Marvel Productions
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Marvel Productions Ltd. was a television and motion picture studio based in Hollywood, California. Originally an animation studio, Marvel produced such notable animated shows and specials such as Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends, The Pink Panther in: Pink at First Sight, The Incredible Hulk and the 1982 emmy-winner, The Grinch Grinches the Cat in the Hat.
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[edit] History
[edit] DFE films
The company began in 1963 as DFE films and was sold to Marvel Comics Group in 1981 after DFE founder and company executive Friz Freleng departed the company to return to his former job at Warner Bros. Animation. Freleng's business partner and DFE co-founder David H. DePatie continued to work for the company under the Marvel banner for several years until his retirement.
[edit] Ownership changes throughout the years
Over the years, Marvel Productions' and its parent company Marvel Comics went through several ownership changes. Owned from 1968 by Cadence Industries Corporation, it was sold in 1986 to New World Entertainment (which was eventually acquired, in 1997, as part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation/Fox Broadcasting Company).
Between 1988 and 1989, New World sold it to MacAndrews and Forbes, owned by Revlon executive Ronald Perelman, who lost control of Marvel after it went into bankruptcy. In 1997, Isaac Perlmutter (owner of the Marvel subsidiary Toy Biz), who purchased Marvel and Marvel Productions Ltd. out of bankruptcy, decided to cut costs by selling Marvel Productions' back catalog to Saban Entertainment and then closed the animation studio altogether, opting to contract out all future animated projects to third party studios.
[edit] Saban's catalog today
Saban's catalog is now owned by The Walt Disney Company, following Disney's purchase of Fox Family, Saban's successor. As a result, Disney now holds the home video and broadcast rights to virtually all Marvel animated programs produced during the 1980s and 1990s, as well as all Marvel series produced by DFE (the 1978 Fantastic Four revival and Spider-Woman) and Grantray-Lawrence Animation (The Marvel Superheroes Show and the 1967 Spider-Man series). The only exceptions are the shows produced by Hanna-Barbera (the 1967 Fantastic Four and The Thing's 1978 spin-off are under Time Warner control) and programs involving characters and trademarks owned by other companies such as G.I. Joe and The Transformers (held by Hasbro with series rights by Sunbow).
[edit] Life after Marvel Productions
Studio executives including Margaret Loesch and Lee Gunther moved to other animation studios while Stan Lee signed a new lifetime non-exclusive contract with Marvel in 1998, enabling him for the first time in his 50 year career with Marvel to establish his own company.
[edit] List of shows, specials and movies
[edit] Marvel Properties
- Fantastic Four (1994 as "Marvel Films"; aired as part of the Marvel Action Hour)
- The Incredible Hulk (1982)
- Iron Man (1994 as "Marvel Films"; aired as part of the Marvel Action Hour)
- Spider-Man (1981)
- Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends (1981)
- Spider-Man: The Animated Series (1994 as "Marvel Films")
- X-Men: Pryde of the X-Men (1989, aired on the Marvel Action Universe block)
- X-Men (1992 as "Marvel Entertainment Group", co-production with Saban Productions)
[edit] Hasbro Properties
- G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero (1985, co-production with Sunbow Productions)
- G.I. Joe: The Movie (1987, co-production with Sunbow Productions)
- Inhumanoids (1986, co-production with Sunbow Productions)
- Jem (1986, co-production with Sunbow Productions)
- My Little Pony and Friends (1986, co-production with Sunbow Productions)
- My Little Pony: The Movie (1986, co-production with Sunbow Productions)
- Super Sunday (aka Super Saturday) (1985, co-production with Sunbow Productions, featuring Jem, Inhumanoids, Robotix, and Bigfoot and the Muscle Machines)
- Transformers (1984, co-production with Sunbow Productions)
- Transformers: The Movie (1986, co-production with Sunbow Productions)
[edit] Other licensed properties
- Attack of the Killer Tomatoes (1990, co-production with Fox Children's Productions)
- Biker Mice from Mars (1993 (New World Family Filmworks would assume production), co-production with Brentwood Television Funnies)
- Bucky O'Hare and the Toad Wars (1991, co-production with Sunbow Productions)
- Defenders of the Earth (1986, co-production with King Features Syndicate)
- Dino Riders (1988, aired as part of Marvel Action Universe)
- Dungeons & Dragons (1983, co-production with TSR Hobbies, Inc.)
- Fraggle Rock (1987, co-production with Henson Associates)
- The Grinch Grinches the Cat in the Hat (1982, co-production with DFE films (in name only) and Dr. Seuss)
- Kid 'n' Play (1990-1991, co-production with Saban Entertainment)
- Meatballs and Spaghetti (1982, co-production with InterMedia Entertainment)
- Muppet Babies (1984, co-production with Henson Associates, later Jim Henson Productions)
- Pandamonium (1982, co-production with InterMedia Entertainment)
- The Pink Panther in: Pink at First Sight (1981, co-production with Mirisch-Geoffrey-DePatie-Freleng and United Artists)
- RoboCop (1988, co-production with Orion Pictures; aired as part of Marvel Action Universe)
- Rude Dog and the Dweebs (1989)
- Space Cats (1991, co-production with Paul Fusco Productions)
For a more complete list see Saban Entertainment.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
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