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| Flying Bark Productions | |
|---|---|
| Name | Flying Bark Productions |
| Industry | Animation |
| Founded | 2000 (as Flying Bark) |
| Headquarters | Sydney, Australia |
| Key people | Tom Freston, Marianne Iwasa, Zoran Majic |
| Products | Animated television series, feature films |
| Owner | Boat Rocker Media (as of 2019) |
Flying Bark Productions Flying Bark Productions is an Australian animation studio known for producing children's television series, feature films, and digital content. The studio has collaborated with international broadcasters, streaming services, and film distributors to deliver animated projects across Australia, North America, Europe, and Asia. It has been involved in adaptations, original series, and licensed properties linked to major entertainment companies and cultural institutions.
The studio traces roots to companies established in the 1980s and 1990s amid the global expansion of animation led by entities such as Nickelodeon, Disney, BBC, Cartoon Network, and DreamWorks Animation. Early antecedents worked alongside studios like Yoram Gross Film Studios, Griffith Film School, Aardman Animations, Nelvana, and Studio Ghibli-era collaborators. In the 2000s the studio underwent rebranding, mergers, and acquisitions involving firms connected to Toonz Media Group, Method Animation, M6, and Australian media groups tied to Nine Network and Stan (streaming service). The 2010s saw partnership expansion through deals with distributors such as Universal Pictures, Warner Bros., Lionsgate, and broadcasters including PBS Kids, ITV, TF1, ZDF, and NHK. In 2019 corporate ownership consolidated under Boat Rocker Media as part of a trend of consolidation observed alongside Hasbro, ViacomCBS, and Sony Pictures Entertainment.
The studio's catalogue includes television series, feature films, specials, and short-form content for platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+, Hulu, and free-to-air networks such as ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation), Seven Network, and Network Ten. Notable series and titles in which the studio played a production role have been marketed alongside franchises owned by Hasbro, Mattel, Sanrio, Beatrix Potter Estate affiliates, and independent creators with ties to festivals like Annecy International Animation Film Festival, Sundance Film Festival, and Cannes Film Festival. The company has produced adaptations of children's literature associated with publishers including Penguin Random House, Scholastic, HarperCollins, and Hachette Livre. Feature-length projects have aimed for distribution through channels such as Roadside Attractions, STX Entertainment, and national film bodies like Screen Australia and the Australian Film Commission.
Flying Bark has engaged in co-productions with international studios and public broadcasters, forming alliances with entities such as Millimages, Studio 100, Groupe M6, BRB Internacional, WildBrain, DHX Media, Toei Animation, Gaumont, and Nelvana. Partnerships extended to technology firms and educational institutions including RMIT University, University of Technology Sydney, Cinesite, Animal Logic, and Industrial Light & Magic personnel on effects-led projects. Commissioning partners have included Disney Channel, Nick Jr., Universal Kids, Rai Kids, CBC Kids, and pan-European bodies like the European Broadcasting Union.
The studio employs a range of production techniques from traditional hand-drawn workflows practiced historically at studios like Warner Bros. Animation and Hanna-Barbera to modern digital pipelines akin to Pixar, Blue Sky Studios, Industrial Light & Magic, and Framestore. Facilities have been equipped for 2D vector animation, 3D CGI, stop-motion, rigging, compositing, and stereoscopic workflows used in projects distributed by Paramount Pictures and Sony Pictures Classics. The studio's pipeline integrates software and tools linked to vendors such as Autodesk, Adobe Systems, Foundry, SideFX, and Maxon, and collaborates with post-production houses involved in grading for festivals like Telluride Film Festival.
Over time the company became part of international media groups and investment vehicles associated with consolidation patterns exemplified by acquisitions involving Boat Rocker Media and transactions among companies like DHX Media (now WildBrain), Entertainment One, and STUDIOCANAL. Executive leadership has included producers, creative directors, and executives with backgrounds at BBC Studios, Cartoon Network Studios, Nickelodeon Animation Studio, and public funding bodies such as Screen NSW and Screen Australia. The studio has navigated co-production treaties with governments and agencies similar to arrangements seen between Australia and partners in Canada, France, and the United Kingdom.
Productions affiliated with the studio have been submitted to and recognized at events like the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, Emmy Awards, BAFTA, AACTA Awards, Kidscreen Awards, Cartoon Movie, and Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union competitions. Projects have earned nominations and wins in categories handled by juries from institutions including The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences-adjacent festivals, Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts, and international critics' circles that also honor work from Studio Ghibli, Disney, and Laika.
Like many animation companies operating in global markets, the studio has faced scrutiny over production credits, outsourcing practices, and localization decisions—issues also connected to high-profile disputes involving Netflix, Disney, Warner Bros., and outsourcing houses in Philippines, South Korea, and India. Criticism has appeared in trade outlets alongside debates about intellectual property management seen in cases involving Hasbro, Mattel, and independent rights holders. Labor discussions have mirrored industry-wide conversations involving unions such as SAG-AFTRA and organizations representing animation workers in jurisdictions like Australia and Canada.
Category:Australian animation studios