Filmation

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Filmation was also the name of a technique for isometric graphics in 8-bits video games by Ultimate Play The Game.

The first Filmation logo.

Filmation Associates was an American production company that produced animation for television during the later half of the 20th century. Located in Reseda, California, the animation studio was founded in 1963. During a period lasting from the 1960s through the 1980s, the only real competitors to Hanna-Barbera Productions in the field of TV cartoons were Filmation and DePatie-Freleng Enterprises. Filmation's founders and principal producers were Lou Scheimer and Norm Prescott. A trademark of the company's productions beginning in the early 1970's was a rotating "Produced by" (later, "Executive Producers") credit seen in the end credits (and sometimes opening sequences) of Filmation programs, a device that was supposedly created to allow them to share equal billing, although later Filmation productions credited only Scheimer, in the form of his signature ("Lou Scheimer, Executive Producer").

Many of its shows—particularly the productions of the late 1970s and 1980s—are notable for imparting a simple moral or life-lesson (explained by a key character, in a child-friendly manner) in the epilogue.

[edit] Animation style

As with other producers of Saturday morning cartoons, Filmation was more concerned with quantity than quality; however, they did make a number of attempts to rise above the standard animated fare and produce reasonably well-written cartoons. The best-known example of this is their animated adaptation of the Star Trek series, which included scripts contributed by well-known science fiction writers and starred most of the original cast. Other favorably remembered Filmation series included a 16-part animated serial of Flash Gordon (originally intended as a movie for theatrical release but shown in its entirety only once on NBC); Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids, an animated educational series created by and starring Bill Cosby; and He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, based on the popular line of Mattel toys. The animated adapatations of the Archie Comics characters were also noteworthy for the pop music produced for it, particularly the song, "Sugar, Sugar", which was a #1 hit single.

[edit] Quality issues

Filmation has a reputation for exploiting the technique of limited animation to produce a number of animated series with a distinct look. They made heavy use of rotoscoping, and they also re-used the same animated sequences over and over, many times, to the point where the Filmation style was instantly recognizable (and often despised by TV critics and animation scholars). The studio is noteworthy for refusing to rely upon animation studios outside the United States for the bulk of its production. However, many praise Filmation for the quality of its artwork, particularly its lavish background paintings. (One Filmation trademark was the recurring use of long establishing shots in which the camera would pan slowly across a very wide background painting, thus filling up screen time with sequences requiring little or no animation.) Filmation also pioneered novel animation technologies, particularly in Flash Gordon, which included moire effects to represent energy fields and a unique method of generating 3-D vehicle animation by filming black-outlined white miniatures against white backgrounds and printing the film to produce animation cels that were then hand-painted; a similar technique was featured in He-Man (and later She-Ra).

Characters, as well as plots, seemed formulaic and repetitive. For example, most episodes of Ghost Busters had the same scheme (Bad guys develop an evil plan, the heroes are needed but always absent, Ghost Buggy the talking car complains about their dangerous position, Tracey the Gorilla pulls out of his back sack exactly the miscellaneous item the Ghost Buster needs in a moment of despair, Eddie doing a number of clumsy/stupid things etc.) Many of the sounds and explosion effects used in their cartoons are also very familiar.

However it can be argued that episodes of He-Man and Bravestarr, in substance, and often animation, were pioneers of their time and paved the way for broader storytelling (e.g., He-Man's "The Problem With Power" dealt with He-Man believing he had killed an innocent bystander, "Teela's Quest" introduced a now famous mythology on The Sorceress being Teela's mother, whom she is heir to the mantle of safeguarding Grayskull, the versed continuity shared between He-Man and She-Ra, etc). Likewise, the scripts for Star Trek, which were often by the same people who had written for the live-action version of the show, tended to be quite sophisticated which garnered the franchise's first Emmy award.

[edit] Original characters

There were very few original animated characters created by the studio. Two examples were Fraidy Cat, a timid feline who has lost 8 of his 9 lives, which come back to haunt him; and Wacky and Packy, a caveman and his pet mammoth (Packy as in pachyderm) who enter the modern age through a time warp. Both of these originally aired as segments of the Uncle Croc's Block show on ABC (hosted by Charles Nelson Reilly). Apparently the show did so poorly that ABC ceased ordering programs from Filmation. So in a period where ideas for cartoons had run dry (comedy was heavily scrutinzed for violence, and everything else seemed to copy the popular Scooby Doo format), Filmation's strong point was its adaptations of popular TV shows. (The studio also reportedly wanted to do a M*A*S*H cartoon, but was turned down; leading them to do the canine M*U*S*H spoof, which was the third animated segment on Uncle Croc's Block).

[edit] Live-action shows

Filmations's other strong area (which, according to some, featured the most original concepts) was its live-action shows, including Space Academy, its spin-off Jason of Star Command, Ark II, Shazam! (based on the DC comics character Captain Marvel), and Isis. Filmation also produced a live-action series called The Ghost Busters in 1975; following the release of an unrelated 1984 movie of almost the same name, Filmation capitalized on the momentum by producing a new cartoon based on their earlier series.

[edit] Looney Tunes/Groovie Goolies crossover

Also deserving mention was a special featuring several of Warner Bros.' Looney Tunes stars (paired with Filmation's own Groovie Goolies, a group of classic monsters). This aired on The ABC Saturday Superstar Movie in 1972. While most of the Warner Brothers characters were drawn well (veteran Warners animator Virgil Ross was working there at the time), and voiced by veteran voice actor Mel Blanc, the special is not liked by many fans of classic Warner Bros. animation because of its limited animation, as well as a weak storyline. This was not Filmation's last dalliance with classic cartoon characters; in the late 1970s the company produced new series based on the Tom & Jerry shorts as well as characters from the Terrytoons archive (Mighty Mouse and Heckle & Jeckle).

[edit] Feature Films

Filmation also ventured into the feature film business. In fact, one of Filmation's first projects was Journey Back To Oz, an animated sequel to the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz. Begun in 1964, the project was held back for eight years when Filmation did not have enough money to finish the film. It was only after its successes with their other series that the company was profitable enough to complete "Journey" for theatrical release in 1972.

In their final years, Filmation produced feature film versions of their He-Man and She-Ra franchises, as well as unofficial animated sequels to other established films, such as Pinocchio and the Emperor of the Night and Happily Ever After.

[edit] Voice Talent

Like other animation studios, Filmation had its stock company of voice-over actors. Some of the most famous included Dallas McKinnon (best known as the voice of Archie), Adam West (who recreated his role as Batman for Filmation's 1977 animated incarnation), Jane Webb, and good friends and colleagues Ed Asner and Linda Gary (Gary voiced a majority of Filmation's work in the 1980s and 1990s), along with John Erwin (voice of Reggie Mantle, and later the voice of He-Man), Alan Oppenheimer (veteran film actor), George DiCenzo (John Blackstar; Hordak), Melendry Britt, Erika Scheimer (daughter of Lou Scheimer), and even Lou Scheimer himself (under the pseudonym of "Erik Gunden").

Final logo

[edit] Ownership

The Filmation studio was owned by The TelePrompTer Company in the early 1970s, then by Westinghouse (through its Group W Productions division) in 1982, though in 1988 it was purchased by the L'Oreal cosmetics company. L'Oreal promptly closed the studio on February 3, 1989 and ended Filmation's legacy. Animation scholars and fans believe the studio was closed for tax purposes. Filmation's last production was the feature film Happily Ever After (an unofficial sequel to the story of Snow White), released to theaters in 1993. Also, at the time of the closing, two new animated TV shows, Bugzburg and Bravo (a spinoff of Bravestarr), were beginning production.

Since then, most of the Filmation back catalog has come under the ownership of Hallmark Cards, through their Hallmark Entertainment subsidiary; however, since a large amount of Filmation's output was based on characters licensed from other companies, many titles (also under Entertainment Rights ownership) are actually under the control of other studios (such as Paramount and Warner Bros.).

In March 2004, ownership of the Filmation back catalog which was under the ownership of Hallmark was sold to a British company called Entertainment Rights. Entertainment Rights have since made the revelation that when Hallmark converted all of their Filmation shows to digital format in the 1990s, only PAL-format copies were made, with the original film prints apparently discarded. This was due to Hallmark's previously unknown (but long suspected) short-sighted policy of only distributing Filmation shows outside of the United States. As a result, all of Entertainment Rights' DVD releases (distributed by BCI Eclipse in the United States) are based on the international versions (which have PAL prints).

[edit] Filmation on DVD

[edit] Urban Vision

Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids was first released on DVD in Late 2004, first with a "best-of" collection, then later with collections of the first two seasons (each with an audio CD featuring songs from the show). Their Halloween and Christmas specials were also released on DVD. All Fat Albert DVDs are released in the US and Canada by Urbanvision. As of 2007, they are now out of print.

Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids - 5 Episodes - December 14th 2004
Fat Albert's Greatest Hits The Ultimate Collection - 20 Episodes - December 14th 2004
Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids Vol. 1 - Episodes 1-12 - March 8th 2005
Fat Albert's Easter Special - March 8th 2005
Fat Albert's Halloween Special - September 6th 2005
Fat Albert's Christmas Special - October 11th 2005
Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids Vol. 2 - Episodes 13-24 - October 11th 2005
Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids Vol. 3 - Episodes 25-36 - July 11th, 2006

[edit] BCI's Ink and Paint

He-Man was distributed by BCI Eclipse as part of their Ink and Paint label in the fall of 2005 as The Best of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (10 Episode Collector's Edition). Following the success and critical acclaim for this set, BCI Eclipse on January 16th 2006, struck a long-term exclusive deal with Entertainment Rights for distribution rights to their entire Filmation catalog. [1]

BCI Releases to Date:

The Best Of He-Man And The Masters Of The Universe: Top 10 Collector's Edition DVD Set July 12th 2005
He-Man And The Masters Of The Universe: Season 1 Volume 1 October 18th 2005
He-Man And She-Ra A Christmas Special December 6th 2005
He-Man And The Masters Of The Universe: Season 1 Volume 2 February 14th 2006
He-Man And The Masters Of The Universe: Season 2 Volume 1 June 6th 2006
The Best Of She-Ra: Princess Of Power: Top 5 Episodes & "Secret Of The Sword" Collector's Edition DVD Set July 18th 2006
Flash Gordon – The Complete Series July 18th 2006
Space Sentinels & Freedom Force — The Complete Series August 22nd 2006
Blackstar — The Complete Series August 22nd 2006
He-Man And The Masters Of The Universe: Season 2 Volume 2 September 19th 2006
Groovie Goolies — The Saturday "Mourning" Collection October 24th 2006
Journey Back To Oz — Special Edition October 24th 2006
She-Ra: Princess Of Power: Season 1 Volume 1 November 7th 2006
Ark II – The Complete Series November 7th 2006
Space Academy — The Complete Series January 16th 2007
Ghost Busters: The Animated Series Volume 1 February 27th 2007

Upcoming BCI Releases:

She-Ra: Princess of Power: Season 1, Volume 2 April 3rd 2007
The Ghost Busters: Live Action — The Complete Series April 17th, 2007
Jason of Star Command — The Complete Series May 8th, 2007
Mission Magic — The Complete Series May 8th, 2007
Hero High — The Complete Series May 22nd, 2007
Snow White: Happily Ever After: Special Edition (feature film) June 5th, 2007

Summer 2007

Ghost Busters: The Animated Series Volume 2
The Legend of Bravestarr: Special Edition (feature film) {tentative July 2007}
The Secrets of Isis — The Complete Series

Announced but unscheduled for 2007

She-Ra: Princess of Power: Season 2
The Cat Pack: Waldo Kitty & Fraidy Cat Volume 1
The Cat Pack: Waldo Kitty & Fraidy Cat Volume 2
Zorro & The Lone Ranger Volume 1
Zorro & The Lone Ranger Volume 2
Bravestarr: Volume 1 {tentative November 2007)
Bravestarr: Volume 2 (tentative 2008)
Fabulous Funnies — The Complete Series
A Snow White Christmas

BCI has contracted Andy Mangels to produce Special Features content for about 40 DVD releases.[2]

[edit] Paramount

On November 21st 2006 Paramount released a DVD collecting all 22 episodes of Filmation's Star Trek, to coincide with the 40th anniversary of the Trek franchise.

Star Trek The Animated Series - The Animated Adventures of Gene Roddenberry's Star Trek November 21st 2006

[edit] Warner Bros.

New Adventures of Superman - Season One - June 26th, 2007[3]
New Adventures of Batman (1977)- Complete Series - June 26th, 2007[4]

Warner Bros. has also released a single episode of Shazam!, included as a bonus disc with the release of the third-season Wonder Woman DVD set. So far there is still no word on releases for The Gilligan’s Island/Planet or the Aquaman series, or the original Batman animated series.

[edit] Filmation series

Notable TV animated series from Filmation included:

[edit] 1960s

The New Adventures of Superman (1966–1967 CBS)
The Superman/Aquaman Hour of Adventure (1967–1968 CBS)
Journey to the Center of the Earth (1967 ABC)
Fantastic Voyage (1968 ABC)
Aquaman (1968 CBS)
The Archie Show (1968 CBS)
The Batman/Superman Hour (1968–1969 CBS)
The Archie Comedy Hour (1969 CBS)
The Adventures of Batman and Robin the Boy Wonder (1969–1970 CBS)
The Hardy Boys (1969 ABC)

[edit] 1970s

Will the Real Jerry Lewis Please Sit Down? (1970 ABC)
Sabrina and the Groovie Goolies (1970 CBS & ABC)
Archie's Funhouse (live-action/animation hybrid) (1970 CBS)
Sabrina The Teenage Witch (1971–1974 CBS)
Archie's T.V. Funnies (1971 CBS)
Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids (1972 CBS)
The Brady Kids (1972–1974 ABC)
Lassie's Rescue Rangers (1973–1974 ABC)
Star Trek: The Animated Series (1973 NBC)
My Favorite Martians (1973 CBS)
Mission: Magic (1973 ABC)
The U.S. of Archie (1974)
The New Adventures Of Gilligan (1974 ABC)
Shazam! (live-action TV series) (1974 CBS)
The Secret Lives of Waldo Kitty (1975 NBC)
Fraidy Cat (1975)
The Secrets of Isis (live-action TV series) (1975 CBS)
The Ghost Busters (live-action TV series) (1975 CBS)
Uncle Croc's Block (1975 ABC)
Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle (1976 CBS)
Ark II (live-action TV series) (1976 CBS)
The New Adventures of Batman (1977 CBS)
Space Academy (live-action TV series) (1977 CBS)
Space Sentinels (1977 NBC)
Tarzan and the Super 7 (1978 CBS)
Fabulous Funnies (1978 NBC)
Mighty Mouse, Heckle & Jeckle, & Quackula Adventure Hour (1979 CBS)
Jason of Star Command (live-action TV series) (1979 CBS)
The New Adventures of Flash Gordon (1979–1981 NBC)
The Brown Hornet (single segment on Fat Albert) (1979 CBS)

[edit] 1980s

Tom & Jerry Comedy Show (1980 CBS)
Lone Ranger (1980 CBS)
The Tarzan/Lone Ranger Adventure Hour (1980–1981 CBS)
Blackstar (1981 CBS)
The New Adventures of Zorro (1981 CBS)
Kid Superpower Hour with Shazam! (1981 NBC)
The Tarzan/Lone Ranger/Zorro Adventure Hour (1981–1982 CBS)
Sport Billy (1982 NBC)
Gilligan's Planet (1982 CBS)
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (1983–1985 Synd)
The Adventures of Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids (1984–1985 Synd)
She-Ra: Princess of Power (1985–1987 Synd)
The Original Ghostbusters (animated) (1986–1988 Synd)
Bravestarr (1987–1989 Synd)

[edit] External links

[edit] History

[edit] Lou Scheimer Interviews

[edit] Former Staff Interviews

[edit] DVD Staff Interviews

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Categories: Animation studios | Companies established in 1963 | 1989 disestablishments | Defunct media companies of the United States | Westinghouse Broadcasting