Atkinson Film-Arts

Former Canadian animation studio

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Atkinson Film-Arts

Industry| Animation
Founded| 1974
Founder| Vic Atkinson
Jonathan Finkelstein
Defunct| 1989
Fate| Bankruptcy and Liquidation
Headquarters| Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Products| Television specials
Television series
Direct-to-video films
Feature films

Atkinson Film-Arts was an animation studio based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The company is best known for producing the first two Care Bears television specials – The Care Bears in the Land Without Feelings and The Care Bears Battle the Freeze Machine – and the four syndicated specials that inspired The Raccoons (as well as first-season episodes of the show itself). Atkinson also produced the Christmas specials The Little Brown Burro, Tukiki and His Search for a Merry Christmas and The Trolls and the Christmas Express and the 1986–87 series The Adventures of Teddy Ruxpin (with DIC Entertainment).[1][2][3]

They also worked on the 1981 science fiction anthology movie Heavy Metal and The Body Electric, an animated movie featuring music composed by the Canadian rock band Rush.[4]

## History

[edit]

Vic Atkinson founded the company.[5]

Atkinson was hospitalized after overseeing the production of two segments for Heavy Metal. He recovered and oversaw The Christmas Raccoons before leaving the company and selling his share to Bill Stevens. Atkinson did not like the direction the company was heading in and stated that "I won't produce garbage" while Stevens says he left over disagreements regarding growth and financial risk.[5] The Christmas Raccoons cost $700,000, The Raccoons on Ice cost $850,000 and the episodes of The Raccoons cost up to $415,000.[6]

F. R. Crawley, who was $1.2 million in debt, sold his company to Stevens for $1.[7]

Merilyn Read acquired the rights for Babar the Elephant and discussed creating a special with Atkinson-Crawley. Babar and Father Christmas was one of the most expensive specials at the time, with a budget of $600,000.[8]

Sheldon Wiseman and Kevin Gillis formed Hinton Animation Studios, which recruited from Atkinson-Crawley's employment. In 1987, Stevens attempted to aid the financial ailing company by raising $6 million through a public offering under the name The Crawley Group, but the stock market crashed three days before his presentation. The company had $4 million in debt by 1988, and owed a large amount of unpaid wages causing more employees to join Hinton Animation.[9]

## Filmography

[edit]

### Television specials

[edit]

Year  | Title

|

1978 | The Little Brown Burro
1979 | The New Misadventures of Ichabod Crane
1979 | Tukiki and His Search for a Merry Christmas
1980 | The Christmas Raccoons
1981 | The Trolls and the Christmas Express
1981 | The Raccoons on Ice
1983 | The Care Bears in the Land Without Feelings
1983 | The Legend of Hiawatha
1983 | The Raccoons and the Lost Star
1984 | The Care Bears Battle the Freeze Machine
1985 | The Body Electric
1985 | Rumpelstiltskin
1985 | The Velveteen Rabbit
1985 | For Better or For Worse: The Bestest Present
1986 | The Tin Soldier
1986 | Babar and Father Christmas
1987 | The Nightingale

### Television series

[edit]

Year  | Title  | Notes

|
|

1985–86 | The Raccoons | Season 1 (11 episodes)
1985–86 | OWL/TV | animation
1986–87 | The Adventures of Teddy Ruxpin | Seasons 1–2 (65 episodes)
1988 | Dennis the Menace | Season 2 (13 episodes)
1988 | COPS | Season 1 (11 episodes)

### Direct-to-video films

[edit]

Year  | Title  | Distributor

|
|

1984 | The Raccoons: Let's Dance! | Embassy Home Entertainment
1987 | Meerkats | Ammex Productions

### Feature films

[edit]

Year  | Title  | Distributor  | Notes

|
|
|

1981 | Heavy Metal | Columbia Pictures | "Harry Canyon" and "B-17" segments

### Short films

[edit]

Year  | Title  | Co-production with

|
|

1974 | Santa |
1974 | Yesterday's Farm | Holt, Rinehart and Winston of Canada
1975 | Camp Roofless | Department of National Defence
1975 | Amenita | Pyramid Films
1976 | Let's Talk Business | Department of Regional Economic Expansion
1976 | Propst[r]ike | Transport Canada
1977 | Post and Beam Construction (slide film) | Canadian Wood Council
Eastern Forest Products Laboratory
1980 | Wood Construction (slide film) | Canadian Wood Council
Eastern Forest Products Laboratory
1980s | Things That Go Bump: Client/Counselor Relationship and Other Things That Go Bump | Canadian Employment and Immigration Commission
1981 | Groups That Work: Part One | Canadian Employment and Immigration Commission
Telescene Productions
1981 | Groups That Work: Part Two | Canadian Employment and Immigration Commission
Telescene Productions
1983 | A Piece of Sunshine | Ontario Hydro

## See also

[edit]

* Nelvana
* Cookie Jar Group
* CinéGroupe

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Atkinson Film Arts [ca]". imdb.com. Archived from the original on 1 October 2014. Retrieved 10 December 2013.
2. ^ "Atkinson Film-Arts Studio Directory Cartoon Series". bcdb.com. Archived from the original on June 28, 2013. Retrieved 10 December 2013.
3. ^ "The First Care Bear Film, 'The Land Without Feelings'". home.att.ne.jp. Archived from the original on 30 May 2013. Retrieved 10 December 2013.
4. ^ "heavy metal film 1981". avaxsearch.com. Archived from the original on 12 December 2013. Retrieved 10 December 2013.
5. ^ a b Mazurkewich 1999, p. 116.
6. ^ Mazurkewich 1999, p. 118.
7. ^ Mazurkewich 1999, p. 116-117.
8. ^ Mazurkewich 1999, p. 117.
9. ^ Mazurkewich 1999, p. 118-120.

## Works cited

[edit]

* Mazurkewich, Karen (1999). Cartoon Capers: The History of Canadian Animators. McArthur & Company Publishing. ISBN 1-55278-093-7.

## External links

[edit]

* Atkinson Film-Arts at The Big Cartoon DataBase

* v
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Animation industry in Canada

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Defunct
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* Arc Productions
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* Breakthrough Entertainment
* C.O.R.E.
* CCI Entertainment
* Collideascope
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Related topics|

* Canadian comics
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