Colossal Pictures
| Industry | Media |
|---|---|
| Fate | Closed |
| Successor | USFX, M5 Industries, WildBrain |
| Founded | 1976 |
| Defunct | August 31, 1999 |
| Headquarters | San Francisco, California |
|
Key people
|
Drew Takahashi Gary Gutierrez Japhet Asher |
| Products | animation stop-motion computer graphics special effects interactive live action |
| Subsidiaries | USFX (1982-96) BIG Pictures (1989-94) Noyes and Laybourne (1991-96) |
Colossal Pictures (styled as (Colossal) Pictures or (C)P) was an entertainment company that developed and produced television programming, advertising, network branding, and visual effects. Colossal's work has won every major industry award, from the Clio, Emmy and Grammy to the Cannes Gold Lion and Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences Top Honor.
In the mid-1970s, Drew Takahashi and Gary Gutierrez were working with John Korty on animated shorts for children's programs such as Vegetable Soup. When Vegetable Soup was renewed for a second season, Korty began working on a movie, and suggested to Drew and Gary that they start their own production company. The two founded (Colossal) Pictures in 1976, and worked on projects such as shorts for Vegetable Soup, the opening sequence of The Grateful Dead Movie and commercials for Boise Cascade Company, KQED, KSAN-FM and Gap Inc. The Boise Cascade commercial received national attention and attracted many businesses to Colossal.
In 1981, Colossal began producing dozens of network IDs for MTV, which led to the company receiving more high-profile clients including Nickelodeon, Levi's, and Coca-Cola. The following year, Gary Gutierrez launched USFX, a new division of Colossal Pictures, while he was working on The Right Stuff. Colossal Pictures started producing computer animation in 1983, when they collaborated with Pacific Data Images to produce a commercial for the Atari game Joust and a network ID for MTV. In 1986, Colossal began working with Western Images using a Quantel Harry unit, resulting in Colossal being able to create state-of-the-art computer graphics. In 1989, Colossal Pictures launched a new division, BIG Pictures, which produced television programs. That September, Colossal Pictures began representing Pixar to produce CGI commercials. As part of the deal, Colossal would receive a project and develop the storyboards, while Pixar animated the project. Colossal Pictures terminated its relationship with Pixar in 1992 when they started production on Toy Story for Walt Disney Pictures.
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