TORONTO – Starz, LLC, unveiled the U.S. media company’s state-of-the-art animation studio in Toronto Tuesday, and announced the appointment of veteran animation executive David Steinberg to run it.
The studio will be one of Canada’s largest, with 150 employees in 2007 and growing substantially as new projects begin production. The studio will produce computer-generated animated feature films and more.
“Starz Animation Toronto is a key piece of our strategy to be a full-service production and distribution company worldwide, and to be a major presence in the Canadian entertainment business,” Chairman and CEO Robert B. Clasen said.
“The talent and technical support in Canada are second to none in the world. And we’re kicking off the production schedule with a feature produced by Tim Burton, one of the world’s top film artists.”
The feature is Focus Features’ animated theatrical release “9”. The fantasy epic tells the story of a band of courageous rag dolls that battle for the survival of civilization in a post-apocalyptic parallel world.
“9” is produced by Tim Burton, Timur Bekmambetov, and Jim Lemley, and directed by Shane Acker, based on his Student Academy Award-winning animated short. The film will feature the voices of Elijah Wood, Jennifer Connelly, Crispin Glover, Martin Landau, Christopher Plummer, and John C. Reilly.
“Toronto is an animation powerhouse,” said Steinberg, who has been named Executive Vice President and General Manager of Starz Animation Toronto after an almost 30-year career in studio-level animation.
“We are tapping into a city incredibly rich in animation talent, fed by world-class universities of art and technology. Add Starz’ leadership and commitment to CG production and you have an animation formula that is sure to generate compelling animated entertainment for audiences around the world.”
Prior to joining Starz Animation Toronto, Steinberg spent a decade as a producer and executive at Walt Disney Feature Animation, where he helped shepherd such films as Meet the Robinsons, Mulan, Hercules, Tarzan and others.
Previously, he was executive producer on Turner Feature Animation’s Cats Don’t Dance and The Pagemaster, and spent a decade with animation legend Don Bluth, where he was instrumental in such films as The Secret of NIMH, An American Tail and The Land Before Time.
In his new role, Steinberg will be initiating proprietary feature animation projects as well as securing projects from third parties. The studio will also produce animation for TV, commercials and live action visual effects.
Starz Animation Toronto has been built on the foundation laid by a venerable Toronto animation house. Since Starz acquired the company in late 2006, it has invested heavily to prepare the new studio to produce world class projects.
The studio recently completed production on The Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything: A VeggieTales Movie, for Universal Pictures and Big Idea, Inc. This project, which was begun under previous ownership at the studio, was produced by Paula Marcus and directed by Mike Nawrocki. It is due for release theatrically by Universal Pictures in early 2008.
Starz, LLC, is a fully integrated media company that producers programming in all media and distributes it internationally on all platforms, including broadcast, cable and premium television, feature films, DVD and other home entertainment, and on digital and broadband channels. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Liberty Media Corporation that is attributed to Liberty Capital Group
