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64-567: DIC Entertainment Corporation ( / ˈ d iː k / ; also known as DIC Audiovisuel , DIC Enterprises , DIC Animation City , DIC Entertainment, L.P. , and DIC Productions , sometimes stylized as DiC ), branded as the Incredible World of DIC , was an international film and television production company that was mostly associated as an animation studio . As a former division of The Walt Disney Company , DIC produced live-action feature films and licensed numerous anime series. In 2008, DIC

128-418: A parent company , partner, or private investor. It handles budgeting, scheduling, scripting, the supply with talent and resources , the organization of staff, the production itself, post-production , distribution, and marketing . Production companies are often either owned or under contract with a media conglomerate , film studio , record label , video game publisher , or entertainment company, due to

192-773: A "one time hit" or an ongoing "entertainment franchise " that can be continued, remade, rebooted , or expanded into other sister industries; such as the video game industry (see Star Wars , Star Trek ). Entertainment projects can be either an original or an adaptation from another industry. In rare occasional cases, a few troubled major studios would also shed their distribution and/or marketing staffs, mainly due to reduced resources, and resort to co-investing and/or co-distributing film projects with larger studios, operating as virtual, production-only movie studios. Notable examples include legendary studio Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer , which, after many years of box office flops (mostly with low budgets), bad management and distribution, and bankruptcy,

256-474: A 95% majority stake and Heyward retaining the remaining 5%. Both limited partnerships became the successor to the former parent company DIC Animation City, coinciding with the relocation of DIC's headquarters to a larger facility in Burbank, California . DIC continued its expansion and diversification efforts throughout the early 1990s. In November 1993, it established DIC Interactive, a multimedia unit. Subsequently,

320-551: A block on This TV featuring shows from Cookie Jar and DIC, ran from 2008 to 2013. In 2014, Cookie Jar ceased operations. DIC operated many programming blocks for various television stations across the United States. Kideo TV was an anthology series that was produced as a joint-venture between DIC Enterprises and their US syndicator LBS Communications , with Mattel handling sponsorships. The block aired on syndicated television stations, with Metromedia stations agreeing to carry

384-667: A companion club program was supposed to be developed. DIC also planned to produce four specials each quarter with the launching of Funtown, combined with the others, mostly holiday specials, for the fourth quarter of 1989, but nothing came out of these initial plans. Dragon Club (Chinese: 小神龙俱乐部 ( Little Dragon Club )) was a daily television strand operated and distributed through Capital Cities/ABC through various syndicated television stations in China. It launched on September 19, 1994, and broadcast various DIC and ABC programs in addition to third-party, live-action and local offerings. After

448-405: A contract) or as a subsidiary for an entertainment company, motion picture company, television network, or all, and are generally smaller than the company they are partnered with. A book to film unit is a unit of a book publishing company for the purposes of getting books that they published adapted into film . Films have been using books as a prime source for films for years. In 2012, six out of

512-437: A deal with Lions Gate Home Entertainment for North American distribution of DIC Home Entertainment products. In June, DIC planned a purchase of Golden Books Family Entertainment for $ 170 million, but they eventually backed out of the deal due to the high costs of the purchase; the company was instead co-purchased by Random House for the book rights and Classic Media for the entertainment rights. In July 2002, DIC purchased

576-609: A development and co-finance plan. Macmillan Films was launched by Thomas Dunne Books in October 2010 under the packaging model similar to Alloy while also moving to get film rights from Dunne's published author. Also that year, Random House changed their strategy to film development and packaging only. Condé Nast Entertainment was started by Magazine publisher Conde Nast in October 2012. In 2013, Macmillan Films became Macmillan Entertainment with an expansion to look at other divisions' book for possible films. A production company

640-419: A particular product, regardless of where in the process their expertise is required, or how long they are involved in the project. For example, in a theatrical performance, the production team has not only the running crew , but also the theatrical producer , designers , and theatrical direction . The production company may be directly responsible for fundraising the production or may accomplish this through

704-520: A partnership with Tokyo Movie Shinsha , a Japanese animation studio. As part of this collaboration, DIC assisted in animating several TMS programs, including the popular series Ulysses 31 . Additionally, DIC created an unaired pilot called Lupin VIII during this period. This partnership between DIC and TMS continued until 1996, contributing to the production of numerous animated television shows and pilots. DIC Audiovisuel's U.S. division, DIC Enterprises,

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768-465: A private corporate investment entity (see Legendary Pictures ). Their only source of profit comes from the productions they produce. Because entertainment and media are currently in "high demand", a production company can profit if its management is capable of using its resources to supply good quality products and services to the public. Many entertainment production companies brand their entertainment projects. An entertainment project can either become

832-451: A production. The entertainment industry is centered on funding (investments from studios, investment firms, or individuals either from earnings from previous productions or personal wealth), projects (scripts and entertainment franchises), and talent ( actors , directors, screenwriters , and crew). Production companies are judged and ranked based on the amount of funding it has, as well the productions it has completed or been involved with in

896-445: A self-publishing vanity press which are paid services. Both large and small production studios have an editorial board or editor-in-chief , along with other forms of a command hierarchy . Entertainment companies operate as mini conglomerate , operating many divisions or subsidiaries in many different industries. Warner Bros. Entertainment and Lionsgate Entertainment are two companies with this corporate structure. It allows for

960-746: A series about teens with alien superpowers who are taught about humanity by Lee (this show never made it to air). In 2004, Heyward acquired Bain Capital's share in DIC Entertainment and subsequently oversaw the company's public offering on the London Stock Exchange's Alternative Investment Market in 2005, trading under the symbol DEKEq.L. In March 2006, DIC regained international rights to 20 of its shows from The Walt Disney Company and Jetix Europe , previously owned by Disney since their acquisition of Saban Entertainment in 2001. The same month, DIC acquired

1024-426: A single company to maintain control over seemingly unrelated companies that fall within the ranges of entertainment, which increases and centralises the revenue into one company (example: a film production company, TV production company, video game company, and comic book company are all owned by a single entertainment company). A motion picture company, such as Paramount Pictures , specializing "only" in motion pictures

1088-804: A unionization effort in 1984, DIC remained the only non-union animation firm. Over time, DIC expanded its operations through syndication deals with companies like LBS Communications , Columbia Pictures Television , and Access Syndication. Additionally, DIC secured home video rights for its shows through agreements with Karl-Lorimar Home Video , CBS/Fox Video in the US, and The Video Collection in Great Britain. and Access Syndication. Between late 1986 and 1987, Heyward, in collaboration with investors Bear Stearns & Co. and Prudential Insurance Co. , acquired Chalopin and Radio Television Luxembourg's 52% stake in DIC, resulting in

1152-402: Is considered to be a small production company. These companies often work with up and coming talent. Small production companies will either grow to become a major production company, a subsidiary completely owned by another company, remain small, or fail. The success of an entertainment production company is centered on the projects it produces, the talent it can acquire, and the performance of

1216-554: Is currently owned by The Walt Disney Company, which purchased Saban Entertainment (renamed to BVS Entertainment) and Saban International Paris (renamed to SIP Animation) in 2001. Mediawan Thematics currently owns the C&;D programs co-produced with AB Productions. The New Adventures of He-Man was placed within Parafrance Communication's Filmation library, which is currently owned by DreamWorks Animation . King Arthur and

1280-442: Is only connected with its other counterpart industries through its parent company. Instead of performing a corporate reorganization, many motion picture companies often have sister companies they collaborate with in other industries that are subsidiaries owned by their parent company and is often not involved in the making of products that are not motion picture related. A film production company can either operate as an affiliate (under

1344-410: Is owned by Paramount Global ). Alloy Entertainment while not a unit of a publisher started using a book packaging to film model of film and TV development by developing the property in-house, hire authors for the books and films, so as to own the property. Random House was the first big six book publisher to establish a book to film unit, Random House Films , in 2005 with a Focus Features deal under

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1408-448: Is usually run by a producer or director, but can also be run by a career executive. In entertainment, a production company relies highly on talent or a well known entertainment franchise to raise the value of an entertainment project and draw out larger audiences. This gives the entertainment industry a democratized power structure to ensure that both the companies and talent receive their fair share of pay and recognition for work done on

1472-582: The Copyright Promotions Licensing Group (CPLG) and welcomed Jeffrey Edell as president and COO. DIC, AOL 's KOL, and CBS Corporation joined forces to introduce a new three-hour programming block for Saturday mornings on CBS called KOL Secret Slumber Party on September 15, 2006. A year later, on September 15, 2007, DIC, CBS, and American Greetings launched another programming block named KEWLopolis. In April 2007, DIC Entertainment, Nelvana , and NBC Universal Global Networks announced

1536-477: The concentration of media ownership , who act as the production company' s partner or parent company . This has become known as the "studio system". Independent studios usually prefer production house (see Lionsgate ), production studio (see Amazon Studios ), or production team (see Rooster Teeth ). In the case of television, a production company would serve under a television network . Production companies can work together in co-productions . In music,

1600-477: The Disney purchase of Capital Cities/ABC, the strand transitioned to airing Disney-produced content and continued to broadcast until the start of 2019. Panda Club (Chinese: 熊猫俱乐部 ) was the short-lived sister strand of Dragon Club that launched on October 2, 1994, and broadcast on a smaller selection of stations. Its programming was similar to that of Dragon Club, and broadcast until 1999. Freddy's Firehouse (FFH)

1664-567: The Mommy & Me preschool label. In January 2003, DIC announced three syndicated children's programming E/I blocks called DIC Kids Network . In April, DIC sued Speed Racer Enterprises , alleging that SRE had sub-licensed the worldwide exploitation rights for Speed Racer to DIC the previous year and then ended the agreement without DIC knowing. Later in July, DIC signed a television production deal with POW! Entertainment for Stan Lee's Secret Super Six ,

1728-527: The block by January 1986, and launched in April 1986. Kideo TV aired for 90 minutes and consisted of live-action material with three cartoons from DIC's library used as framing material. Rainbow Brite , Popples and Ulysses 31 first aired on the block, while The Get Along Gang and Lady Lovely Locks were added later on. The "Kideo" brand was also used by LBS as a joint-venture home video line which released various DIC cartoons on VHS. Weekend Funday

1792-807: The company ventured into live-action television production in 1994. In response to the success of Saban's Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers , DIC collaborated with Tsuburaya Productions to adapt the Japanese series Gridman the Hyper Agent into Superhuman Samurai Syber Squad . DIC also initiated partnerships in China and engaged in syndication agreements with SeaGull Entertainment. In July 1995, The Walt Disney Company announced its intention to acquire Capital Cities/ABC and all of its assets, including DIC. That October, DIC began planning to establish an animation studio in France in partnership with Hamster Productions. Following

1856-455: The company's daily activities. In some cases, a production company can be run by only a handful of people. The company's funds are mainly committed towards employing talent, crew, and acquiring new updated production equipment on a regular basis. Many productions often require at least one to two cameras and lighting equipment for on location shooting. Production equipment is either leased or purchased from another production company or directly from

1920-615: The completion of the merger between Capital Cities/ABC and Disney in January 1996, DIC became a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company. Subsequently, DIC collaborated closely with Disney, launching DIC Films and signing a first-look deal with Walt Disney Pictures in 1996. In March 1997, DIC's French animation studio commenced operations as Les Studios Tex S.A.R.L. DIC continued its expansion into various markets and mediums, extending its first-look deal with Walt Disney Pictures in March 1998 and announcing

1984-766: The direction of Bruno Bianchi and Bernard Deyriès, DIC became known for its effective yet cost-conscious approach to animation production. Shortly after its formation, DIC introduced Inspector Gadget , which became one of its most successful productions. DIC also collaborated with toy and greeting card companies to develop character-based product lines that could be adapted into animated series, providing built-in advertisers and financial backers. With hits like Inspector Gadget , The Littles , and Heathcliff , DIC became profitable. In 1983, DIC established its own animation facility in Japan, known as K.K. DIC Asia, to handle animation production for its shows independently. Despite facing

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2048-420: The early 1990s, DIC expanded its operations to include subsidiaries such as Rainforest Entertainment and embarked on educational initiatives. DIC's growth trajectory was marked by a landmark licensing agreement with Buena Vista Home Video in 1993, facilitating the distribution of over 1,000 half-hours of animated content and the establishment of a dedicated home video label. This deal bolstered DIC's presence in

2112-410: The entity Créativité et Développement (C&D) in 1987 to continue producing animated content. Meanwhile, the Japanese studio was renamed K.K. C&D Asia, operating until 1996. Subsequent to the buyout, DIC encountered significant financial indebtedness, partly stemming from their competitive strategy of underbidding on projects to outmaneuver rival animation firms, coupled with an overestimation of

2176-456: The establishment of KidsCo , an international children's entertainment network. In October of the same year, DIC filed a lawsuit against the Dam company, alleging fraud and negligent misrepresentation regarding Dam's troll doll and DIC's Trollz television series, which was created under a license from Dam. Dam counter-sued DIC, accusing the company of misrepresenting its financial status and harming

2240-489: The establishment of a limited partnership with Capital Cities/ABC Video Enterprises, Inc., forming a joint venture named DIC Entertainment, L.P. This venture aimed to oversee DIC's production library and supply content for international distribution through CAVE. DIC Animation City held 95% of the shares, while CAVE held the remaining 5%. At the end of the year, the two companies formed another Delaware limited partnership called DIC Productions, L.P., with Capital Cities/ABC holding

2304-440: The exposure, when shooting in public locations, major productions often employ security to ensure the protection of the talent and crew working on a specific production. After filming is completed, the production enters into post production, which is handled by a post production company and overseen by the production company. The editing, musical score, visual effects, re-recording of the dialog, and sound effects are "mixed" to create

2368-425: The final film, which is then screened at the final screening. Marketing is also launched during this phase, such as the release of trailers and posters. Once a final film has been approved, the film is taken over by the distributors, who then release the film. For legal reasons, it is common within the entertainment industry for production companies not to accept unsolicited materials from any other company, talent, or

2432-450: The general public. It is also common for filmmakers or producers to become entrepreneurs and open their own production companies so that they can have more control over their careers and pay, while acting as an "in-house" creative and business driving force for their company but continuing to freelance as an artist for other companies, if desired. Cr%C3%A9ativit%C3%A9 et D%C3%A9veloppement Créativité et Développement or C&D

2496-426: The guild. Productions with smaller budgets are allowed to use both guild talent and talent from the public. The majority of the talent and crew working in the entertainment industry are members of their professions guild. Most productions in the entertainment industry are guild productions. A production company is responsible for the development and filming of a specific production or media broadcast. In entertainment,

2560-546: The home entertainment market, heralding a new phase of expansion and consolidation within the animation industry. DIC subsequently signed a deal with Golden Book Video to market titles under the DIC Video brand. During the early 1990s, DIC attracted attention within the industry. The company engaged in discussions regarding a potential merger and buyout with PolyGram and Capital Cities/ABC , but no agreements materialized with either entity. In July 1993, DIC Animation City began

2624-619: The introduction of the Old MacDonald talking toyline. Amidst legal battles and strategic maneuvers, DIC continued to navigate the evolving landscape of the animation industry. Legal disputes with Family Home Entertainment and LBS/Lorimar Home Video were resolved, paving the way for DIC to forge partnerships with Golden Book Video and pursue distribution agreements with Bohbot Communications. Furthermore, DIC diversified its international collaborations, teaming up with Reteitalia, S.p.A. and Telecinco, among others, to co-produce animated content. By

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2688-444: The launch of its direct-to-video division in April 1998. Additionally, DIC secured a programming agreement with Pax TV during this period. In September 2000, Andy Heyward , backed by investment firms Bain Capital and Chase Capital Partners , began to purchase DIC from The Walt Disney Company . Disney agreed to sell back the company and the deal was closed on November 25, officially allowing DIC to produce shows alone again without

2752-415: The limitations of Disney, coinciding with the relaunch of DIC's international sales division at MIPCOM that year. In 2001, DIC planned to return to the home video market, by forming a new division titled DIC Home Entertainment; they intended to begin releasing products starting that May. This was delayed due to DIC's issues in finding a distribution partner, which eventually happened in July when DIC signed

2816-440: The manufacturer. In the entertainment industry, in order to secure experienced professional talent and crew, production companies often become a signatory company to that talent or crew members "guild". By becoming a signatory company, it agrees to abide by the guild regulations. All big budget guild productions are exclusive to guild members and non guild members are not allowed to participate in these productions unless authorized by

2880-562: The market demand for children's television shows. Consequently, DIC's debt escalated, prompting the sale of foreign rights to their library to Saban Productions in 1987, which were later transferred to Chalopin's C&D. This transaction strained the relationship between DIC and Saban, leading to legal disputes culminating in a settlement in 1991. Despite these challenges, DIC expanded its collaborations, partnering with NBC and Coca-Cola Telecommunications to produce and distribute television programs. DIC also ventured into toy manufacturing with

2944-479: The nine best picture Oscar nominees were originally books. Previously, publishers did not develop their books into movie nor receive any of the profits. Neither Scholastic or Little Brown, get any box office revenue from the Harry Potter and The Twilight Saga movies just through book sales. As the publishers faced decreasing revenue due to increased competition from self-published e-books, or Amazon.com moving into

3008-424: The past. If a production company has major funding either through earnings, studio investors, or private investors, and has done or been involved with big budget productions in the past, it is considered to be a major production company. These companies often work with well-known and expensive talent. If a production company does not have much funding and has not done or been involved with any big budget productions, it

3072-416: The production process begins with the development of a specific project. Once a final script has been produced by the screenwriters, the production enters into the pre-production phase, most productions never reach this phase for financing or talent reasons. In pre-production, the actors are signed on and prepared for their roles, crew is signed on, shooting locations are found, sets are built or acquired, and

3136-486: The production's shooting locations for both privacy and safety reasons. In many cases, the director, producers, and the leading actors are often the only people with access to a full or majority of a single script. Supporting actors, background actors, and crew often never receive a full copy of a specific script to prevent leaks. Productions are often shot in secured studios, with limited to no public access, but they are also shot on location on secured sets or locations. Due to

3200-552: The proper shooting permits are acquired for on location shooting. Actors and crew are hand picked by the producer, director, and casting director, who often use collaborators or referenced personnel to prevent untrusted or unwelcomed people from gaining access to a specific production and compromising the entire production through leaks. Once a production enters into principal photography, it begins filming. Productions are almost never cancelled once they reach this phase. Codenames are often used on bigger productions during filming to conceal

3264-517: The publishing field, publishers have started to enter the film and TV production business to boost their net income with Amazon attempting to compete there too. More screenwriters are turning to book publishers to get their screenplay published as a book, so as to have a boost in their attempt to have the screenplay turned into a movie, given that it is a known product after the book. Publisher Simon & Schuster , though not involved with film and TV, shares possible film and TV deals with CBS (S&S

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3328-412: The strand to be sold to other outlets internationally. The block was rejected in favor of Pax producing the children's block in-house, with "Cloud 9" (later renamed "Pax Kids") launching with Pax TV on August 31, 1998, and broadcasting until the end of the contract with DIC in 2000. Production company Generally the term refers to all individuals responsible for the technical aspects of creating

3392-415: The talent. Marketing is also a major factor. All films, as a tradition, are often marketed around the image and the performance of the actors; with an option of marketing the behind the scenes crew such as the directors and screenwriters. Unlike many other businesses, a production company does not rely on an ongoing revenue stream , they operate on ongoing investments; this often requires a parent company or

3456-615: The term production team typically refers to a group of individuals filling the role of " record producer " usually reserved for one individual. Some examples of musical production teams include Matmos and D-Influence . The aforementioned publishing conglomerates distribute said creative works, but it is not uncommon for production companies to act as a publication . For example, The Walt Disney Company and Nintendo act as publisher for Walt Disney Animation Studios and Nintendo Entertainment Planning & Development respectively. Self-publishing , in this case, should not be confused with

3520-523: The transformation of DIC into DIC Animation City, Inc. This acquisition, amounting to $ 70 million in a leveraged buyout, relocated the company's headquarters to the United States. Following the transaction, key personnel such as Chalopin, Bianchi, Deyriès, and producer Tetsuo Katayama departed DIC, making way for Robby London and Michael Maliani to assume pivotal roles within the organization. Additionally, Chalopin retained control of DIC's original offices in France and its Japanese animation facility, establishing

3584-440: The troll doll's image and reputation. In June 2008, DIC Entertainment and Canadian media company Cookie Jar Group announced a merger valued at $ 87.6 million. President Jeffrey Edell played a key role in finalizing the deal, which was completed on July 23 of the same year. Following the merger, DIC became a subsidiary of Cookie Jar, and the company was subsequently folded into Cookie Jar's operations. DIC Entertainment Corporation

3648-522: Was a 90-minute weekend strand produced by DIC that was syndicated through Coca-Cola Telecommunications during the Fall of 1987. Weekend Funday normally ran on Sundays under the name of Funday Sunday , but it would also run on Saturdays as Funtastic Saturday , if it wanted to go head-to-head with the other kidvid blocks. It consisted of various half-hour cartoons from the DIC lineup, including Sylvanian Families and Starcom: The U.S. Space Force . Funtown

3712-467: Was a French animation studio founded in 1987 by Jean Chalopin . In April 1996, Chalopin sold the company, including its library (and the animation rights to Diabolik ) to Saban International Paris (later renamed SIP Animation in 2002), the latter being folded in October 2001 into The Walt Disney Company through BVS Entertainment . A sizeable portion of the Créativité et Développement content library

3776-674: Was a daily children's programming block on the CBN Family Channel that launched on September 11, 1989. It ran for 26 hours a week, broadcasting from 7:00am–9:00am on weekdays, and 8:00am–11:00am and 4:00pm–6:00pm on weekends. DIC handled the advertising sales of the block, while the CBN Family Channel handled the distribution and marketing. The lineup of shows was a mix of formats, from live-action-animated hybrids to live-action, and programs ranging from original to off-network shows, whether produced by DIC or other companies. In addition,

3840-584: Was a planned children's educational programming block that would broadcast various programs from DIC Entertainment's library, initially announced in May 1998. In the United States, it was planned to air on Pax TV after DIC signed a deal with the broadcaster to become the exclusive supplier of animated programming on the network. The plan was for the block to run on weekends, running for three hours on Saturday and two hours on Sunday. Buena Vista International Television handled syndication sales, and would also allow for

3904-643: Was acquired by Cookie Jar Group in June and was later folded into Cookie Jar in December. As of 2023, most of the DIC library is currently owned by WildBrain (formerly DHX Media) after the company acquired Cookie Jar in October 2012. Diffusion, Information Communications (DIC) was founded in France in 1971 by Jean Chalopin as part of Radio Television Luxembourg ( RTL Group ), a well-established media company. DIC primarily focused on producing television content. In 1981, DIC formed

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3968-495: Was established in April 1982 in Burbank, California by Andy Heyward , a former writer at Hanna-Barbera . This division was created to adapt DIC productions into English for American audiences. DIC Enterprises focused on producing animated television content for both network broadcast and syndication. To reduce costs, DIC outsourced non-creative tasks overseas and employed staff on a per-program basis. Despite its success, some industry insiders referred to DIC as "Do It Cheap." Under

4032-490: Was rebranded as Cookie Jar Entertainment (USA) Inc. In 2012, Cookie Jar was acquired by DHX Media, later rebranded as DHX Media on October 22, 2012. The DIC Kids Network was renamed Cookie Jar Kids Network in 2009 and ceased operations in 2011. Cookie Jar also produced the final season of Sushi Pack , one of DIC's last shows, which aired until 2009. KEWLopolis on CBS was renamed Cookie Jar TV in 2009 and closed down in 2013, replaced by CBS Dream Team . Cookie Jar Toons ,

4096-630: Was restructured at the end of 2010 under new management and currently struck deals with some of the Big Six studios (most notably the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group and Warner Bros. ); Miramax , which was downsized by former owner Disney into a smaller division. Because a production company is only operational when a production is being produced and most of the talent and crew are freelancers , many production companies are only required to hire management staff that helps to oversee

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