Locksmith Animation
| File:Locksmith Animation logo.png | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Film industry |
| Founded | 2014 |
| Founder |
|
| Headquarters | 113 Regent's Park Road, London, England , United Kingdom |
Key people | Natalie Fischer (CEO) Julie Lockhart (CEO) |
| Website | www |
Locksmith Animation is a British animation studio founded by Sarah Smith and Julie Lockhart in 2014. Based in London, England, it bills itself as "the only high-end computer-animation studio in the UK making computer-animated family films."[2]
History
The studio was founded in 2014 by Sarah Smith and Julie Lockhart with the financial backing of Elisabeth Murdoch.[3] In April 2014, visual effects/animation studio Double Negative formed a deal with Locksmith where it will provide the computer animation for Locksmith's films.[4]
In May 2016, Locksmith formed a production deal with Paramount Pictures, with Paramount acting as the distributor for Locksmith's films to be produced under the Paramount Animation label.[3] The following year, however, Paramount abandoned its deal with Locksmith when Paramount chairman and CEO Brad Grey was replaced by Jim Gianopulos.[5]
In September 2017, Locksmith formed a multi-year production deal with 20th Century Fox, which would distribute Locksmith's films under the 20th Century Fox Animation label, with Locksmith aiming to release a film every 12–18 months.[5][6] The first film to be released under the production company was Ron's Gone Wrong, which was released on October 22, 2021 by 20th Century Studios.[5][7] In October 2019, while Disney took over 20th Century Animation, Locksmith formed a new multi-year production deal with Warner Bros., which will distribute future Locksmith films under the Warner Animation Group label after the release of Ron's Gone Wrong, which was now the only Locksmith film to be distributed by 20th Century Studios.[1]
In June 2021, it was announced that Natalie Fischer, the former COO of Illumination Entertainment, will step in as CEO. Locksmith co-founder Sarah Smith exits the company to pursue her own creative endeavors. It was also announced that Locksmith is currently in production on That Christmas, a holiday film based on filmmaker Richard Curtis' children’s book series, Wed Wabbit based on Lissa Evans' children's book and developing on an original musical-comedy film.[8]
Productions
Feature films
Released films
| # | Title | Release date | Co-production with | Distributor | Animation service(s) | Budget | Gross | RT | MC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ron's Gone Wrong | October 22, 2021 | 20th Century Animation TSG Entertainment |
20th Century Studios[a] | DNEG | TBA | $17.3 million | 79% | 68 |
Upcoming films/Films in development
| Title | Release date | Ref(s) | Co-production with | Distributor | Animation service(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| That Christmas | TBA | [9] | Warner Animation Group | Warner Bros. Pictures | DNEG |
| Untitled original musical-comedy film | [10] | TBA | |||
| Wed Wabbit | [11] |
Reception
Box office
| Film | Budget | Box office gross | Ref(s) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. and Canada | Other territories | Worldwide | |||
| Ron's Gone Wrong | TBA | $7,675,605 | $10,050,861 | $17,726,466 | |
Critical and public response
| Film | Rotten Tomatoes | Metacritic | CinemaScore |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ron's Gone Wrong | 78% | 65/100 | A |
References
- ^ a b Clarke, Stewart (October 31, 2019). "Warner Signs Multi-Picture Deal With Elisabeth Murdoch's Locksmith Animation". Variety. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
- ^ "ABOUT US". Locksmith Animation. Retrieved February 15, 2018.
- ^ a b "Paramount and Locksmith Animation Enter Exclusive Multi-Pic Deal". Animation Magazine. May 4, 2016. Retrieved February 15, 2018.
- ^ Emmett, Neil (April 11, 2014). "British Studios Locksmith and Double Negative Plan To Make CG Features". Cartoon Brew. Retrieved February 15, 2018.
- ^ a b c Lang, Brent (September 20, 2017). "Fox, Locksmith Animation Ink Multi-Year Production, Development Deal (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety Magazine. Retrieved February 15, 2018.
- ^ Amidi, Amid (September 20, 2017). "UK's Locksmith Animation Announces Production Agreement with 20th Century Fox". Cartoon Brew. Retrieved February 15, 2018.
- ^ N'Duka, Amanda (October 12, 2017). "20th Century Fox & Locksmith Animation Slate 'Ron's Gone Wrong' As First Project". Deadline. Retrieved February 15, 2018.
- ^ Yossman, K.J. (June 10, 2021). "Liz Murdoch's Locksmith Animation Hires Natalie Fischer as CEO, Co-Founder Sarah Smith Exits". Variety. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
- ^ Motayor, Rafael (June 14, 2021). "Simon Otto to Helm Animated 'That Christmas' Adaptation, Based on Books by 'Love Actually' Writer". Collider. Retrieved June 14, 2021.
- ^ Yossman, K.J. (June 10, 2021). "Liz Murdoch's Locksmith Animation Hires Natalie Fischer as CEO, Co-Founder Sarah Smith Exits". Variety. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
- ^ White, Peter (January 29, 2018). "Locksmith Animation Sets Up Animated Feature Based On 'Wed Wabbit' Kids' Books". Deadline. Retrieved February 15, 2018.
External links
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