Crest Animation Productions
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Animation |
| Predecessor | RichCrest Animation Studios, Rich Animation Studios, Rich Entertainment |
| Founded | March 15, 1986 in Burbank, California, United States |
| Founder | Richard Rich |
| Defunct | 2013 |
| Fate | Ceased operations; production agreements transferred to other companies |
| Headquarters | Burbank , United States |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Richard Rich (Founder) |
| Products | Animated films and television programming |
Number of employees | 26 (at founding) |
Crest Animation Productions—previously known as RichCrest Animation Studios, Rich Animation Studios, and initially as Rich Entertainment—was an animation company with Indian-American roots that operated from 1986 until 2013. The studio was based in Burbank, California and was established on March 15, 1986 by Richard Rich.
Among Crest's prominent projects were Alpha and Omega and The Swan Princess. The company started out producing traditionally animated movies but eventually shifted its focus solely to computer animation before ceasing operations.
History
The studio was launched in 1986 by former Disney director Richard Rich, beginning with a team of 26 employees, many of whom had Disney backgrounds, including ex-marketing executive Matt Mazer. Its early work involved creating half-hour animated videos centered on the Book of Mormon for Living Scriptures, later expanding into educational Christian and historical programming through an affiliated entity, Family Entertainment Network.
In 1993, Nest Entertainment took ownership of Rich Animation Studios, merging it with Family Entertainment Network and the cassette duplication company Cassette Duplicators Inc. That year, the studio released The Swan Princess, which did not perform well at the box office but found success in home video sales, leading to two follow-up sequels.
By 1999, the studio collaborated with Morgan Creek Productions and Rankin/Bass Productions to create an animated version of Rodgers and Hammerstein's The King and I for Warner Bros. Due to disappointing box office results, Nest Family Entertainment sold the studio to Crest Animation Studios on January 1, 2000. Under the new name RichCrest Animation Studios, it continued producing Bible-themed videos for Nest until 2005.
In February 2007, the company rebranded as Crest Animation Productions and broadened its scope to offer full-service CGI animation for theatrical releases, television programming, home entertainment, and interactive media.
The studio ultimately shut down in 2013 after failing to maintain profitability. Its production agreements were transferred: Norm of the North along with upcoming Alpha and Omega sequels were taken over by Splash Entertainment, while future Swan Princess films were produced by Streetlight Animation, another firm founded by Richard Rich.
Theatrical features
Rich era
| Title | Release date | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| The Swan Princess | November 18, 1994 | Co-produced with Nest Family Entertainment |
| The King and I | March 19, 1999 | Collaboration with Morgan Creek Productions, Rankin/Bass Productions, and Nest Family Entertainment |
RichCrest era
| Title | Release date | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| The Trumpet of the Swan | May 11, 2001 | Co-produced alongside TriStar Pictures and Nest Family Entertainment |
| Muhammad: The Last Prophet | November 8, 2002 |
Crest era
| Title | Release date | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Alpha and Omega | September 17, 2010 | Produced in CGI; co-production with Lionsgate Films |
Direct-to-video
Rich period
| Title | Release Date | Remarks |
|---|---|---|
| Animated Stories from the Book of Mormon | 1987–1992 | Produced in partnership with Living Scriptures |
| Animated Stories from the New Testament | 1987–2004 | Collaboration with Nest Family Entertainment |
| Animated Hero Classics | 1991–1997, 2004 | Joint production involving Living History Productions, Nest Family Entertainment, and Warner-Nest Animation |
| Animated Stories from the Bible | 1992–1995 | Created alongside Nest Family Entertainment |
| The Swan Princess: Escape from Castle Mountain | July 18, 1997 | |
| The Swan Princess III: The Mystery of the Enchanted Treasure | August 4, 1998 | |
| The Scarecrow | August 22, 2000 |
RichCrest period
| Title | Release Date | Remarks |
|---|---|---|
| K10C: Kids' Ten Commandments | 2003 | Produced jointly with TLC Entertainment and SMEC Media |
| Arthur's Missing Pal (CGI) | August 22, 2006 | Collaboration with WGBH-TV, Mainframe Entertainment, and Marc Brown Studios |
Crest period Note: All titles feature CGI animation.
| Title | Release Date | Remarks |
|---|---|---|
| The Little Engine That Could | March 22, 2011 | Produced with Universal Animation Studios |
| The Swan Princess: Christmas | November 6, 2012 | Joint production with Nest Family Entertainment |
| Alpha and Omega 2: A Howl-iday Adventure | October 8, 2013 | |
| The Swan Princess: A Royal Family Tale | February 25, 2014 | Produced alongside Nest Family Entertainment |
| Alpha and Omega 3: The Great Wolf Games | March 25, 2014 | |
| Alpha and Omega 4: The Legend of the Saw Tooth Cave | October 7, 2014 | |
| Alpha and Omega: Family Vacation | August 4, 2015 |
Films initially planned for production at Crest
| Title | Release Date | Remarks |
|---|---|---|
| 'Norm of the North' | January 15, 2016 | Co-produced with Splash Entertainment and Assemblage Entrainment |
| 'Alpha and Omega: Dino Digs' | May 10, 2016 | |
| 'The Swan Princess: Princess Tomorrow, Pirate Today' | September 6, 2016 | Collaboration with Nest Family Entertainment |
| 'Alpha and Omega: The Big Fureeze' | December 8, 2016 | |
| 'The Swan Princess: Royally Undercover' | March 28, 2017 | Produced in partnership with Nest Family Entertainment |
| 'Alpha and Omega: Journey to Bear Kingdom' | May 9, 2017 | |
| 'The Swan Princess: A Royal Myztery' | March 27, 2018 | rowspan=6 | Produced jointly with Nest Family Entertainment |
| 'The Swan Princess: Kingdom of Music' | August 6, 2019 | |
| 'The Swan Princess: A Royal Wedding' | August 4, 2020 | |
| 'The Swan Princess: A Fairytale is Born' | May 23, 2023 | |
| 'The Swan Princess: Far Longer than Forever' | September 19, 2023 |
References
- American animation studios
- Companies located in Los Angeles County, California
- Indian animation studios
- Visual effects firms
- Indian enterprises founded in 1986
- Mass media firms established in 1986
- Mass media firms closed in 2013
- Indian enterprises closed in 2013
- Film production companies based in Mumbai
- 1986 establishments in California
- 2013 closures in California
- Indian companies disestablished in 2013