| Illumination Entertainment | |
|---|---|
| Type | Subsidiary of Universal Studios |
| Industry | Film |
| Genre | Various |
| Founded | 2007 |
| Founders | Chris Meledandri |
| Headquarters | Los Angeles, California, United States |
| Key people | Janet Healy Eddie Egan[1] Natalie Fischer (COO)[2] |
| Products | Films |
| Employees | 35 (2012)[2] 300 (Illumination Mac Guff) (2012)[2] |
| Owner(s) | NBCUniversal (Comcast Corporation) |
| Parent | Universal Studios |
| Subsidiaries | Illumination Mac Guff |
| Mascot | Gru's Minions Link Tetra |
Illumination Entertainment is an American film production company, founded by Chris Meledandri in 2007. It has an exclusive financing and distribution partnership with Universal Studios and it is based in Santa Monica, California.[3] The company is best known for its 2010 animated feature Despicable Me, which was the first film by the company. Its sequel, Despicable Me 2 was released on July 3, 2013, and its spin-off Minions is set for release on July 10, 2015. Illumination is producing The Wind Waker movie set for release on April 15, 2016, followed by Phantom Hourglass in 2018. Two more sequels have also been planned with Spirit Tracks and Four Swords Adventures.[4]
History[]
Illumination Entertainment was founded in early 2007 by Chris Meledandri, the executive producer of the first two Ice Age films and Horton Hears a Who!.
Illumination Entertainment merged into Universal Pictures in 2008. Their first feature film was Despicable Me which was released in 2010 and distributed by Universal. It has since then been solely focused on animated features.
In 2011, Illumination's second film Hop was released in theaters on April 1, 2011, with a blend of live-action and CGI animation.
In the summer of 2011, Mac Guff as the old animation company has a two splits from the visual effects the new company named "Illumination Mac Guff" is the all new animation studios.[5][6][7]
In 2012, Illumination's third and upcoming film The Lorax was released in theaters on March 2, 2012, based on the Dr. Seuss book.
In 2013, Despicable Me 2 was released in theaters on July 3, 2013. Following this, a spin-off based on the Minions is expected to be released on July 10, 2015, an untitled original animated film, scheduled for February 12, 2016, an adaptation of The Wind Waker, scheduled for April 15, 2016 and Phantom Hourglass, scheduled for April 6, 2018. Two more sequels have also been planned with The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks and The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures.[4]
Filmography[]
Feature films[]
Released films
| # | Title | Release Date | Budget | Gross | RT | MC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Despicable Me | July 9, 2010 | $69,000,000 | $543,113,985 | 81% | 72 |
| 2 | Hop | April 1, 2011 | $63,000,000 | $183,953,723 | 25% | 41 |
| 3 | Dr. Seuss' The Lorax | March 2, 2012 | $70,000,000 | $348,840,316 | 54% | 46 |
| 4 | Despicable Me 2 | July 3, 2013 | $76,000,000 | $833,031,320 | 75% | 62 |
Upcoming films
| Title | Release Date | Refs. |
|---|---|---|
| Minions | July 10, 2015 | [8][9][10] |
| Untitled pets film | February 12, 2016 | [11][10][12][13][14][15] |
| The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker | April 15, 2016 | [4][16] |
| Untitled film | December 21, 2016 | [17][13][14] |
| Despicable Me 3 | June 30, 2017 | [18][17] |
| Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas! | November 17, 2017 | [19][17] |
| The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass | April 6, 2018 | [4] |
| Geo Adventure | October 19, 2018 | [20] |
Films in development
| Title | Refs. |
|---|---|
| Flanimals | [21] |
| Curious George | [22] |
| Pluto | [23] |
| Uglydolls | [24] |
| Gospel for Teens | [25] |
| Dr. Seuss' biopic | [26] |
| Emily the Strange | [26] |
| Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat | [27] |
| Lockwood & Co.: The Screaming Staircase | [28] |
| The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks | [4] |
| The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures | [4] |
Short films[]
| # | Title | Release Date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Home Makeover, Orientation Day, and Banana | December 14, 2010 |
| 2 | Brad & Gary [29][30][31] | 2012 |
| 3 | Phil's Dance Party [32] | March 23, 2012 |
| 4 | Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem | July 2, 2012 |
| 5 | Serenade, Wagon-Ho, and Forces of Nature [33] | August 7, 2012 |
| 6 | Puppy, Panic in the Mailroom, and Training Wheels[34] |
December 10, 2013 |
| 7 | Lost in Paradise | April 15, 2016 |
| 8 | Final, Treasure Hunting, and Splash! | October 11, 2016 |
Cancelled movies[]
References[]
- ↑ Fleming, Mike. "Universal Marketing Head Eddie Egan Moving To Top Illumination Post", Deadline.com, 2011-05-15. Retrieved on 2011-06-15.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Fleming, Mike. "Chris Meledandri’s Illumination Names Natalie Fischer COO", August 7, 2012. Retrieved on August 12, 2012.
- ↑ Michael Fleming (2008-03-05). Meledandri, Universal team on deals - Entertainment News, Exclusives, Media. Variety. Retrieved on 2010-03-26.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 Garcia, Gabriel. "Universal, Illumination Plans Wind Waker CGI Movie", deviantART, September 22, 2013. Retrieved on September 22, 2013.
- ↑ Fleming, Mike. "Universal Pictures Buys Paris Animation Unit For Chris Meledandri’s Illumination", November 14, 2011. Retrieved on November 15, 2011.
- ↑ Juridic informations about Illumination Mac Guff
- ↑ Keslassy, Elsa. "Universal benefit in Mac Guff accord", December 12, 2011. Retrieved on December 17, 2011.
- ↑ Mike Fleming (July 23, 2012). Illumination And Universal Hatch ‘Despicable Me’ Spinoff About The Minions. Deadline. Retrieved on July 23, 2012.
- ↑ Gregg Kilday (August 21, 2012). Universal Sets Release Date for 'Despicable Me' Spin-Off Project. The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved on August 21, 2012.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Marc Graser Senior Writer @marcgraser (2013-09-10). Universal, Illumination Move their Minions to Summer 2015. Variety. Retrieved on 2013-09-20.
- ↑ Shaw, Lucas. "Universal Dates Mystery Illumination Movie for 2015", February 12, 2013. Retrieved on February 15, 2013.
- ↑ Untitled Illumination Entertainment 2015 Project. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved on February 14, 2013.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Hopewell, John. "France Fights Bidding War to Lure Hollywood Filmmakers", January 8, 2014. Retrieved on January 9, 2014. “Universal now has “Max” and “Lunch” set up at Illumination MacGuff.”
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Tax Rebate for International Production - Films Supported. Film France. Retrieved on January 9, 2014.
- ↑ Fleming Jr, Mike. "Chris Meledandri’s Illumination Sets Louis C.K., Eric Stonestreet And Kevin Hart For 3D Animated ‘Pets’ Pic At Universal", January 24, 2014. Retrieved on January 25, 2014.
- ↑ Garcia, Gabriel (May 5, 2013). The Poster for Universal/Illumination's Wind Waker Movie. deviantART. Retrieved on September 22, 2013.
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 Universal Dates 'Despicable Me 3,' New 'Grinch Who Stole Christmas'. The Hollywood Reporter (2011-11-17). Retrieved on 2014-01-16.
- ↑ Bond, Paul. "Steve Burke: NBC's Ratings Woes Hurting Revenues", September 11, 2013. Retrieved on September 12, 2013. “A third film is in the works, as is a Christmastime spinoff about the Minions.”
- ↑ Kroll, Justin. "Universal, Illumination to reboot 'The Grinch'", October 8, 2013. Retrieved on February 7, 2013.
- ↑ 2012geosworld.
- ↑ Michael Fleming (April 28, 2009). Gervais' 'Flanimals' heads to bigscreen. Variety. Retrieved on August 14, 2010.
- ↑ Steven Zeitchik (July 30, 2010). With 'Curious George,' Illumination looks to make more animation mischief. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved on July 31, 2010.
- ↑ Mike Fleming (October 20, 2010). Illumination Entertainment And Universal Eye Japanese Manga 'Pluto' For New Pic. Deadline. Retrieved on October 21, 2010.
- ↑ Fleming, Mike. "Chris Meledandri's Illumination To Turn Uglydoll Into Animated Film", Deadline.com, May 26, 2011. Retrieved on May 28, 2011.
- ↑ Fleming, Mike. "Universal, Illumination, And Escape Artists To Film Harlem Teen Gospel Story", August 16, 2011. Retrieved on August 17, 2011.
- ↑ 26.0 26.1 Kit, Borys. "Johnny Depp to Become Dr. Seuss for Illumination and Universal (Exclusive)", October 6, 2011. Retrieved on October 7, 2011.
- ↑ Fleming, Mike. "Dr. Seuss’ ‘The Cat In The Hat’ Get Another Life At Chris Meledandri’s Illumination", March 15, 2012. Retrieved on March 15, 2012.
- ↑ Kroll, Justin. "Illumination, U acquire 'Lockwood' series", October 24, 2012. Retrieved on October 25, 2012.
- ↑ Brad & Gary. Seattle International Film Festival. Retrieved on February 3, 2013.
- ↑ Brad & Gary. IMDb. Retrieved on February 3, 2013.
- ↑ King, Susan. "40th Annie Award nominees and winners list", February 2, 2013. Retrieved on February 3, 2013.
- ↑ Katz, Josh. "Hop Blu-ray", January 9, 2012. Retrieved on January 9, 2012.
- ↑ "From Universal Studios Home Entertainment: Dr. Seuss' The Lorax", June 5, 2012. Retrieved on June 5, 2012.
- ↑ Despicable Me 2 Blu-ray. MovieMail.com. Retrieved on September 11, 2013.
- ↑ 35.0 35.1 35.2 35.3 Debruge, Peter. "Illumination Chief Chris Meledandri Lines Up Originals for Universal", July 17, 2013. Retrieved on July 18, 2013. “At the same time, Illumination has scrapped a number of planned movie ideas. “Waldo” and a Tim Burton-helmed, stop-motion “The Addams Family” are dead. The company abandoned a Woody Woodpecker pic, and couldn’t crack “Clifford the Big Red Dog.””