ImageMovers
 | |
| Industry | Motion pictures, performance capture & CGI animation |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1997 |
| Headquarters | Novato, California, U.S. |
Key people | Robert Zemeckis, Doug Chiang, Steve Starkey, Jack Rapke |
| Products | Motion pictures |
| Owner | Independent |
| Website | None |
ImageMovers is an American film studio run by director Robert Zemeckis. Founded in 1997, the studio produced such films as Cast Away, What Lies Beneath, and The Polar Express. From 2007 to 2010, Disney and ImageMovers ran a joint animation facility, ImageMovers Digital, which produced two performance captured animated films, A Christmas Carol and Mars Needs Moms, for The Walt Disney Studios.
In August 2011, it was announced that ImageMovers has entered a two-year first-look producing deal with Universal Studios.[1]
History
Beginnings
In 1997, by producer-writer-director Robert Zemeckis, along with partners Jack Rapke and Steve Starkey formed the production company ImageMovers. Among ImageMovers' productions were What Lies Beneath (with Harrison Ford and Michelle Pfeiffer), Cast Away (with Tom Hanks), The Polar Express (also with Tom Hanks), and its last film, Beowulf (with Ray Winstone, Anthony Hopkins, John Malkovich, Robin Wright Penn and Angelina Jolie).
Disney and Imagemovers Digital
In 2007, The Walt Disney Company and Imagemovers set up a joint venture animation facility, ImageMovers Digital, a Marin County-based film company, where Zemeckis would produce and direct 3D animated films using performance capture technology.[2]
On November 6, 2009, ImageMovers Digital released A Christmas Carol, a performance capture film starring Jim Carrey, Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, and Cary Elwes, each in multiple roles. On March 12, 2010, Disney and ImageMovers announced that ImageMovers Digital would close operations by January 2011, after the production was completed on Mars Needs Moms. Walt Disney Studios president Alan Bergman said, "...given today's economic realities, we need to find alternative ways to bring creative content to audiences and IMD no longer fits into our business model."[3]
The company had previously been reported to have a Calling All Robots,[4] Yellow Submarine remake,[5] a Roger Rabbit sequel[6] and The Nutcracker[7] in development. Disney dropped all of these projects following the box-office failure of Mars Needs Moms.[8]
Universal
In August 2011, it was announced that ImageMovers has entered a two-year first-look producing deal with Universal Studios.[1]
Films
ImageMovers
| Year | Film | Co-Production/Distributor | Budget | Gross |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | What Lies Beneath | DreamWorks 20th Century Fox |
$100 million | $291.4 million |
| Cast Away | $90 million | $429.6 million | ||
| 2003 | Matchstick Men | Warner Bros. | $65.6 million | |
| 2004 | The Polar Express | $165 million | $306.4 million | |
| 2005 | The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio | DreamWorks | $0.6 million | |
| 2006 | Last Holiday | Paramount Pictures | $45 million | $43.3 million |
| Monster House | Columbia Pictures Amblin Entertainment |
$75 million | $140.2 million | |
| 2007 | Beowulf | Paramount Pictures (USA) Warner Bros. (non-USA) |
$150 million | $196.4 million |
| 2011 | Real Steel | Touchstone Pictures DreamWorks |
$110 million | $295.1 million |
| 2012 | Flight | Paramount Pictures Parkes/MacDonald |
$31 million | $161.8 million |
| TBA | How to Survive a Garden Gnome Attack[9][10] | Columbia Pictures Sony Pictures Animation |
||
| The Magic Catalogue[11] | Walt Disney Pictures |
ImageMovers Digital
| Year | Film | Co-Production/Distributor | Budget | Gross |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | A Christmas Carol | Walt Disney Pictures | $175–200 million | $325.3 million |
| 2011 | Mars Needs Moms | $150 million | $39.5 million |
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Fleming, Mike (August 2, 2011). "Universal Makes Two-Year Deal With Robert Zemeckis’ ImageMovers". Deadline. Retrieved December 12, 2011.
- ↑ Reuters (2007-02-05). "Disney, "Polar Express" director in animation deal". Reuters. Retrieved 2010-11-21.
- ↑ Finke, Nikki (2010-03-12). "Disney Closing Zemeckis' Digital Studio". Deadline.com. Retrieved 2010-11-21.
- ↑ Graser, Marc (2008-03-26). "Michael Dougherty calls 'All Robots'". Variety. Retrieved 2011-07-05.
- ↑ The Walt Disney Studios (2009-09-11). "The Walt Disney Studios, The Beatles' Apple Corps Ltd., and Oscar(R)-Winning Filmmaker Robert Zemeckis Dive Into New Magical 3D Adaptation of the 1968 Classic Yellow Submarine". PR Newswire. Retrieved 2010-11-21.
- ↑ Ditzian, Eric (2009-11-03). "EXCLUSIVE: Robert Zemeckis Indicates He'll Use Performance-Capture And 3-D In 'Roger Rabbit' Sequel". MTV. Retrieved 2010-11-21.
- ↑ Rowles, Dustin (2009-11-11). "Robert Zemeckis to Uglimate The Nutcracker". Pajiba.com. Retrieved 2010-11-21.
- ↑ Kit, Borys (March 14, 2011). "Disney torpedoes Zemeckis' "Yellow Submarine"". Reuters. Retrieved December 12, 2011.
- ↑ Sneider, Jeff (2011-04-14). "Sony Animation, Zemeckis dig 'Gnome'". Variety. Retrieved 2011-04-15.
- ↑ Fleming, Mike (November 7, 2011). "Robert Zemeckis Sets Writers For ‘Garden Gnome Attack’ Film". Deadline. Retrieved November 7, 2011.
- ↑ Graser, Marc; Sneider, Jeff (October 8, 2012). "Jason Fuchs to write 'Magic Catalogue' for Disney". Variety. Retrieved October 9, 2012.