History Creator / BlueSkyStudios

* AssociatedComposer: Creator/JohnPowell has composed the scores for the majority of the studio’s movies. The only movies not scored by him are ''WesternAnimation/IceAge'', ''WesternAnimation/{{Epic|2013}}'', ''WesternAnimation/ThePeanutsMovie'', ''WesternAnimation/IceAgeCollisionCourse'', and ''WesternAnimation/SpiesInDisguise''.

Once upon a time, there was a little Elmsford, New York-based studio called MAGI/Synthavision. In 1987, having completed some of the effects on the ground-breaking Creator/{{Disney}} film ''Film/{{Tron}}'' and some CG animation for commercials, an employee named Chris Wedge gathered a bunch of his co-workers and formed a studio of his own. They produced some effects for live-action films like ''Film/JoesApartment'', ''Film/FightClub'' and ''Film/AlienResurrection'', along with their first short film ''Bunny'', which Wedge directed. In the wake of the CG cartoon movement (Creator/{{Pixar}} had released ''WesternAnimation/ABugsLife'' a year before ''Bunny'' was awarded Best Animated Short in the Oscars), the studio just happened to be bought by [[Creator/TwentiethCenturyStudios 20th Century Fox]] to help fish them out of their failing 2-D feature animation unit. And the rest was [[WesternAnimation/IceAge prehistory]].

Following [[Creator/{{Disney}} The Walt Disney Company]]'s acquisition of Fox, questions arose concerning Blue Sky Studios' continued existence considering the company didn't need another animation studio with its juggernauts in [[Franchise/DisneyAnimatedCanon Walt Disney Animation Studios]] and Creator/{{Pixar}}, and considering Blue Sky's own history of mixed critical reception, combined with the declining popularity of their FlagshipFranchise. The underperformance of ''WesternAnimation/SpiesInDisguise'', along with the UsefulNotes/Covid19Pandemic leading to an industry-wide shutdown for months, plus warning signs later emerging when the announcement of the spin-off ''WesternAnimation/TheIceAgeAdventuresOfBuckWild'' lacked any visible references of the Blue Sky name and brand, only added to further uncertainty.

[[caption-width-right:350:[[Music/ElectricLightOrchestra Hey there, Mr. Blue.]]]]

Once upon a time, there was a little Elmsford, New York-based studio called MAGI/Synthavision. In 1987, having completed some of the effects on the ground-breaking Creator/{{Disney}} film ''Film/{{Tron}}'' and some CG animation for commercials, an employee named Chris Wedge gathered a bunch of his co-workers and formed a studio of his own. They produced some effects for live-action films like ''Film/JoesApartment'', ''Film/FightClub'' and ''Film/AlienResurrection'', along with their first short film ''Bunny'', which Wedge directed. In the wake of the CG cartoon movement (Creator/{{Pixar}} had released ''WesternAnimation/ABugsLife'' a year before ''Bunny'' was awarded Best Animated Short in the Oscars), the studio just happened to be bought by [[Creator/TwentiethCenturyStudios Twentieth Century Fox]] to help fish them out of their failing 2-D feature animation unit. And the rest was [[WesternAnimation/IceAge prehistory]].

On February 9, 2021, what many saw as inevitable happened: Disney announced that the studio would cease operations by April, with all intellectual properties being absorbed into the parent studio. Some employees of the studio managed to be relocated to other divisions within Disney, while most of its upcoming slate was shelved. The studio was officially shut down on April 7 (a week before the exact 10th anniversary of their film ''WesternAnimation/{{Rio}}'' no less), and production of ''The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild'' was announced to be outsourced to Creator/BardelEntertainment. The studio's final completed project, the Creator/DisneyPlus series of shorts ''Ice Age: Scrat Tales'', was released in April 13, 2022, a year after Blue Sky's shuttering.

Once upon a time, there was a little Elmsford, New York-based studio called MAGI/Synthavision. In 1987, having completed some of the effects on the ground-breaking Creator/{{Disney}} film ''Film/{{Tron}}'' and some CG animation for commercials, an employee named Chris Wedge gathered a bunch of his co-workers and formed a studio of his own. They produced some effects for live-action films like ''Film/JoesApartment'', ''Film/FightClub'' and ''Film/AlienResurrection'', along with their first short film ''Bunny'', which Wedge directed. In the wake of the CG cartoon movement (Creator/{{Pixar}} had released ''WesternAnimation/ABugsLife'' a year before ''Bunny'' was awarded Best Animated Short in the Oscars), the studio just happened to be bought by [[Creator/{{TwentiethCenturyStudios}}
Twentieth Century Fox]] to help fish them out of their failing 2-D feature animation unit. And the rest was [[WesternAnimation/IceAge prehistory]].

** An adaptation of Creator/NDStevenson’s webcomic ''WebComic/{{Nimona}}'' was well into production at the time the studio's closure was announced, but was cancelled, leaving it to eventually be picked up by other studios and distributors.

Once upon a time, there was a little Elmsford, New York-based studio called MAGI/Synthavision. In 1987, having completed some of the effects on the ground-breaking Creator/{{Disney}} film ''Film/{{Tron}}'' and some CG animation for commercials, an employee named Chris Wedge gathered a bunch of his co-workers and formed a studio of his own. They produced some effects for live-action films like ''Film/JoesApartment'', ''Film/FightClub'' and ''Film/AlienResurrection'', along with their first short film ''Bunny'', which Wedge directed. In the wake of the CG cartoon movement (Creator/{{Pixar}} had released ''WesternAnimation/ABugsLife'' a year before ''Bunny'' was awarded Best Animated Short in the Oscars), the studio just happened to be bought by Creator/TwentiethCenturyFox to help fish them out of their failing 2-D feature animation unit. And the rest was [[WesternAnimation/IceAge prehistory]].

Following [[Creator/{{Disney}} The Walt Disney Company]]'s acquisition of 20th Century Fox, questions arose concerning Blue Sky Studios' continued existence considering the company didn't need another animation studio with its juggernauts in [[Franchise/DisneyAnimatedCanon Walt Disney Animation Studios]] and Creator/{{Pixar}}, and considering Blue Sky's own history of mixed critical reception, combined with the declining popularity of their FlagshipFranchise. The underperformance of ''WesternAnimation/SpiesInDisguise'', along with the UsefulNotes/Covid19Pandemic leading to an industry-wide shutdown for months, plus warning signs later emerging when the announcement of the spin-off ''WesternAnimation/TheIceAgeAdventuresOfBuckWild'' lacked any visible references of the Blue Sky name and brand, only added to further uncertainty.

''WesternAnimation/IceAge'' was the film that made Blue Sky Studios a major competitor in the animated feature film industry, and they released around one new animated film every two years over the next couple of decades. Their existence also helped boost the morale in the pretty dismal animation circle of the northeast United States, as they were the ''only feature animation studio'' in the region, having been originally located in White Plains, New York before moving under a mile across the state border to Greenwich, Connecticut in 2009 [[MoneyDearBoy for the tax breaks.]] They were notable for being one of the first studios to use raytrace rendering in feature films. They were also known for using more naturalistic lighting design than other studios, depending completely on sculpture maquettes to create the 3D forms of their characters, and utilizing cartoon squash-and-stretch more frequently in their later features. Chris Wedge directed the studio's first two films, and continued to executive produce many of their later ones.

''WesternAnimation/IceAge'' was the film that made Blue Sky Studios a major competitor in the animated feature film industry, and they have released around one new animated film every two years since. Their existence also helped boost the morale in the pretty dismal animation circle of the northeast United States, as they were the ''only feature animation studio'' in the region, having been originally located in White Plains, New York before moving under a mile across the state border to Greenwich, Connecticut in 2009 [[MoneyDearBoy for the tax breaks.]] They were notable for being one of the first studios to use raytrace rendering in feature films. They were also known for using more naturalistic lighting design than other studios, depending completely on sculpture maquettes to create the 3D forms of their characters, and utilizing cartoon squash-and-stretch more frequently in their later features. Chris Wedge directed the studio's first two films, and continued to executive produce many of their later ones.

[[caption-width-right:350:Just don't look at the sun too long.]]

** ''Left Tern'', a failed animated movie pitched described as "''Film/HomeAlone'' with Birds". It may or may not have been re-worked into ''Rio''.

* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: The ''Bunny'' short and the first ''WesternAnimation/IceAge'' film are both far more somber and moody than much of their later work, which [[FollowTheLeader tends to follow]] the snarky, pop-culture heavy comedy style that was popularized by Creator/DreamWorksAnimation in the early 2000s. ''WesternAnimation/{{Epic}}'' and ''WesternAnimation/ThePeanutsMovie'' are exceptions. ''Nimona'' presumably also would have been a exception as well if it wasn't cancelled.

** Originally, the first Blue Sky feature was meant to be a film called ''Santa Calls'' based on the children's book by William Joyce, but due to [[TroubledProduction production problems]] the project was scrapped, so ''WesternAnimation/IceAge'' became their first animated feature instead. This was before they would work with Joyce again on ''WesternAnimation/{{Robots}}'' and to adapt ''The Leaf Men'' into ''WesternAnimation/{{Epic}}'' in 2013.

** ''WesternAnimation/{{Rio 2}}'' (2014)
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Epic}}'' (2013)

* BookEnds: Their first major project was ''WesternAnimation/IceAge'' and began with Scrat trying to get his beloved acorn. After the studio closed, the creators uploaded a short on Twitter in 2022 in which Scrat finds the acorn once more but, rather then try to bury it as usual, he just eats it and goes on his way. The creators stating they made the short in the final days before Disney's liquidation as a way of going out on their own terms.

* CashCowFranchise: ''WesternAnimation/IceAge'' was the breakout hit that helped keep the relatively young studio afloat, mostly through a very lucrative foreign market. This resulted in 4 sequels being produced. ''WesternAnimation/{{Rio}}'' was on its way to becoming one [[StillbornFranchise before the diminishing returns of the second film stopped any future sequels from being made]].

* BookEnds: Their first major project was ''WesternAnimation/IceAge'' and began with Scrat trying to get his beloved acorn. After the studio closed, the creators uploaded a short on Twitter in 2022 in which Scrat finds the acorn once more but, rather then try to bury it as usual, he just eats it and goes on his way. The creators stating they made the short in the final days before Disney's liquidation as a way of going out on their terms.

** ''Ice Age: Scrat Tales'' (2022)

* ''WesternAnimation/IceAgeScratTales'' (2022)

On February 9, 2021, what many saw as inevitable happened: Disney announced that the studio would cease operations by April, with all intellectual properties being absorbed into the parent studio. Some employees of the studio managed to be relocated to other divisions within Disney, while most of its upcoming slate was shelved. The studio was officially shut down on April 7 (a week before the exact 10th anniversary of their film ''WesternAnimation/{{Rio))'' no less), and production of ''The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild'' was announced to be outsourced to Creator/BardelEntertainment. The studio's final completed project, the Creator/DisneyPlus series of shorts ''Ice Age: Scrat Tales'', was released in April 13, 2022, a year after Blue Sky's shuttering.

On February 9, 2021, what many saw as inevitable happened: Disney announced that the studio would cease operations by April, with all intellectual properties being absorbed into the parent studio. Some employees of the studio managed to be relocated to other divisions within Disney, while most of its upcoming slate was shelved. The studio was officially shut down on April 7 (a week before the exact 10th anniversary of their film ''Rio'' no less), and production of ''The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild'' was announced to be outsourced to Creator/BardelEntertainment. The studio's final completed project, the Creator/DisneyPlus series of shorts ''Ice Age: Scrat Tales'', was released in April 13, 2022, a year after Blue Sky's shuttering.

!!Films made by Blue Sky Studios:

* PluckyComicRelief: At least one in every film they've done, with WesternAnimation/IceAge's Scrat becoming the studio's mascot.

** In September 2003, 20th Century Fox and Blue Sky Studios planned to adapt Tony Johnson and Mark Teague's children's book ''The Iguana Brothers: A Tale of Two Lizards'' into an animated film.
** Alienology, A animated adaptation of the [[Literature/OlogySeries Ology book series]] planned for release in 2012.

On February 9, 2021, what many saw as inevitable happened: Disney announced that the studio would cease operations by April, with all intellectual properties being absorbed into the parent studio. Some employees of the studio managed to be relocated to other divisions within Disney, while most of its upcoming slate was shelved. The studio was officially shut down on April 7 (a week before the exact 10th anniversary of their film ''Rio'' no less), and production of ''The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild'' was announced to be outsourced to Creator/BardelEntertainment. The studio's final completed project, the Creator/DisneyPlus series of shorts ''Ice Age: Scrat Tales'', is set for release in April 13, 2022, a year after Blue Sky's shuttering.

** An adaptation of Creator/NDStevenson’s webcomic ''WebComic/{{Nimona}}'' was well into production at the time the studio's closure was announced, but was cancelled, leaving it to eventually be piked up by other studios and distributors.

* ScrewedByTheNetwork: Some see their closure by Disney as this -- mostly for the fate of ''Webcomic/{{Nimona}}'', cancelled despite being less than a year from completion.

** An adaptation of Creator/NDStevenson’s webcomic ''WebComic/{{Nimona}}'' was well into production at the time the studio's closure was announced, but was cancelled.

* ''Nimona'': Based on the webcomic/graphic novel [[{{WebComic/Nimona}} of the same name]]. Production shuttered after the announcement of the studio's disbandment.

On February 9, 2021, what many saw as inevitable happened: Disney announced that the studio would cease operations by April, with all intellectual properties being absorbed into the parent studio. Some employees of the studio managed to be relocated to other divisions within Disney, while most of its upcoming slate was shelved. The studio was officially shut down on April 7 (a week before the exact 10th anniversary of their film ''Rio'' no less), and production of ''The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild'' was announced to be outsourced to Creator/BardelEntertainment. The studio's final completed project, the Creator/DisneyPlus series of shorts ''Ice Age: Scrat Tales'', is set for release in April 2022, a year after Blue Sky's shuttering.

** An adaptation of [[Creator/NoelleStevenson ND Stevenson]]’s webcomic ''WebComic/{{Nimona}}'' was well into production at the time the studio's closure was announced, but was cancelled.

On February 9, 2021, what many saw as inevitable happened: Disney announced that the studio would cease operations by April, with all intellectual properties being absorbed into the parent studio. Some employees of the studio managed to be relocated to other divisions within Disney, while most of its upcoming slate was shelved. The studio was officially shut down on April 7 (a week before the exact 10th anniversary of their film ''Rio'' no less), and production of ''The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild'' was announced to be outsourced to Creator/BardelEntertainment.