Rough Draft Studios
| File:Rough Draft Studios logo.png | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Hand-drawn animation Television production |
| Founded | March 20, 1991 in Van Nuys, Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Founder | Gregg Vanzo Nikki Vanzo |
| Headquarters | 615 Allen Avenue Glendale, California 91201, U.S. |
Key people |
|
| Divisions | Rough Draft Korea Rough Draft Feature Animation |
| Website | roughdraftstudios |
Rough Draft Studios, Inc. operates as a U.S.-based animation production company with its main office located in Glendale, California. It maintains an affiliated studio named Rough Draft Korea situated in Seoul, South Korea. Established in 1991 by founders Gregg Vanzo and Nikki Vanzo in Van Nuys, Los Angeles, the firm has become a prominent player within the animation sector.
The studio and its branches specialize in creating specials, commercials, and direct-to-video projects for leading industry clients such as Warner Bros. Animation, Cartoon Network Studios, 20th Television Animation, MTV Animation, Film Roman, Disney Television Animation, and Nickelodeon Animation Studio.
Origins
Rough Draft Studios was launched by Gregg and Nikki Vanzo from a garage in Van Nuys. The idea to outsource animation tasks to Korea originated from Nikki during her work on The Ren & Stimpy Show. This strategy resulted in the formation of Rough Draft Korea, which remains under Nikki’s management.
Business Expansion
After initial contributions to The Ren & Stimpy Show, Rough Draft Korea broadened its client base. In 1992, Rough Draft Studios took part in animating its first feature film, FernGully: The Last Rainforest, and commenced work on The Simpsons. By 1993, the studio had engaged with Beavis and Butt-Head and brought Scott Vanzo, Gregg’s brother, onboard as CTO. The company’s project lineup expanded with titles like The Maxx (1995), which secured an Annie Award nomination. During the mid-1990s, executives Claudia Katz (EVP) and Rich Moore joined the team, bolstering leadership amid the animation industry's late-’90s surge. In 1995, the organization relocated to Glendale, California to accommodate its growth.
Technological Innovation
Rough Draft Studios is noted for integrating traditional 2-D animation with modern techniques such as computer animation and non-photorealistic rendering. These methods were initially utilized on The Maxx and subsequently applied to projects by Matt Groening, including Futurama, The Simpsons Movie, selected episodes of The Simpsons after the film’s release, and Disenchantment.
Rough Draft Studios
A majority of the projects produced by Rough Draft Studios, Inc., located in Glendale, California, are animated internationally through its affiliate, Rough Draft Korea Co., Ltd., based in Seoul, South Korea.
TV series
Films/specials
| Title | Release Year | Client | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | |||
| The Thief and the Cobbler | 1992 | The Completion Bond Company | Ink-and-paint work |
| RoboCop 3 | 1993 | Orion Pictures | Animated segment for "Johnny Rehab" commercial |
| 2000s | |||
| The Whizzard of Ow | 2003 | Warner Bros. Animation | Theatrical short film |
| Duck Dodgers: Attack of the Drones | 2004 | Theatrical short Produced in 2003 | |
| Futurama: Bender's Big Score | 2007 | The Curiosity Company 20th Century Fox Television |
Direct-to-video release |
| Futurama: The Beast with a Billion Backs | 2008 | ||
| Futurama: Bender's Game | |||
| The Pink Panther 2 | 2009 | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Columbia Pictures |
Opening title sequence only |
| Futurama: Into the Wild Green Yonder | The Curiosity Company 20th Century Fox Television |
Direct-to-video format | |
| 2010s | |||
| How Murray Saved Christmas | 2014 | Universal Television | Television special |
| 2020s | |||
| King Star King!/!/!/ | 2023 | Williams Street | TV special presentation |
Additional Contributions
- The Simpsons - Animated music video for "Deep, Deep Trouble" (overseas animation by Anivision)
- MADtv - Animated segments featuring Spy vs. Spy
- 2003 commercials for Wendy's ("Go Wild") and Sprint (“Duck Naked”) showcasing Looney Tunes characters to promote Looney Tunes: Back in Action
- 59th Primetime Emmy Awards - Opening performance with Brian Griffin and Stewie Griffin
- Gravity Falls - "Weirdmageddon 3: Take Back The Falls" episode (ShackTron CG animation)
- Futurama: Worlds of Tomorrow
- DuckTales - "Moonvasion!" episode (additional animation)
Rough Draft Korea
Rough Draft Korea, the affiliate studio located in Seoul, South Korea, contributes to Rough Draft Studios' worldwide projects by delivering animation for a wide range of series, feature films, and specials:
Television Series
| Series | Year(s) | Production Clients | Remarks | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | ||||
| The Ren & Stimpy Show | 1992–1995 | Spümcø, Games Animation | ||
| The Simpsons | 1992–present | Gracie Films, Film Roman (1992–2016), 20th Television Animation (2016–present) | From season 4 onward | |
| Beavis and Butt-Head | 1993–1997; 2011 | MTV Animation | ||
| The Critic | 1994–1995 | Gracie Films, Film Roman | ||
| The Brothers Grunt | 1994–1995 | A.k.a. Cartoon | ||
| Timon & Pumbaa | 1995 | Walt Disney Television Animation | Produced 8 shorts | |
| [[Eek! The Cat#Eek! Stravaganza | Eek! Stravaganza]], Klutter!, and The Twisted Tales of Felix the Cat | mid-1990s | Film Roman | |
| The Nanny | 1995 | TriStar Television | Episode "Oy to the World" | |
| Rocko's Modern Life | 1996 | Joe Murray Productions, Games Animation with Sunwoo Entertainment | Only season 4 | |
| Dexter's Laboratory | 1996–1999; 2001–2003 | Hanna-Barbera (96-98), Cartoon Network Studios (01-03) | ||
| Pinky and the Brain, Jumanji, and others' | mid-late '90s | Various clients including Warner Bros. Animation, Adelaide Productions, Cartoon Network Studios | ||
| 2000s | ||||
Notable projects include:
| ||||
| 2010s | ||||
Key projects encompass:
| ||||
| 2020s | ||||
Recent contributions:
| ||||
Films and Specials
}External links
- Pages with broken file links
- Rough Draft Studios
- 1991 establishments in California
- American companies established in 1991
- American animation studios
- Companies based in Glendale, California
- Companies based in Seoul
- Entertainment companies of South Korea
- Entertainment companies of the United States
- Mass media companies established in 1991
- Privately held companies based in California
- South Korean animation studios
- Adult animation studios
- 5
- Companies of the United States by year of establishment