Wikipedia / Hyperion Pictures
Wikipedia / Hyperion Pictures
Hyperion Pictures (also known as Hyperion Films or Hyperion Studios or Hyperion Animation) is an American independent film production and distribution company founded by Thomas L. Wilhite, who had previously been the head of motion picture and television production for The Walt Disney Company, and writer/director Willard Carroll. The company produces both live-action and animated productions such as The Brave Little Toaster and The Runestone.
History
A subsidiary of the company is its animation division, Hyperion Animation Company, Inc. which has produced animated feature films and television series, including its most successful media franchises: The Brave Little Toaster, The Brave Little Toaster Goes to Mars, The Brave Little Toaster to the Rescue, The Itsy Bitsy Spider and The Oz Kids. In 1998, the company produced the live-action film Playing by Heart for Miramax. Also, on December 9, 1998, it signed a deal with Showtime in order to develop a telefilm based on the hit book series Bad News Ballet.
On October 5, 1999, Hyperion, along with Disney's animation designer Bruce W. Smith, launched a joint venture Jambalaya Studio to produce shows aimed at a black audience. On September 22, 2002, Hyperion Pictures decided to expand into a memoir and a series of pulp novels into feature film production.
The studio has been dormant since 2007, but their website was updated in 2019, stating that it was under construction. It then returned a year later. However, the company was not involved with The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder.
Accolades
The first Brave Little Toaster received an Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program nomination and a Special Jury recognition from the Sundance Film Festival.
List of notable Hyperion features and television productions
Feature films
Nutcracker: The Motion Picture (1986, with The Kushner-Locke Company)
The Runestone (1990)
Playing by Heart (1998, with Miramax)
Tom's Midnight Garden (1999)
My Louisiana Sky (2001)
Three Way (2004, with Brainstorm Media)
Marigold (2007)
Short films
Chunks of Life (1994, with MTV)
The Need (2006)
Television series
Amazing Stories (1985–1987) - Season 2, Episode 16: "Family Dog" (1987, with NBC, Universal Television, Amblin Entertainment and The Kushner-Locke Company)
Bone Chillers (1996, with ABC)
ARK, the Adventures of Animal Rescue Kids (1997–1998, with Discovery Kids)
List of Hyperion Animation productions
Television series
Television specials
Television films
Direct-to-video films
Theatrical films
Short films
References
External links