Cartuna

American animation studio

CartunaIndustry| Animation, Television production, Film production

|

Founded| April 27, 2015; 9 years ago (April 27, 2015)
Founders|

* James Belfer, Founder and CEO
* Adam Belfer, Founder and COO

Headquarters|

Brooklyn, New York

United States

Number of employees

| 6
Website| Official website

Cartuna is a Brooklyn-based animation production company that has made animated TV shows for Syfy, Comedy Central and Facebook Watch. The company has producers, all of which have their own unique style.[1][2]

## History

[edit]

The company was founded in May 2015 in Bushwick, Brooklyn by James Belfer and Adam Belfer, viewing a perceived gap in the market for adult animation for digital and mobile audiences that they could fill.[3] The Studio would produce the animation for the documentary film NUTS! in 2016, which won a Special Jury prize at the Sundance Film Festival.[4] Later, the company would expand into making animated series releasing the web series like Dogs in A Park.[5] In 2018, the company would increase production making the shows Human Kind Of and Liverspots and Astronots for Facebook Watch and Alan & Elle for IFC.[6][7][8] In 2019, the company would release its first feature, titled Film Tux and Fanny.[9] More recently, Cartuna partnered with Syfy to produce shows for its TZGZ block, specifically Science! in 2019 and Magical Girl Friendship Squad in 2020,[10] along with the associated pilot series released the same year, Magical Girl Friendship Squad: Origins.[11] Cartuna would also be responsible for work on Loafy, a series of animated shorts which aired on Comedy Central.[2][12]

In September 2020, in an interview, Kelsey Stephanides, creator of Magical Girl Friendship Squad, argued that her show would have been "totally different" if another studio produced it.[1] Cartuna worked with over 100 artists on the series.[13] The animation was done on Adobe Animate, the backgrounds done in Adobe Photoshop, and character design done in both.[14] Five years earlier, while in school at New York University, studying Media, Culture and Communications, Stephanides, a fan of the magical girl genre, came up with the idea for the show and was convinced by Belfer, a professor at the same school,[a] to pitch it to Cartuna.[15] After that, production on the series began, meant to be a "short-form pitch to networks," and it was pitched around for years until 2019, when SYFY picked it up, wanting to reboot it, polish it more, and have longer episodes, leading to the creation of the main show, Magical Girl Friendship Squad, itself.

Also in September 2020, Cartuna picked a new Senior-Vice President named Mike Flavin, who formerly worked at Gunpowder & Sky, an independent studio owned by WarnerMedia. Belfer was quoted as saying that they were "doubling down" on development, adding that animation is a medium, rather than a genre, and noted Flavin's experience "from live-action development," allowing them to expand adult animation in the future.[16]

In November 2020 it was announced that Cartuna would be collaborating with Doing Things Media on a IGTV series titled Office Fire.[2]

In 2024, Cartuna launched a Blu-ray distribution label focused on animation, puppetry, DIY art, and alt-comedy.[17] Films titles released are NUTS!, Adam Green's Aladdin and Hundreds of Beavers.[18]

## Films

[edit]

Year  | Film  | Distributor  | Directed By  | Festivals  | Accolades

|
|
|
|
|

2016  | NUTS! | Amazon Studios | Penny Lane | 2016 Sundance Film Festival (premiere), Annecy International Animated Film Festival, Ottawa International Animation Festival, International Film Festival Rotterdam | 2016 Sundance Film Festival Special Jury Prize[19]
Just Add Water: The Story of the Amazing Live Sea-Monkeys (short)  | CNN, Great Big Story | Penny Lane |  |
2019  | Tux and Fanny |  | Albert Birney  | 2019 Ottawa International Animation Festival (premiere)  | The New Yorker Best Movies of 2019[20]
Under Covers (short)  |  | Michaela Olsen  | 2019 Sundance Film Festival (premiere), Ottawa International Animation Festival, AFI Film Festival |
Nellie Bly Makes the News (short)  | Reveal News | Penny Lane |  |
2020  | Blackheads |  | Emily Ann Hoffman  | 2020 South by Southwest |
2021  | Strawberry Mansion | Music Box Films | Albert Birney, Kentucker Audley | 2021 Sundance Film Festival (premiere)  |
2025  | OBEX | Oscilloscope | Albert Birney  | 2025 Sundance Film Festival (premiere)  |
TBD  | The Adventures of Drunky[21] |  | Aaron Augenblick |  |

## Television

[edit]

Year  | Series  | Network  | Creator(s)  | Accolades

|
|
|
|

2017  | Dogs In A Park | Comcast Watchable, IFC[22] | Daniel Shepard
Keith Shepard  |
2018  | Human Kind Of | Facebook Watch | Diana McCorry[b] | Annie Award for Best Animated Television Production,[23] New York Comic Con[24]
Liverspots and Astronots | Facebook Watch | Nate Milton, Rob Bohn  | New York Comic Con[24]
Tammy's Tiny Tea Time |  | Peter Gulsvig  | 2018 Sundance Film Festival (premiere)[25]
Alan & Elle[26] | IFC |  |
2018  | Museum of Human History | Topic Studios | Daniel Shepard  |
2019  | How 8chan Became The Worst Place on The Internet[27] | HBO, Vice News Tonight | Elle Reeve |
Science![28] | Syfy | Neal Holman  |
2020  | Magical Girl Friendship Squad: Origins[28] | Syfy | Kelsey Stephanides  |
Magical Girl Friendship Squad[28] | Syfy | Kelsey Stephanides  |
Desus & Mero | Showtime | Desus Nice, The Kid Mero |
Loafy[12] | Comedy Central | Bobby Moynihan |
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon | NBC |  |
Office Fire | IGTV | Doing Things Media |
2021  | Office Ladies Animated Series | Comedy Central | Jenna Fischer, Angela Kinsey |
Ziwe | Showtime | Ziwe Fumudoh |
Winner Winner Dinner Dinner | Snap Originals | Freeman Freeman  |

## Music videos

[edit]

Year  | Artists  | Song  | Label

|
|
|

2016  | Mustard, Nicki Minaj, Jeremih | Don't Hurt Me[29] | Roc Nation
2020  | Rotimi, Wale | In My Bed | EMPIRE
Preme, Popcaan, Davido | Comfortable  | EMPIRE
2024  | Will Smith, Joyner Lucas | TANTRUM[30] |

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ Belfer is currently an adjunct professor at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, teaching strategies for independent filmmaking to undergraduates in Film & Television.
2. ^ McCorry would later work on the pilot series for Magical Girl Friendship Squad, titled Magical Girl Friendship Squad: Origins.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b Stephanides, Kelsey (September 23, 2020). "Magical Girl Friendship Squad's Anna Akana on What Drew Her to the Show" (Online). Interviewed by Tim Brinkof. BubbleBlabber. Archived from the original on September 26, 2020. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
2. ^ a b c AWN Staff Editor (November 5, 2020). "Riffing on Memes: Doing Things Media's 'Office Fire' Now on IGTV". Animation World Network. Archived from the original on November 6, 2020. Retrieved November 6, 2020. `{{cite web}}`: `|author=` has generic name (help)
3. ^ "About". Cartuna. Archived from the original on November 12, 2020. Retrieved October 23, 2020.
4. ^ "'NUTS!' — a story of transplanted testicles, and more — comes to New Haven". New Haven Register. July 14, 2016. Archived from the original on August 10, 2017. Retrieved October 23, 2020.
5. ^ Shepard, Keith. "Dogs in a Park". Official website of Keith Shepard. Archived from the original on April 26, 2019. Retrieved October 23, 2020. This is the website of the co-creator of the series.
6. ^ Wolfe, Jennifer (September 17, 2018). "Cartuna's 'Human Kind Of' Debuts on Facebook Watch". Animation World Network. Archived from the original on January 24, 2019. Retrieved October 23, 2020.
7. ^ Amidi, Amid (September 17, 2018). "Cartuna Is Launching 2 Original Animated Series On Facebook Watch". Cartoon Brew. Archived from the original on November 12, 2020. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
8. ^ ul-Haq, Farid (September 14, 2018). "Facebook Watch Debuting Two New Adult Animated Comedy Series "Human Kind Of" & "Liverspots and Astronots"". The Geekiary. Archived from the original on September 17, 2018. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
9. ^ Brody, Richard. "What to Stream: "Tux and Fanny," Albert Birney's Boldly Imaginative Instagram Animation". The New Yorker. Archived from the original on November 7, 2020. Retrieved October 23, 2020.
10. ^ Petski, Denise (August 20, 2020). "'Magical Girl Friendship Squad' & 'Wild Life' Get Premiere Dates On Syfy's TZGZ Adult Animation Block". Deadline. Archived from the original on October 28, 2020. Retrieved October 23, 2020.
11. ^ Petski, Denise (May 13, 2020). "'Magical Girl Friendship Squad': Quinta Brunson & Anna Akana Lead Ensemble Cast Of Syfy's TZGZ Anime-Inspired Comedy". Deadline. Archived from the original on June 5, 2020. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
12. ^ a b Salkowitz, Rob (August 7, 2020). "Bobby Moynihan's 'Loafy' Generates A Nice Buzz On Comedy Central's Digital Platforms". Forbes. Archived from the original on October 30, 2020. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
13. ^ Cartuna (September 25, 2020). "✨Magical Girl Friendship Squad✨debuts on @syfy this Saturday at midnight. We worked with a crew of over 100 artists during a pandemic to make this special series. Tune in on @tzgz_syfy!". Instagram. Archived from the original on September 26, 2020. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
14. ^ Zahed, Ramin (October 1, 2020). "SYFY TZGZ: A New Home for Grown-Up Animation". Animation Magazine. Archived from the original on October 31, 2020. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
15. ^ Stephanides, Kelsey (September 21, 2020). "INTERVIEW: Kelsey Stephanides Invite You To Join "Magical Girl Friendship Squad"" (Online). Interviewed by Jackson Murphy. Animation Scoop. Retrieved September 26, 2020.
16. ^ Pederson, Erik (September 25, 2020). "Toon Studio Cartuna Sets Mike Flavin As SVP, Head Of Development". Deadline. Archived from the original on October 2, 2020. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
17. ^ "Cartuna". Vinegar Syndrome. Retrieved December 19, 2024.
18. ^ Welk, Brian (November 25, 2024). "Indie Slapstick Hit 'Hundreds of Beavers' Reveals Details for Special Edition Blu-ray Release". IndieWire. Retrieved December 19, 2024.
19. ^ "Sundance Institute Announces Feature Film Awards For 2016 Sundance Film Festival". Sundance Institute. January 31, 2016. Archived from the original on September 25, 2020. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
20. ^ Brody, Richard (December 4, 2019). "The Best Movies of 2019". The New Yorker. Archived from the original on August 26, 2020. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
21. ^ Busch, Anita (January 14, 2016). "God v. Devil v. 'Drunky' In New R-Rated Animated Feature". Deadline. Archived from the original on July 20, 2020. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
22. ^ "Dogs in the Park". IFC. Archived from the original on November 12, 2020. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
23. ^ "Best Animated Short Subject - Annie Awards: 'Incredibles 2,' 'Ralph' Lead Feature Nominees; 'Mary Poppins Returns' Also Nominated". The Hollywood Reporter. 3 December 2018. Archived from the original on November 12, 2020. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
24. ^ a b Amidi, Amid (September 17, 2018). "Cartuna Is Launching 2 Original Animated Series On Facebook Watch". Cartoon Brew. Archived from the original on November 12, 2020. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
25. ^ "Sundance Institute Announces Indie Episodic, Shorts &Special Event Selections for 2018 Sundance Film Festival". Sundance Institute. December 4, 2017. Archived from the original on November 9, 2020. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
26. ^ "Alan and Elle". IFC. Archived from the original on April 5, 2019. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
27. ^ Reeve, Elle (September 5, 2019). "How 8chan Was Born — and Became the Worst Place on the Internet". Vice. Archived from the original on November 12, 2020. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
28. ^ a b c Andreeva, Nellie (January 17, 2020). "Syfy Ramps Up Animation Push With First Original Series & Pilot Orders For New TZGZ Block". Deadline. Archived from the original on October 1, 2020. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
29. ^ Havens, Lyndsey (August 19, 2016). "DJ Mustard Shares Animated 'Don't Hurt Me' Video". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 22, 2020. Retrieved November 12, 2020. "Brooklyn based animation company Cartuna produced the video, which was animated and directed by Tasmanian native Felix Colgrave."
30. ^ Zemler, Emily (December 13, 2024). "Will Smith, Joyner Lucas Team Up For Fast-Talking Single 'TANTRUM'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 19, 2024. "The duo dropped the single alongside an animated music video created by Cartuna and directed by Lucas and Matthew Bordenave."

* v
* t
* e

Animation industry in the United States

Companies and studios

| Active|

| Majors|

| NBCUniversal|

* DreamWorks Animation
* DreamWorks Animation Television
* DreamWorks Classics
* Big Idea Entertainment
* Harvey Films
* Illumination
* Universal Animation Studios

|

Paramount Global|

* CBS Eye Animation Productions
* Late Night Cartoons
* MTV Animation
* Nickelodeon Animation Studio
* Nickelodeon Digital
* Nickelodeon Movies
* Paramount Animation
* Miramax Animation Studios (49%)
* Skydance Animation

|

Disney Entertainment|

* 20th Century Animation
* 20th Television Animation
* Disney Television Animation
* Lucasfilm Animation
* Industrial Light & Magic
* Marvel Animation
* Marvel Studios Animation
* Pixar Animation Studios
* Walt Disney Animation Studios

|

Warner Bros.|

* Cartoon Network Studios
* Warner Bros. Animation
* Warner Bros. Pictures Animation
* Warner Bros. Television Animation
* Williams Street

|

Sony Pictures|

* Aniplex of America
* Crunchyroll
* Sony Pictures Animation
* Sony Pictures Imageworks

|

* 41 Entertainment
* AMC Networks
* Sentai Filmworks
* Section23 Films
* Augenblick Studios
* Awesome Inc
* Fox Corporation
* Bento Box Entertainment
* Bandera Entertainment
* Bang Zoom!
* Billionfold Inc.
* Blur Studio
* Cartuna
* CHRLX
* Cloudco Entertainment
* CMCC Cartoons
* DNEG
* Digital Domain
* Film Roman
* Phil Roman Entertainment
* Floyd County Productions
* Fred Wolf Films
* Fuzzy Door Productions
* Hasbro Entertainment
* Jay Ward Productions
* Joe Murray Productions
* Kanbar Animation
* Kartoon Studios
* Wow Unlimited Media
* Bolder Media
* Frederator Studios
* Kinofilm
* Klasky Csupo
* Kurtz & Friends
* Laika, LLC
* Lee Mendelson Films
* Lionsgate
* Lionsgate Canada
* Melendez Films
* Man of Action Entertainment
* Mattel Television
* Media Blasters
* Mexopolis
* Mondo Media
* 6 Point Harness
* Netflix Animation
* Noble
* NYAV Post
* Parallax Studio
* Powerhouse Animation Studios
* Psyop
* Reel FX Animation
* Renegade Animation
* Rhythm and Hues Studios
* Rough Draft Studios
* Rovio Animation
* Screen Novelties
* Scholastic
* Weston Woods Studios
* SD Entertainment
* ShadowMachine
* Snee-Oosh, Inc.
* SpindleHorse Toons
* Splash Entertainment
* Sprite Animation Studios
* Stretch Films
* Stoopid Buddy Stoodios
* Studiopolis
* Tau Films
* Threshold Entertainment
* Titmouse, Inc.
* The Kerner Entertainment Company
* The ULULU Company
* Toei Animation Inc.
* United Plankton Pictures
* Vanguard Animation
* Wild Canary Animation
* World Events Productions
* Worker Studio
* WWE Studios
* Walden Media

Former|

* 4Kids Entertainment
* 70/30 Productions
* Adelaide Productions
* Adventure Cartoon Productions
* Allspark
* Amblimation
* Animation Collective
* Animation Lab
* Animation Magic
* Blue Sky Studios
* BVS Entertainment
* Cartoon Pizza
* Chorion
* Circle 7 Animation
* Cookie Jar
* Crest Animation Productions
* Curious Pictures
* DePatie–Freleng Enterprises
* DIC Entertainment
* Disneytoon Studios
* DNA Productions
* Famous Studios
* Filmation
* Fleischer Studios
* Format Films
* Fox Animation Studios
* Frederator Films
* Golden Films
* Hanna-Barbera
* HIT Entertainment
* Jetlag Productions
* Justin Roiland's Solo Vanity Card Productions!
* Kroyer Films
* Laugh-O-Gram Studio
* Little Airplane Productions
* Marvel Productions
* Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Animation
* MGM Animation/Visual Arts
* MGM Cartoons
* Mirari Films
* MoonScoop
* O Entertainment
* Omation Animation Studio
* Pacific Data Images
* PorchLight Entertainment
* Prana Studios
* Radical Axis
* Rankin/Bass Animated Entertainment
* Rooster Teeth
* Ruby-Spears
* Screen Gems
* Skellington Productions
* Soup2Nuts
* Spümcø
* Storyboard, Inc./Hubley Studios
* Sullivan Bluth Studios
* Sunbow Entertainment
* Terrytoons
* Total Television
* United Productions of America
* Van Beuren Studios
* Walter Lantz Productions
* Warner Bros. Cartoons
* Wētā FX
* Wildbrain Entertainment
* Will Vinton Studios
* Zodiac Entertainment

Industry associations

* The Animation Guild, IATSE Local 839
* ASIFA-Hollywood

Other topics

| Awards|

* Academy Awards
* Best Animated Feature
* Annie Awards
* Emmy Awards
* Children's and Family
* Primetime
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* Favorite Cartoon
* Animated Movie
* NAACP Image Awards
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* Kids and Family Programming (Animated)
* Writers Guild of America Awards
* Television Animation

|

History|

* Silent era
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* Modern era

Related|

* Animated sitcom
* American comics
* History of American comics
* Tijuana bible
* Humorous Phases of Funny Faces
* Flash animation
* Labor strikes
* Fleischer Studios (1937)
* Disney (1941)
* Multiple studios (1982)

* Category

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