Founder and former CEO Larry Schwarz has re-purchased Animation Collective—along with its subsidiaries, IP assets and kids programming library—from Handmade Films.
New York-based Animation Collective is behind Nickelodeon’s first and second global acquisitions, Kappa Mikey and Three Delivery, respectively, as well as Thumb Wrestling Federation for Cartoon Network US and CBBC, and Ellen’s Acres for Cartoon Network worldwide. The company was also the largest provider of original content to KOL and Red, America Online’s former kids and teen sites.
Founded by George Harrison of The Beatles in 1979, British film production and distribution company Handmade Films purchased Animation Collective in October 2009. Schwarz stayed on as head of Handmade’s kids division and the president of Handmade Films USA before leaving to create Larry Schwarz and His Band, which produced Alien Dawn for Nickelodeon and Team Toon, a Netflix Original.
Following the sale, Handmade will focus on different demographic as well as its classic titles The Long Good Friday, Withnail and I, and Time Bandits.