Marvel Animation. For other uses, see Marvel Animation (disambiguation).
Marvel Studios Animation
Company typeDivision
Industry
  • Entertainment
  • Animation
GenreSuperhero fiction
FoundedJuly 21, 2021; 3 years ago (2021-07-21)
Headquarters
Burbank, California
,
United States
Key people
ProductsAnimation
Services
  • Production
  • Licensing
ParentMarvel Studios

Marvel Studios Animation (also known as Marvel Animation) is a division of American production company Marvel Studios centered on development of its animated projects based on Marvel Comics. The division was created by Marvel Studios as a "mini studio" and mainly produces projects set within the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), and also oversees the development of non-MCU animated projects.

Since 2021, Marvel Studios Animation has released three projects – the series What If...? and X-Men '97, and the shorts I Am Groot – with four more in development. Additionally, they took over production of the Disney Jr. series Spidey and His Amazing Friends starting with its second season. The division outsources animation to other studios for each project.

History

[edit]
Animated version of the Marvel Studios logo that appeared in the division's projects until 2023

In March 2019, it was revealed that Marvel Studios was developing an animated anthology series based on the What If comic book concept to explore how the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) would be altered if certain events had occurred differently.[1] Disney and Marvel officially announced What If...? the following month.[2] The series of animated short films I Am Groot was announced in December 2020.[3][4]

In June 2021, Marvel Studios executive vice president of film production Victoria Alonso said the studio's expansion to animation with the series What If...? was an opportunity to make the MCU more diverse.[5] At that time, Marvel Studios was creating an "animation branch and mini studio",[6][7] to focus on more animated content beyond What If...?, building infrastructure to handle multiple animated series at once and looking to hire around 300 new staff for production roles on a slate of Disney+ animated series.[6][8][9] Marvel Studios' Brad Winderbaum, the executive who was in charge of What If...?, was promoted to head of streaming, television, and animation at Marvel Studios,[10] and in September, Alonso was promoted to president of physical and post-production, VFX and animation.[11] Dana Vasquez-Eberhardt also serves as the vice president of animation.[12] During the Disney+ Day event in November 2021, Marvel Studios officially announced an animated Spider-Man prequel series titled Spider-Man: Freshman Year, the What If...?-related Marvel Zombies,[13] and X-Men '97, a revival and continuation of X-Men: The Animated Series.[14] What If...? director Bryan Andrews said each additional animated series would exist "on its own term[s] and hopefully explore unexpected facets of the MCU",[15] with Winderbaum saying the studio would only tell stories that they felt needed to be told in animated form.[8]

By April 2022, the division was announced to be taking over production for the Disney Jr. preschool series Spidey and His Amazing Friends starting with its second season;[16] the series' first season was released under Marvel Entertainment.[17] During Marvel Studios' animation panel at the July 2022 San Diego Comic-Con, the projects discussed were introduced as being part of the "Marvel Animated Multiverse".[18][19] Shortly after, Winderbaum said the Multiverse Saga of the MCU and its exploration of the multiverse allowed the studio to "look at alternate paths and other takes on the characters... see[ing] them expanding and growing in unforeseen, unexpected ways", which he stated was the "guiding light" for the animated projects.[20] By September, Brian Kesinger was attached to direct an animated series for Marvel Studios,[21] though it was canceled shortly after.[22]

By January 2023, the division was being referred to as "Marvel Studios Animation".[7] In March 2023, Alonso was fired from her role at Marvel Studios by a group including Disney Entertainment co-chairman Alan Bergman and Disney's human resources and legal departments for serving as a producer on the Amazon Studios film Argentina, 1985 (2022); this was a breach of a 2018 agreement between Alonso and Disney which stated employees would not work for a competing studio.[23][24] Alonso reportedly did not seek permission to work on the film, and was asked by Disney to stop working on the film, as well as not to promote or publicize it, with the situation "deemed serious enough" that Disney requested a new agreement be signed. Despite this, Alonso continued to promote the film following its September 2022 premiere, and was consistently reminded of her agreement and breach of contract, ultimately leading to her firing.[23] Alonso's lawyers refuted this claim, stating Disney was aware of, and agreed to, Alonso's work on Argentina, 1985, and that she was instead "silenced[... and] was terminated when she refused to do something she believed was reprehensible";[25] this incident was reported to be a disagreement with a Disney executive over the censoring of gay pride elements in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023) to release the film in Kuwait and comply with its restrictive anti-LGBTQ laws.[26][27] A Disney spokesperson reiterated the notion that she was fired due to "an indisputable breach of contract and a direct violation of company policy" among other "key factors".[25]

In December 2023, Marvel Animation announced Eyes of Wakanda, with Black Panther (2018) and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022) director Ryan Coogler involved through his production company Proximity Media.[28][29] Freshman Year was also retitled Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man.[28] The division's formal name of Marvel Animation was further confirmed in February 2024 with the release of the first trailer for X-Men '97.[30][31][32][33] A logo for the division was also revealed.[33] The "Marvel Animation" name and banner was used for the division's projects moving forward, existing alongside Marvel Studios' "Marvel Television" banner for its live-action Disney+ series. This was done to help indicate to audiences that they did not have to watch all of the studio's projects to understand the overall story and could choose which storylines and characters under these banners to follow.[34] The Marvel Animation and Television banners still exist under Marvel Studios, which Feige noted was not the case with the previous incarnations of each.[35] In July 2024, it was reported that the studio had spent nearly $20 million on an upcoming project between June 2022 and June 2023, which was believed to be Eyes of Wakanda.[36]

Process

[edit]

Similar to other animation studios, Marvel Studios Animation outsources its animation to other studios;[37] Alonso said the medium of animation allowed Marvel Studios to work with new companies around the world.[5] Winderbaum stated that Marvel Studios was open to working with corporate siblings Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios on animated MCU content "under the right circumstances".[37] Spidey and His Amazing Friends and Iron Man and His Awesome Friends are co-produced with Disney Jr. in association with animation studio Atomic Cartoons,[38][39] and Eyes of Wakanda will be produced alongside Proximity Media.[29]

According to Marvel Studios' head of visual development Ryan Meinerding, Marvel Studios Animation uses techniques similar to those used in comics, which allows the studio to adapt Marvel comics "in a way that's maybe more powerful than the films".[19] Winderbaum noted Marvel Studios had to alter its production process for its animated projects, noting "it requires so much more forethougth" than live-action production, where Marvel Studios usually makes most changes to its projects during post-production.[10] He also said that the type of animation used in a series would depend on what the producers felt fit for each series.[40] Unlike VFX artists for the live-action productions, artists at the animation studio are hired directly by Marvel and work in-house at Marvel Studios Animation. The studio works under a strict deadline structure, which was criticized by a senior animator as the studio "asking for things that can't be done".[7]

Production library

[edit]

Released

[edit]
Released television series produced by Marvel Studios Animation
Title Released No of
seasons 		Production
partner 		Animation services Original
network 		Notes
What If...? 2021–2024 3 —
Disney+ Part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe[2][a]
Spidey and His Amazing Friends 2022–present 3 Atomic Cartoons[38] Disney Jr. Season 2 onward;[16] renewed for season 4[43]
I Am Groot 2022–2023 2 —
Disney+ Part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe
X-Men '97 2024–present 1 —
Revival of X-Men: The Animated Series;[14] renewed for seasons 2 and 3[46]

Upcoming

[edit]
Upcoming television series produced by Marvel Studios Animation
Title Released No of
seasons 		Production partner Animation services Original network Notes
Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man[47] 2025 1 — Polygon Pictures[48] Disney+ Part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe;[a] renewed for season 2[18]
Eyes of Wakanda[47] Proximity Media[29] TBA Part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe
Iron Man and His Awesome Friends Atomic Cartoons[39]
  • Disney Jr.
  • Disney+
Marvel Zombies[47] — TBA Disney+ Part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe;[a] spin-off from What If...?[13]

See also

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c This series takes place in an alternate timeline outside of the MCU's "Sacred Timeline".

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Sciretta, Peter (March 12, 2019). "Exclusive: Marvel Studios Producing 'What If' TV Series For Disney+". /Film. Archived from the original on March 30, 2019. Retrieved April 13, 2019.
  2. ^ a b Dinh, Christine (April 12, 2019). "Marvel Studios Brings First Animated Series 'Marvel's What If...?' to Disney+". Marvel.com. Archived from the original on April 12, 2019. Retrieved July 29, 2021.
  3. ^ Peters, Jay; Gartenberg, Chaim; Alexander, Julia (December 10, 2020). "Here are all the new Marvel, Star Wars, and other projects Disney announced at its investor day". The Verge. Archived from the original on December 11, 2020. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
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