Janimation
Company typePrivate company
IndustryFilm
commercial
game
corporate
virtual reality
Founded1993
FounderSteve Gaconnier and Jana Oleksinski
Headquarters,
United States
Key people
Steve Gaconnier, CEO
Mike Duffy, Executive Producer
Greg Punchatz, Senior Creative Director
ProductsFeature films
commercials
in-game cinematics
corporate video/display/web
ServicesCG animation
visual effects
motion graphics
editorial
audio
kive action
interactive
design
print
virtual reality
Websitejanimation.com

Janimation, Inc. is a production studio based in Dallas, Texas. Founded in 1993, it is largely known for its work on animation and visual effects, notably cinematics for video games. As of 2022, Janimaton produces content for AT&T, Brianna's Salad Dressing, ST9 Oil + Gas, Norwex, the Anderson Abruzzo International Albuquerque Balloon Museum, Meow Wolf, Jack Black, and Bravecto.

History

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Steve Gaconnier and Jana Oleksinski co-founded Janimation in 1993. Throughout the late 1990s, Janimation received press for work done on animation in commercials for Universal Studios Florida.[citation needed] In 1998 Janimation produced its first HD cartoon short film, titled Life, which was directed by Steve Gaconnier.

In 2000, Steve Gaconnier became the sole owner of Janimation by purchasing Jana Oleksinski's stake in the company.[citation needed]

For Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams,[1] Janimation's work on the movie's sea monster represented the company's first contribution to a feature film. The sea monster artwork was featured on the cover of both Production Reality and Post magazines and appeared in Avid's Softimage advertising at that time. The movie critic, Roger Ebert, gave his opinions on the special effects of the sea monster in his review of the movie.[2] Janimation later re-teamed with Troublemaker Studios on their work for Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over in 2003.[3]

Studio

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Janimation's headquarter and studio building until 2015, in Dallas, Texas

In 2008, Janimation moved into a 22,000 sq. ft. studio on East Side Avenue in Dallas. The studio consists of a 1250 sq. ft. sound stage with a 16-foot tall cyclorama. The studio contains editorial, audio, and color correction production suites. By 2015, Janimation had moved to a more streamlined facility that allowed physical fabrication of state of the art virtual reality experiences. These systems included a VR Hot Air Balloon, VR Shotgun and a VR Shark Cage.

In 2019, Janimation installed their Raven VR Hot Air Balloon Experience at Meow Wolf, Santa Fe.

Filmography

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Janimation on Internet Movie Database. [8]

Janimation and its artists[9][10] have contributed visual effects for feature films or title sequences to the following films: Hugo, Green Lantern, Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, The Legend of Santa Claus, Iron Man, Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, The Visitor, The Ant Bully, Spy Kids 2 and Spy Kids 3D, Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius, The Ringer, Lilo & Stitch, The Lion King, Brother Bear, Ace Ventura, Olive, the Other Reindeer, Lonesome Dove, Coming to America, Nightmare on Elm Street, Monkeybone, Brotherhood of the Wolf, Aaagh! It's the Mr. Hell Show!, and all three Robocop films. [citation needed]

Gaming

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Janimation produces teasers, trailers, in-game cinematics, virtual reality, in engine assets, behind the scenes, and commercials for game titles.

Title(s) Game company Publisher/marketing Year
Frac Attack VR Janimation Janimation 2022
Borderlands 3 Gearbox Software 2k Games 2019
The Raven VR Hot Air Balloon Janimation Janimation 2018
Zynga Z Tag Zynga Zynga 2012
Borderlands 2 Gearbox Software 2K Games 2011
Duke Nukem Forever Gearbox Software 2K Games 2011
Dark Legends Spacetime Studios Spacetime Studios 2011
Swarm (2011 video game) Hothead Games Ignition Entertainment 2011
Jurassic Park Telltale Games Telltale Games 2011
Borderlands (video game) Gearbox Software 2K Games 2010
Mytheon Petroglyph Games True Games 2010
Quantum of Solace (video game) Treyarch Activision 2008
Civilization Revolution Firaxis 2K Games 2008
Civilization IV: Colonization Firaxis 2K Games 2008
Age of Empires Big Huge Games Microsoft Studios 2007
Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword Firaxis 2K Games 2007
Jumpgate Evolution NetDevil Codemasters 2007
Civilization IV: Warlords Firaxis 2K Games 2006
Civilization IV Firaxis 2K Games 2005
The Suffering: Ties That Bind Midway Games FailSafe 2005
John Woo's Stranglehold Midway Games FailSafe 2005
Area 51 (2005 video game) Midway Games FailSafe 2005
i-Ninja Midway Games J.Walter Thompson 2003

Awards

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  • 2017 Addy's – Bronze Award – Elements of Advertising Film & Video | Animation, Special Effects or Motion Graphics for Dinamita Luchador [citation needed]
  • 2016 Addy's – Silver Addy for "It can wait campaign" (AT&T) and "Get your head out of the grass" (The Southern Nevada Water Authority) [citation needed]
  • 2009 Addy’s, Mobius, Tele, and Clio Awards [citation needed]
  • 2008 Lone Star Emmy for Media Project's "A Fair to Remember"[11]
  • Best of E3 for John Woo's Stranglehold trailer[12]
  • 2008 Online Media, Marketing & Advertising (OMMA) Award for "Best Video Appearing in a Banner"[13][14]
  • Big Kahuna Award for Best CG Commercial "Harrah's Closet Space"
  • Featured work at AFI, Siggraph, AICP event

Cover art

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  • Selected for magazine cover art for
    • Screen Magazine (2x, including May 29, 2006)
    • Post Magazine (5x, including June 2012,[15] April 2008,[16] February 2004,[17] and September 2002 [18])
    • Computer Graphics World (February 2004)
    • Boards Magazine
    • Millimeter (April 1997)
    • Production Reality

References

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  1. ^ "Thumbs Up for Janimation's Spy Kids 2 Effects". Animation Magazine. 15 August 2002. Retrieved 6 June 2011.
  2. ^ "Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams ::rogerebert.com::". Chicago Sun Times. 7 August 2002. Retrieved 6 June 2011.
  3. ^ "TroubleMaker & Janimation Use AMD Processor-Based Systems on Spy Kids 3D". Animation World Network. 25 July 2003. Archived from the original on 12 August 2011. Retrieved 6 June 2011.
  4. ^ "The Visitor (2007/I) – Company Credits". IMDb.com, Inc. Retrieved 31 August 2009.
  5. ^ "The Ringer (2005) – Company Credits". IMDb.com, Inc. Retrieved 31 August 2009.
  6. ^ "Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over (2003) – Company Credits". IMDb.com, Inc. Retrieved 31 August 2009.
  7. ^ "Spy Kids 2: Island of Lost Dreams (2002) – Company Credits". IMDb.com, Inc. Retrieved 31 August 2009.
  8. ^ "Janimation (US) – IMDB.com credits". IMDb.com, Inc. Retrieved 6 June 2011.
  9. ^ "Greg Punchatz – Janimation artist". IMDb.com. Retrieved 8 June 2011.
  10. ^ "Greg Punchatz – Janimation artist". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. 2012. Archived from the original on 4 November 2012. Retrieved 8 June 2011.
  11. ^ "A Fair to Remember receives Lone Star Emmy". Media Projects, Inc. 2008. Retrieved 8 June 2011.
  12. ^ "Gamespot's E3 2005 Editor's Choice Awards". Gamespot.com. Archived from the original on 24 January 2013. Retrieved 6 June 2011.
  13. ^ "OMMA Award – Video Appearing in a Banner". Media Post Publications. 29 August 2008. Archived from the original on 29 December 2011. Retrieved 8 June 2011.
  14. ^ "TM Advertising/Janimation/EyeWonder – Superpages.com". Media Post Publications. 29 August 2008. Archived from the original on 29 December 2011. Retrieved 8 June 2011.
  15. ^ "Cover Story – Running a Post House". Post Magazine. June 2012. Retrieved 8 August 2012.
  16. ^ "Cover Art – NAB 08 Ante Up". Post Magazine. April 2008. Retrieved 8 August 2012.
  17. ^ "Cover Story – Having a Cow for Chick-Fil-A". Post Magazine. February 2004. Retrieved 8 June 2011.
  18. ^ "Cover Story – The Kids are Alright". Post Magazine. September 2002. Retrieved 8 August 2012.
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