Public SEHK | |
Industry | CGI animation |
Fate | Closed |
Founded | 2000 |
Founder |
|
Defunct | February 5, 2010 |
Headquarters | Chai Wan, Hong Kong |
Key people
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Owner | Imagi International Holdings Limited |
Number of employees
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400 in Hong Kong |
Parent | Boto |
Website | http://www.imagi.com.hk/ |
Imagi Animation Studios (a.k.a. Imagi Studios) was an animation studio established in 2000 by Imagi International Holdings Limited (: 585).
Imagi Animation Studios was set up in 2000, and production starts on its first project, the CG-animated television series, Zentrix. The company had a studio in Chai Wan, Hong Kong, as well as a creative development and production facility in Los Angeles, California and a satellite office in Tokyo.
The company's first major CG-animated theatrical movie, TMNT was released 23 March 2007 by Warner Bros. in the U.S. and Canada, opening No. 1 at the box office, and was being distributed internationally by The Weinstein Company. Imagi's focus was to create high-quality CG-animated feature films with superhero themes to entertain global audiences, combining Hollywood storytelling with computer animation done in Hong Kong.
In January 2009 Imagi's auditing firm announced that the studio lacked funding to complete the release of films Cat Tale (which was to have been released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer) and Gatchaman, and art director Felix Ip reported that Gatchaman's release was not expected until later in 2009. In June 2009 Imagi opened Gatchaman to licensing partners and announced a 3-D theatrical release for 2011.
In January 2010, Imagi's Hong Kong based parent company Imagi International Holdings Limited announced that the Gatchaman project will be "delivered in 100% Stereoscopic 3D", and that in order to safeguard working capital it closed its United States subsidiaries. This closure was finalized in late January with the layoff of approximately 30 staffers, and the retaining of a few key personnel who will continue to work as consultants as Imagi seeks $30 million from investors to continue its animation projects.