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Creator / WildBrain

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https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/wildbrain_2.png
Current WildBrain logo.
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/300px_dhx_media_logosvg.png
As DHX Media.

WildBrain Ltd. is a Canadian children's entertainment company, formerly known as DHX Media. It is headquartered in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

The WildBrain name dates back to 1994 in San Francisco, when John Hays, Phil Robinson, and Jeff Fino began with animating computer games, and later TV animation.

DHX was founded in 2006 by the merger of two pre-existing companies, Decode Entertainment (known for Undergrads and Angela Anaconda) and Halifax Film Company (of This Hour Has 22 Minutes and Animal Mechanicals fame), hence the abbreviation. DHX is best known in the United States as the company responsible for My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, which was animated at its studio (formerly Studio B Productions, aka the creators of Yvon of the Yukon and Kid vs. Kat, which they acquired in 2007) in Vancouver. Its other series include Littlest Pet Shop (2012) and Sheriff Callie's Wild West. In 2012, the company acquired fellow Canadian company Cookie Jar Entertainment, giving them access to its extensive library of children's content (such as Johnny Test), including that of its predecessor CINAR (including Caillou) and DiC Entertainment (like Inspector Gadget).

Other acquisitions have included Epitome Pictures (producers of Degrassi) and competing Vancouver studio Nerd Corps Entertainment (Storm Hawks, League of Super Evil) (which was merged with Studio B Productions), the Strawberry Shortcake franchise, 41% of the Peanuts property (SMEJ owns 39%, while the Charles Schulz estate owns the remaining 20%), and the library of British company Ragdoll Productions (known for Teletubbies and In the Night Garden...).

In 2013, DHX bought Astral Media's youth channels: Family Channel, and the Canadian versions of Disney Junior (both an English-language multiplex of Family and standalone French-language specialty channel), and Disney XD. They were re-organized into the newly-formed DHX Television division. In 2015, DHX decided to not renew their rights to Disney's children's programming (which were later picked up by Corus Entertainment, owners of Teletoon, YTV, and Nelvana). As a result, Disney Junior's English & French channels and Disney XD were re-named Family Jr., Télémagino, and Family CHRGD. CHRGD would later be re-named again to WildBrainTV in March 2022. Most of their properties air on these channels in Canada, although historically Teletoon, YTV, and CBC Kids have aired many of their shows.

In September 2019, the company rebranded as WildBrain, after W!ldBrain Entertainment (the creators of Yo Gabba Gabba! and Bubble Guppies), which DHX had acquired back in 2010 or the UK-based digital multi-channel network of the same name. That same year, the company sold its Halifax studio (and the rights to 22 Minutes) to IoM Media Ventures (Island of Misfits). In February 2022, WildBrain acquired the distribution rights to Jay Ward Productions' animated library (Rocky and Bullwinkle, Mr. Peabody & Sherman, Dudley Do-Right, George of the Jungle), announcing plans for new series based on these properties. Also in 2022, the company acquired distribution rights to Jungle Beat and Life with Derek. The following year, the company purchased their longtime pre-production partner House of Cool.

Notable television productions from DHX/WildBrain:

Tropes associated with WildBrain:

  • Animation Bump: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic keeps increasing the quality every season, and is considered an exceptional standout of Flash animation.
  • Creator's Oddball:
    • You normally wouldn’t associate WildBrain producing shows like This Hour Has 22 Minutes or Letterkenny, both of which are not made for children at all, especially the latter.
  • Domestic-Only Cartoon: WildBrain Studios does their own animation for shows, and occasionally outsources their production to other companies. With Top Draw being a regular production partner for their 2D efforts.
  • What Could Have Been: They wanted to do an animated reboot of H.R. Pufnstuf during the 2000s, even managing to develop a significant amount of production art and the approval of the Krofffts themselves. Unfortunately, they were unable to get the rights to the characters, causing the project to fall through.

Alternative Title(s): DHX Media

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