Imagine Entertainment and Animal Logic Form Animated Film Joint Venture

Imagine Entertainment, Brian Grazer and Ron Howard’s production shingle, is joining forces with Animal Logic, the visual effects and animation company, to form a new joint venture to produce a slate of animated and hybrid family films.

The deal, announced Monday by Grazer and Animal Logic CEO Zareh Nalbandian, calls for the partners to produce and finance six feature-length projects over the next five years. Equity financing is currently being raised to fund 50 percent of the production and development during the five-year term, with budgets targeted in the $75-$85 million range, the two partners said.

Animal Logic, with offices in Sydney, Vancouver and Los Angeles, has had a hand in producing such movies as the Oscar-winning Happy Feet and current release The Lego Batman Movie and is currently in production on the upcoming The Lego Ninjago Movie, Peter Rabbit and The Lego Movie Sequel.

Imagine has produced such family entertainment as the 2000 film How the Grinch Stole Christmas and the PBS Kids TV series Curious George.

“The animation space consistently outperforms other genres and we wanted to enter into that space by partnering with a company that is at the forefront of creative and technical achievement,” Grazer said in making the announcement.