Wang Film Productions

Wang Film Productions Co., Ltd.
Native name
宏廣
Wang Film Productions Co., Ltd.
FormerlyCuckoos' Nest Studio (1978–1986)
Company typeSubsidiary
IndustryTraditional hand-drawn 2D Animation
PredecessorChunghwa Cartoon Company
FoundedJuly 10, 1978; 46 years ago (1978-07-10) in Xindian City, Taiwan
FounderJames C.Y. Wang
Headquarters
ProductsFeature films, television series
ServicesAnimation outsourcing
OwnerHanna-Barbera (1978–1990s)
Government of Taiwan
ParentBrilliant Pictures Group (2013–present)
SubsidiariesCGCG, Inc.
CGCG Studio, Inc.
Websitebrilliant-pictures.com

Wang Film Productions Co., Ltd. (also known as Hong Guang Animation (宏廣) and Cuckoos' Nest Studio) is one of the oldest and most prolific Taiwanese-American animation studios since 1978. The company, based in Xindian, Taipei and Los Angeles, California,[2] has done traditional hand-drawn 2D animation/ink and paint for various TV shows and films for studios across North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific.

History

[edit]

Wang Film/Cuckoo's Nest, the studio's original name, was founded by James C.Y. Wang (王中元)/Wang Zhongyuan, Hsu Chih-wei and Lu Kuang-chi started the studio in 1978 as a Taiwanese subcontractor for various Japanese animation studios and also an overseas facility for the American animation studio Hanna-Barbera.[3] Hanna-Barbera sent Jerry Smith to help set up the company and eventually owned half the company.[4] Many employees from Chunghwa Cartoon came to work at Cuckoo's Nest Studio along with employees from Ying Ren Cartoon and Shang Shang. Don Patterson was brought on board as a trainer. The company started with about 50 employees but soon had 300.[3]

In the company's first year, 17 episodes were produced for Hanna-Barbera. Quickly, they had contracts with Disney, Warner Bros., and Universal.[5]

With increased wages and foreign exchange rates, Cuckoo's was being priced out of the outsourcing market. Thus the CNS began restructuring. A Mainland Chinese subsidiary was opened in 1990 in Zhuhai, southern Guangdong province. In 1991, Cuckoo's Nest had to lay off 200 employees in Taipei. The company began computerization to reduce costs, while training some that would have been laid off to operate the computers. By 1993, the company had capacity to produce 200 half hour episodes each year. In 1993, a Shanghai unit, possibly a joint venture, was under consideration with Bangkok as an alternative. Also, internal developed and produced material was expected to start hitting the market in mid-1994.[5]

In early 1991, Hanna-Barbera sold its digital ink-and-paint software to the company which was developed by Marc Levoy.

The company is also notable for their work on the overseas production for Nelvana's Care Bears franchise, Film Roman's Garfield and Friends and Bobby's World, Klasky Csupo's Rugrats pilot and first season, Disney's DuckTales and Stretch Films' Courage the Cowardly Dog. They also helped produce effects for the 1982 film Tron[3] and some Peanuts television specials, production ink & paint matting, and animation assistance.

Filmography

[edit]

TV series

[edit]

Outsourced from Hanna-Barbera

Show Year(s) Notes
Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels 1977–1980 credited as Jerry Smith
Laff-A-Lympics 1978 season 2[6]
Godzilla [citation needed] 1978–1979 uncredited
Fred and Barney Meet the Thing [citation needed] 1979 uncredited
Super Friends 1980–1983 credited as James Wang
The Fonz and the Happy Days Gang 1980–1981 credited as James Wang
Laverne & Shirley 1981–1982 credited as James Wang
The Little Rascals 1982–1983 credited as James Wang
Shirt Tales 1982–1983 credited as James Wang
The Dukes 1983 credited as James Wang
The Biskitts 1983 credited as James Wang
Monchhichis 1983 credited as James Wang
The Smurfs 1983–1989 seasons 3-4; credited as James Wang, seasons 6-9; animation production shared with Toei Animation in season 7
Pac-Man 1983 season 2; credited as James Wang
The New Scooby and Scrappy-Doo Show 1983 credited as James Wang
Super Friends: The Legendary Super Powers Show 1984 credited as James Wang
Snorks 1984–1985 season 1; credited as James Wang
Challenge of the GoBots 1984–1985 season 1; credited as James Wang
The Greatest Adventure: Stories from the Bible 1985–1992 direct-to-video series
The Jetsons 1985 season 2; credited as James Wang
Paw Paws 1985–1986
Yogi's Treasure Hunt 1985–1988
Galtar and the Golden Lance 1985–1986
The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians 1985
The New Adventures of Jonny Quest 1986–1987
Wildfire 1986
The Flintstone Kids 1986–1987
Pound Puppies 1986 season 1
Foofur 1986 season 1
Popeye and Son 1987
A Pup Named Scooby-Doo 1988–1991
The Completely Mental Misadventures of Ed Grimley 1988
The Further Adventures of SuperTed [citation needed] 1989
Timeless Tales from Hallmark 1990–1991 direct-to-video series
Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventures 1990 Season 1
Tom & Jerry Kids 1990–1993
Gravedale High 1990
The Pirates of Dark Water 1991–1993
Yo Yogi! 1991
Capitol Critters 1992
2 Stupid Dogs 1993–1995
What a Cartoon! 1995 "Dino: Stay Out!"

Outsourced from Disney Television Animation

Show Year(s) Notes
DuckTales 1987; 1989–90 select episodes
Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers 1989–90 16 Season 2 episodes: The Luck Stops Here, An Elephant Never Suspects, Fake Me to Your Leader, Last Train to Cashville, The Case of the Cola Cult, Throw Mummy from the Train, A Wolf in Cheap Clothing, Robocat, Does Pavlov Ring a Bell, Seer No Evil, Chocolate Chips, The Last Leprechaun, Double 'O Chipmunk, It's a Bird, It's Insane, It's Dale!, Short Order Crooks and Out of Scale
TaleSpin 1990–91 8 episodes: The Bigger They Are, the Louder the Oink, Bearly Alive, On a Wing and Bear, The Old Man and the SeaDuck, Sheepskin Deep, Waiders of the Wost Tweasure, Mach One for the Gipper and A Jolly Molly Christmas
Darkwing Duck 1991 3 episodes: The Darkwing Squad, Inside Binkie's Brain and Slime Okay, You're Okay
The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh 1991 5 episodes: "Sorry, Wrong Slusher", "A Pooh Day Afternoon", "Home is Where the Home Is", "The Wise Have It", "To Dream the Impossible Scheme"
Goof Troop 1992–93 8 episodes: Buddy Building, Where There's a Will, There's a Goof, Terminal Pete, Rally Round the Goof, Frankengoof, Calling All Goofs, Pistolgeist and Tee for Two
Raw Toonage 1992
Bonkers 1993–94 4 episodes
Marsupilami 1993–94
The Little Mermaid 1993–94
Aladdin 1994 14 episodes: Elemental, My Dear Jasmine, To Cure a Thief, My Fair Aladdin, Web of Fear, Seems Like Old Crimes: Part 1, Seems Like Old Crimes: Part 2, The Love Bug, The Vapor Chase, The Day the Bird Stood Still, Smells Like Trouble, Armored and Dangerous, Dune Quixote, The Prophet Motive and Sea No Evil
Gargoyles 1995 "Enter Macbeth"
The Shnookums and Meat Funny Cartoon Show 1995
Timon & Pumbaa 1995–1999
Mighty Ducks 1996–1997 2 episodes: "Dungeons and Ducks", "Puck Fiction"
Quack Pack 1996 5 episodes
Jungle Cubs 1996–1998
101 Dalmatians: The Series 1997–1998 12 episodes
Hercules: The Animated Series 1998–1999 12 episodes
The Weekenders 2000–2001
Buzz Lightyear of Star Command 2000–01 10 episodes
Teacher's Pet 2001 9 episodes
The Legend of Tarzan 2001–2003
Fillmore! 2002 21 episodes
Lilo & Stitch: The Series 2003–05 13 episodes
Dave the Barbarian 2004–05 13 episodes
Brandy & Mr. Whiskers 2004–06
W.I.T.C.H. 2004–05 Season 1
American Dragon: Jake Long 2005–07 14 episodes
The Emperor's New School 2006–08 23 episodes
The Replacements 2006–09 23 episodes
Phineas and Ferb 2007–15; 2025–present
The 7D 2015–16 Season 2
Milo Murphy's Law 2016–19 with Synergy Animation

Outsourced from Warner Bros. Animation

Show Year(s) Notes
Tiny Toon Adventures 1990–92 31 episodes: The Looney Beginning (animated by Kennedy Cartoons with a few scenes by Wang Film Productions), You Asked for It, Rock 'n' Roar, Career Oppor-Toon-ities, Dating, Acme Acres Style, Hare Raising Night, Citizen Max, Prom-ise Her Anything, The Acme Acres Zone, Starting from Scratch, Looking Out for the Little Guy, Spring in Acme Acres, Ask Mr. Popular, Europe in 30 Minutes, Fairy Tales for the 90's, Here's Hamton, No Toon Is An Island, Return to the Acme Acres Zone, Mr. Popular's Rules of Cool!, Viewer Mail Day, New Character Day (animated by Kennedy Cartoons with a few scenes by Wang Film Productions), K-ACME TV, High Toon (animated by Kennedy Cartoons with a few scenes by Wang Film Productions), Going Places, Best of Buster Day, Toon TV, New Class Day, Flea for Your Life, Weekday Afternoon Live, Buster's Directorial Debut and The Horror of Slumber Party Mountain
Taz-Mania 1991–95
Animaniacs 1993–98
Pinky and the Brain 1995–98
Pinky, Elmyra and the Brain 1998
Histeria! 1998–2000
Detention 1999–2000
Baby Looney Tunes 2002–03
What's New, Scooby-Doo? 2002–03 4 episodes: It's Mean, It's Green, It's the Mystery Machine, Roller Ghoster Ride, A Scooby-Doo Christmas and Pompeii and Circumstance
Ozzy & Drix 2002–04

Outsourced from DIC Entertainment

Show Year(s) Notes Client
Les Aventures de Plume d'Elan [citation needed] 1979–81 DIC Audiovisuel (France)
Ulysses 31 [citation needed] 1981–82 uncredited
Inspector Gadget 1983 first season only, 12 episodes: Down on the Farm, Gadget at the Circus, The Amazon, Movie Set, Amusement Park, Art Heist, M.A.D. Trap, Eye of the Dragon, King Wrong, Pirate Island, Smeldorado and So It Is Written DIC Entertainment
Kidd Video 1984 first season only DIC Entertainment
Saban Productions
Heathcliff 1984 85 credited as James Wang DIC Entertainment
Hulk Hogan's Rock 'n' Wrestling 1985–86 Animation production shared with Shaft and Hanho Heung-Up (Korea) DIC Entertainment
Kissyfur 1988 season 2 only DIC Entertainment
Saban Productions
The New Adventures of Beany and Cecil 1988 DIC Entertainment
Slimer! and The Real Ghostbusters 1988 Slimer! segments
New Kids on the Block 1990 DIC Enterprises
Street Sharks 1995 season 2 only DIC Productions, L.P.

Outsourced from Nelvana

Show Year(s) Notes
Ewoks 1985–86
The Care Bears Family 1986–88
Madballs: Escape from Orb 1986
The Video Adventures of Clifford the Big Red Dog 1988
Beetlejuice 1989–91
Eek! The Cat 1992–97
Family Dog 1993
Tales from the Cryptkeeper 1993–94
Free Willy [citation needed] 1994–95
Ace Ventura: Pet Detective 1995–97 seasons 1-2
Stickin' Around 1996 Season 1
Pippi Longstocking 1997–98
The Future Is Wild 2007–08

Outsourced from other studios

Show Year(s) Notes Client
ThunderCats 1985–86 credited as James C.Y. Wang Rankin/Bass Animated Entertainment
SilverHawks [citation needed] 1986 uncredited Rankin/Bass Animated Entertainment
Lazer Tag Academy [citation needed] 1986 Saban Productions
Rambo and the Forces of Freedom [citation needed] 1986 Ruby-Spears Productions
The Comic Strip 1987 credited as James C.Y. Wang Rankin/Bass Animated Entertainment
Mighty Mouse: The New Adventures 1987–88 Bakshi/Hyde Ventures
Garbage Pail Kids 1987–88 CBS Entertainment Productions
Wisdom of the Gnomes [citation needed] 1987–88 BRB International (Spain)
The Adventures of Raggedy Ann and Andy 1988 CBS Entertainment Productions
Garfield and Friends 1988–94 Film Roman
Police Academy: The Animated Series 1988–89 Ruby-Spears Productions
Bobobobs [citation needed] 1988–89 BRB Internacional (Spain)
The Return of Dogtanian 1989 BRB Internacional (Spain)
Dink, the Little Dinosaur 1989–90 [7] Ruby-Spears Productions
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 1989–92 [7] Murakami-Wolf-Swenson
Peter Pan and the Pirates 1990–91 Fox Children's Productions
Bobby's World 1990–98 Film Roman
Zazoo U 1990 Film Roman
Piggsburg Pigs! [citation needed] 1990 uncredited Ruby-Spears Productions
Rugrats 1990–92 pilot and season 1 Klasky Csupo
James Bond Jr. [citation needed] 1991 Murakami-Wolf-Swenson
Mother Goose and Grimm 1991 Film Roman
Back to the Future: The Animated Series 1991–92 Universal Cartoon Studios
Fievel's American Tails 1992 Universal Cartoon Studios/Nelvana (Canada)
Sandokan 1992 BRB International
The Pink Panther 1993–95 MGM Animation
Wild West C.O.W.-Boys of Moo Mesa 1993 Season 2 Ruby-Spears Productions
The Itsy Bitsy Spider [citation needed] 1993–95 Hyperion Animation
The Ren & Stimpy Show 1994 3 episodes Games Animation
The Busy World of Richard Scarry 1994–97 seasons 2-5 CINAR (Canada)
Willy Fog 2 1994–95 BRB Internacional (Spain)
Fantastic Four 1994 season 1; animation production shared with Kennedy Cartoons Marvel Films
Mort & Phil 1994 BRB Internacional (Spain)
Dog Tracer 1994 Marina Productions
Life with Louie [citation needed] 1994–98 Hyperion Animation
Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child 1995 season 1 Hyperion Animation
The Mask: Animated Series 1995 season 1 Film Roman
Littlest Pet Shop 1995 Sunbow Entertainment
The Little Lulu Show 1995–96 seasons 1-2 CINAR (Canada)
The Mozart Band 1995 BRB Internacional (Spain)
Marathon Productions (France)
All Dogs Go to Heaven: The Series 1996–98 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Animation
Hey Arnold! 1996–97 13 episodes Games Animation
The Oz Kids 1996–97 Hyperion Animation
The Country Mouse and the City Mouse Adventures 1997–99 CINAR
France Animation (France)
The Adventures of Paddington Bear 1997–2001 CINAR (Canada)
Bibi Blocksberg 1997 Kiddinx (Germany)
The Fantastic Voyages of Sinbad the Sailor [citation needed] 1998 Fred Wolf Films
Troll Tales 1999
Chucklewood Critters 1999 season 2; animated by PT Asiana Wang
Dragon Tales 1999–2000 season 1 interstitials Adelaide Productions
Courage the Cowardly Dog 1999–2002 Stretch Films
Generation O! 2000–01 Sunbow Entertainment
Poochini's Yard 2000 Wild Brain
Sagwa, the Chinese Siamese Cat 2001–02 CinéGroupe (Canada)
Make Way for Noddy 2001–06 SD Entertainment
ChalkZone 2002–05 Nickelodeon Animation Studio
Jungledyret Hugo 2002–03 A. Film Production (Denmark)
Benjamin Blümchen 2002–03 Kiddinx
The Cartoon Cartoon Show 2002 "Jeffrey Cat: Claw and Order — All Dogs Don't Go to Heaven" Cartoon Network Studios
Stuart Little: The Animated Series 2003 Adelaide Productions
Lenny & Sid 2003 Toonacious Family Entertainment
Momo 2003
Winx Club 2004 season 1 Rainbow S.p.A. (Italy)
Stripperella 2004 3 episodes Spike Animation
The Fairytaler 2004–05
Alien Racers 2005 SD Entertainment
Random! Cartoons 2006–07 Nickelodeon Animation Studio
My Friends Tigger & Pooh 2007–10 Walt Disney Television Animation
Care Bears: Adventures in Care-a-lot 2007–08 SD Entertainment
The Land Before Time 2007–08 Universal Animation Studios
Ni Hao, Kai-Lan 2008–11 Animation shared with Saerom Animation Nickelodeon Animation Studio
Curious George 2018–19 seasons 10-11 Universal Animation Studios
Saturday Morning All Star Hits! 2021 additional animation Bento Box Entertainment

Television films and specials

[edit]

Feature films

[edit]

Original productions

Outsourced productions

Others

[edit]

CGCG

[edit]
CGCG, Inc.
Company typeSubsidiary
IndustryEntertainment
Founded1988; 36 years ago (1988)
Headquarters
Taipei City, Taiwan
Shanghai, China
Okinawa, Japan
Tokyo, Japan
Productshigh profile Animated series for SVOD platforms (Netflix, Amazon Prime, etc.), Animated features, VFX for Live action films, DVD movies, Game cinematics.
Production output
Animation
Websitewww.cgcg.com.tw

CGCG, Inc. is a leading CGI computer animation studio based in Taiwan since 1988.

Productions

[edit]

CGCG (Taiwan)

Show Year(s) Notes Client
Xcalibur 2001–02 Ellipsanime (France)
Make Way for Noddy 2001–03 SD Entertainment
Bionicle 2003–05; 2009 film series Lego (Denmark)
Tonka Tough Truck Adventures: The Biggest Show on Wheels 2004 SD Entertainment
Alien Racers 2005 SD Entertainment
D.I.C.E. 2005 CGI Xebec
My Friends Tigger & Pooh 2007–10 Walt Disney Television Animation
The Future Is Wild 2007–08 Nelvana (Canada)
Tak and the Power of Juju 2007–09 six episodes Nickelodeon Animation Studio
Star Wars: The Clone Wars 2008–14 Lucasfilm Animation
The Penguins of Madagascar 2008–09 "Popcorn Panic", "Launchtime", "Happy King Julien Day!", "Kingdom Come" Nickelodeon Animation Studio
DreamWorks Animation Television
Bob the Builder 2009–12 HIT Entertainment (UK)
SD Entertainment
Fanboy & Chum Chum 2009–12 Nickelodeon Animation Studio
Hero Factory 2010–13 Lego (Denmark)
Green Lantern: The Animated Series 2012–13 Warner Bros. Animation
Dragons: Riders of Berk 2012–13 layouts DreamWorks Animation Television
Lego Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Out 2012
Beware the Batman 2013–14 Warner Bros. Animation
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2014–17 Nickelodeon Animation Studio
Star Wars Rebels 2014–18 Lucasfilm Animation
Thunderbirds Are Go 2015–20 ITV Studios (UK)
Dragons: Race to the Edge 2015–18 animation for most episodes; layouts for a few episodes DreamWorks Animation Television
Netflix
Tales of Arcadia
 2016–21 layouts and animation DreamWorks Animation Television
Netflix
Star Wars Resistance 2018 Lucasfilm Animation
Fast & Furious: Spy Racers 2019–present asset creation and rigging DreamWorks Animation Television
Universal Pictures
Netflix
Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous 2020–2022 DreamWorks Animation Television
Amblin Entertainment
Universal Pictures
Netflix
Doug Unplugs 2020–present DreamWorks Animation Television
Apple TV+
Star Wars: The Bad Batch 2021–present production services Lucasfilm Animation
Disney+
Gabby's Dollhouse 2021–present production services DreamWorks Animation Television
Netflix
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe 2021–present Mattel Television
Netflix
DreamWorks Dragons: The Nine Realms 2021–2023 DreamWorks Animation Television
Hulu
Peacock
Abominable and the Invisible City 2022–2023 DreamWorks Animation Television
Hulu
Peacock
Curses! 2023–present DreamWorks Animation Television
Sunday Night Productions
Apple TV+

CGCG (China)

Show Year(s) Notes Client
Pet Alien 2006–07 Taffy Entertainment

CGCG Studio (Japan)

Show Year(s) Notes Client
Mobile Suit Gundam MS IGLOO 2004 "The Howl that Dyed the Setting Sun" Sunrise
Genki Genki Nontan 2004
Zoids: Genesis 2005–06 CGI ShoPro
Rockman.EXE Beast 2006 Xebec
Saru Get You -On Air- 2006–07 Xebec
Super Robot Wars Original Generation: Divine Wars 2007 "Bian's Final Will" OLM, Inc.
Abunai Sisters Koko & Mika 2009 CG modeling
Appleseed XIII 2011 motion capture; production coordination Production I.G
Blade & Soul 2014 ending animation motion capture Gonzo
Schwarzesmarken 2016 ixtl/Liden Films
Ajin: Demi-Human 2016 motion capture assistance Polygon Pictures
Aikatsu Stars! 2016–18 CG cooperation Bandai Namco Pictures
The Master of Ragnarok & Blesser of Einherjar 2018 EMT Squared
The Magnificent Kotobuki 2019 CG cooperation for episodes 11 and 12 Digital Frontier
Ultraman 2019–present rigging assistance Production I.G
Netflix
Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 2020–present rigging Production I.G
Netflix
Eden 2021 Qubic Pictures
Netflix

Continuations

[edit]

CGCG (Taiwan)

Show Year(s) Notes Client
Donkey Kong Country (Season 2) [8] 1999-2000 Nelvana (Canada)

Thai Wang Film Productions

[edit]
Thai Wang Film Productions Co., Ltd.
IndustryEntertainment
Headquarters63/141-142 Cartoon Building Ratanathibet Rd. Bangkasor Nonthaburi 11000[9]
ProductsFeature films, television series
Production output
Animation
ServicesAnimation outsourcing
OwnerWang Film Productions

Thai Wang Film Productions Co., Ltd. is a division of Wang Film Productions located in Bangkok, Thailand.

Productions

[edit]

Hong Guang Animation (Suzhou)

[edit]
Hong Guang Animation (Suzhou) Co., Ltd.
IndustryEntertainment
Founded1996
HeadquartersNo. 137 Bao Dai West Road, Wu Zhong Qu, Su Zhou City, Jiang Su Province, China (P.R.C.)[10]
ProductsFeature films, television series
Production output
Animation
ServicesAnimation outsourcing
OwnerWang Film Productions

Hong Guang Animation (Suzhou) Co., Ltd. (simplified Chinese: 宏广动画（苏州）有限公司; traditional Chinese: 宏廣動畫（蘇州）有限公司; pinyin: Hóng Guǎng Dònghuà (Sūzhōu) Yǒuxiàn Gōngsī) is a division of Wang Film Productions located in Suzhou, Jiangsu, China.

Productions

[edit]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Wang Film Productions Contact". 4 October 2007. Archived from the original on 4 October 2007. Retrieved May 6, 2020 – via web.archive.org.
  2. ^ Chang, Violet (1 May 1998). "Wang's World". Taiwan Review. Government Information Office, United States of America (USA) and Republic of China (Taiwan). Retrieved 2010-04-12.
  3. ^ a b c Lee, Daw-Ming (2012). Historical Dictionary of Taiwan Cinema. Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow Press. pp. 48–51. ISBN 9780810879225. Retrieved March 6, 2018.
  4. ^ Drogin, Bob (March 30, 1993). "Doing Business : Cartoon Stars Take Around-the-World Cruise". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 6, 2018.
  5. ^ a b "Animated Industry". Taiwan Today. Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of China. 1 November 1993. Retrieved March 7, 2018.
  6. ^ Wang's World
  7. ^ a b Wang Film Productions
  8. ^ "Index".
  9. ^ "Wang Film Productions Contact". 4 October 2007. Archived from the original on 4 October 2007. Retrieved May 6, 2020 – via web.archive.org.
  10. ^ "Wang Film Productions Contact". 4 October 2007. Archived from the original on 4 October 2007. Retrieved May 6, 2020 – via web.archive.org.
[edit]
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