Japan's Fuji TV Inks Collaboration Deal with Illumination Entertainment

TOKYO – Japan’s Fuji TV and Hollywood’s Illumination Entertainment announced a strategic tie-up on Wednesday that lays the basis for the two companies to collaborate creatively on content.

our editor recommends

Illumination and Universal Adapting 'Clifford the Big Red Dog' (Exclusive)

Illumination Butresses Up its Executive Ranks

Illumination, creator of hits such as Despicable Me and Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax, will link with Fuji, one of Japan’s leading TV networks and movie producers, on as yet unspecified projects.

At the heart of the alliance are Illumination founder and CEO Chris Meledandri and Fuji’s super-producer Chihiro Kameyama, creator of some of Japan’s biggest box office hits of recent years.

“At illumination, we take inspiration from all around the world, and we are evolving  the filmmaking model to transcend borders and languages,” wrote Meledandri in a statement. “Fuji Television is a powerhouse company with iconic status in Japan, and we are delighted to be in business with them.”

“Chris has built an incredible track record of success over many years – we can both learn from him and be inspired by him,” wrote Kameyama. “Although we have no immediate co-production plans on the table, this is the first step to explore how we can develop a strong partnership.”

The partnership will launch in low-key fashion this month as the Minion characters from Despicable Me will appear on the Fuji TV logo for the theatrical release of the latest installment in the record-breaking Bayside Shakedown (Odoru Daisōsasen) series, produced by Kameyama.

Twitter@GavinJBlair