Bento Box Entertainment

Bento Box Entertainment
Name	Bento Box Entertainment
Type	Subsidiary
Industry	Animation
Founded	2009
Founders	Scott Greenberg, Joel Kuwahara, Mark McJimsey
Headquarters	Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Owner	Hasbro (Tencent minority stake previously)
Products	Television animation, feature animation, digital shorts

Bento Box Entertainment is an American animation studio founded in 2009 by Scott Greenberg, Joel Kuwahara, and Mark McJimsey. The studio is known for producing adult animated television series, family animation, and digital content for major broadcasters and streaming services, collaborating with creators and distributors across Los Angeles, New York, Atlanta, and Toronto. Bento Box has produced work for networks and platforms associated with Fox Broadcasting Company, Hulu, Netflix, Amazon and Paramount Global-owned channels, among others.

History

Bento Box Entertainment was established in 2009 by industry veterans with previous experience at studios connected to Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network Studios, Warner Bros. Animation, Blue Sky Studios and Disney Television Animation. Early projects included collaborations with production entities tied to FX Networks, Comedy Central and the NBC family. The company expanded through partnerships and the launch of regional branches in cities linked to production ecosystems such as Atlanta and Toronto. In 2015, corporate transactions involved investors from media conglomerates and private equity groups with ties to The Walt Disney Company-adjacent firms and Sony Corporation. Later strategic moves included the creation of a feature animation division and alliances with creators associated with Seth MacFarlane, Mike Judge, and other high-profile showrunners. Subsequent acquisitions and minority investments came from companies operating in the entertainment industry and technology sector, influencing Bento Box’s distribution relationships with broadcasters like Fox Broadcasting Company and streamers such as Hulu and Netflix.

Productions

The studio’s slate spans adult animation, children’s programming, and short-form digital series, with credits on series commissioned by Fox Broadcasting Company, Hulu, Netflix, Amazon, Comedy Central, Adult Swim, TBS and Paramount+. Bento Box produced notable adult animated comedies alongside creators known from The Simpsons, Family Guy, King of the Hill, and South Park. The company developed original properties and collaborated on licensed adaptations tied to franchises like those managed by Hasbro, Mattel, Lionsgate, and Universal Pictures. International co-productions involved partners from BBC Studios, DHX Media, and Illumination, while home entertainment and streaming releases were negotiated with distributors such as Warner Bros. Discovery and Sony Pictures Entertainment. Bento Box’s portfolio includes episodic series, specials for awards shows like the Primetime Emmy Awards, and shorts for festivals connected to Sundance Film Festival and Annecy International Animated Film Festival.

Corporate structure and ownership

Bento Box began as an independent studio before negotiating investments and buyouts involving media companies and private equity firms tied to the entertainment industry. Corporate governance has included executive leadership with backgrounds at The Walt Disney Company, Warner Bros., NBCUniversal, and Sony Pictures. Ownership events featured minority stakes held by technology investors and strategic acquisitions by larger studios associated with toy and entertainment conglomerates such as Hasbro. The company operated regional facilities in metropolitan areas with incentives linked to state and provincial film offices like those in Georgia and Ontario, impacting tax-credit-driven production models used across the industry and influencing partnerships with broadcast groups including Fox Corporation and streaming platforms under Amazon and Paramount Global umbrellas.

Notable personnel

Key founders Scott Greenberg, Joel Kuwahara, and Mark McJimsey came from backgrounds with credits on productions connected to Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, Warner Bros. Animation and Disney. Executive producers and showrunners who have worked with the studio include creators associated with Seth MacFarlane, Mike Judge, Amy Poehler, Tina Fey, Jordan Peele and writers whose credits span The Simpsons, Family Guy, South Park and Rick and Morty. Production leadership has included veterans from Industrial Light & Magic, Pixar Animation Studios, Blue Sky Studios and post-production houses linked to Technicolor SA. Bento Box’s talent roster has featured animators, storyboard artists and composers who previously worked on projects for DreamWorks Animation, Illumination, Laika, Aardman Animations and independent creators showcased at Sundance Film Festival.

Animation style and techniques

Bento Box employs a mix of 2D digital animation, rigging and character-based pipeline methods influenced by practices at Cartoon Network Studios, Nickelodeon, and Adult Swim workshops. The studio integrates software tools used industry-wide, with pipelines compatible with assets originating from houses like Toon Boom Animation, Autodesk, and visual effects workflows linked to Industrial Light & Magic. Techniques include cutout-style rigs, hand-drawn frame embellishment, stylized character designs reminiscent of The Simpsons-era television aesthetics, and mixed-media approaches that reference layouts common to Disney Television Animation and Warner Bros. Animation. For longer-form projects, Bento Box has mobilized feature-level production processes aligning with those at Pixar Animation Studios and DreamWorks Animation to manage storyboarding, voice recording, sound design and post-production for distribution through partners such as Netflix and Hulu.

Awards and recognition

Bento Box’s projects and collaborators have been recognized at major industry events and award ceremonies including nominations and wins at the Primetime Emmy Awards, Annie Awards, and honors from festivals like Annecy International Animated Film Festival, Sundance Film Festival and regional guilds such as the Writers Guild of America and Animation Guild. Individual shows produced or co-produced by the studio have attracted critical attention in outlets tied to television criticism and trade publications related to Variety (magazine), The Hollywood Reporter and awards juries associated with the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Peabody Awards and festival juries have spotlighted collaborative short-form work and specials involving Bento Box partners and showrunners.

Category:Animation studios in California Category:Companies established in 2009