Big Idea Entertainment

Big Idea Productions, LLC
Company type	Nominal division
Industry	Animation
Predecessor	GRAFx Studios
Founded	February 1989; 37 years ago
Founder	Phil Vischer, Mike Nawrocki
Fate	Acquired by DreamWorks Classics; now a nominal division within DreamWorks Animation
Headquarters	Franklin, Tennessee, United States
Area served	Worldwide
Key people	Phil Vischer (founder), Mike Nawrocki (founder)
Products	VeggieTales series and films
Owner	DreamWorks Animation (part of NBCUniversal)
Parent	DreamWorks Animation
Website	www.bigidea.com

Big Idea Productions, LLC—previously known as Big Idea Productions, Inc., Big Idea, Inc., and Big Idea Entertainment, LLC, and commonly referred to simply as Big Idea—is a U.S.-based animation studio currently existing as a nominal division within DreamWorks Animation. The company is primarily recognized for its Christian-oriented direct-to-video series VeggieTales.

The enterprise was established in February 1989 under the name GRAFx Studios by founders Phil Vischer and Mike Nawrocki. It adopted the Big Idea Productions name in August 1993. Their inaugural VeggieTales video debuted in December 1993. In 2002, Big Idea ventured into feature-length films with Jonah: A VeggieTales Movie, a collaboration with FHE Pictures. Its follow-up film, The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything: A VeggieTales Movie (2008), was co-produced alongside Starz Animation and distributed by Universal Pictures.

Between 1999 and 2004, Big Idea maintained its headquarters in Lombard, Illinois. After filing for bankruptcy in 2003 and being acquired by DreamWorks Classics, the company relocated its main office to Franklin, Tennessee in 2004. With DreamWorks Animation’s acquisition of Classic Media in 2012, Big Idea became part of DreamWorks’ corporate portfolio. Under DreamWorks’ management, new content such as the Netflix series VeggieTales in the House (2013) and its sequel VeggieTales in the City (2017) were produced. Later, DreamWorks sold the Franklin facility to Kingdom Story Company.

Currently, Big Idea functions as a nominal subsidiary within DreamWorks Animation. Universal Pictures recently licensed production rights to TBN for The VeggieTales Show, with Phil Vischer contributing as a writer. The brand continues to be represented by its iconic characters Bob the Tomato and Larry the Cucumber, which remain central to its identity in faith-based animation.

History

Initially founded by Phil Vischer in February 1989 as GRAFx Studios to produce graphics for television advertisements, the company evolved significantly over time. In 1991, Vischer created a short film titled Mr. Cuke's Screen Test, which inspired him and Mike Nawrocki to develop what became VeggieTales. To better reflect their new focus on children’s video content, the company was renamed Big Idea Productions, Inc. on August 6, 1993. Their debut video, Where's God When I'm S-Scared?, was released that December.

As the business expanded, it moved to the Chicago suburbs in 1997 by acquiring the DuPage Theater located in Lombard, Illinois. Due to delays in renovations and zoning complications, Big Idea temporarily operated out of rented space within Yorktown Center mall.

Big Idea’s first feature-length film, Jonah: A VeggieTales Movie, premiered on October 4, 2002, produced in partnership with FHE Pictures (Artisan Entertainment). On September 2, 2003, amid operational difficulties and a lawsuit from HIT Entertainment—which had purchased Lyrick Studios in 2001—Big Idea filed for bankruptcy. Later that year, Classic Media purchased Big Idea for $19.3 million and subsequently moved its operations to Nashville in 2004.

For its second feature film project, Big Idea collaborated with Toronto-based Starz Animation to produce The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything: A VeggieTales Movie, which Universal Pictures released on January 11, 2008.

Following Entertainment Rights entering administration in April 2009, ownership of Big Idea and Classic Media transferred to Boomerang Media. By 2011, the company had been rebranded as Big Idea Entertainment, LLC. In July 2012, DreamWorks Animation acquired Classic Media and rebranded it as DreamWorks Classics.

On April 28, 2016, NBCUniversal announced its $3.8 billion acquisition of DreamWorks Animation, finalized on August 22 of that year. Subsequently, DreamWorks sold the Franklin studio property leading to the closure of Big Idea’s Franklin offices in July 2018.

In 2018, NBCUniversal licensed Big Idea’s intellectual properties to The Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN). This partnership resulted in the launch of The VeggieTales Show in 2019 through Trilogy Animation Group with founders Vischer and Nawrocki returning as lead writers. However, on June 29, 2021, Vischer revealed that both he and Nawrocki had departed from the series due to disagreements over compensation and creative direction.

VeggieTales background

VeggieTales is an animated series for children that features talking vegetables conveying Christian-based moral lessons, intertwined with nods to popular culture and contemporary topics. The series was developed by Phil Vischer and Mike Nawrocki, the company’s founders who also provide many character voices. Beyond the films, the brand has expanded into books, games, toys, and apparel. It has been adapted for television, initially broadcast on Qubo between 2006 and 2009, followed by two DreamWorks Animation Television series on Netflix: VeggieTales in the House (2014–2016) and its follow-up, VeggieTales in the City (2017).