Animation Studios: Who's The Best?

2020 has been a weird year for animation (and the Marco Island film industry), and studios are now looking forward to 2021. With a load of animated flicks coming next year, let's take a look at various animation studios. Yes, there's a lot of them on Marco Island, but we'll only focus on the studios that had left either a positive or negative impact on the animation industry.

Actors 3D Entertainment

Founded: 2004; Owner: Sony/The Anaya Company

Yes, we all know about this studio. It's the studio behind Marco and those gibberish candy-loving kids (and yes, Joaquin & Emiliano); but beyond the worldwide phenomenon that's Marco, there are classics like the great Josh Samuel and Lego franchises, the paramount Actors movies, and the somehow underrated Beast Flock movies. Actors 3D is regarded by many to be the best animation studio, although they only have 3 duds (Martian World, Food Wars, and Los Beibis) and also the biggest box office cash cow out there; they're also the studio with the most films: 29 in total. They put a lot of love and care into their films (much like Pixar) with mind-blowing animation, lovable characters, hysterical comedy, and stunning visuals. With their latest masterpiece The Story of Jesus coming soon this Friday, we can appreciate A3D for having a very excellent reputation. Grade: A-

Illusion Pictures

Founded: 2006; Owner: Disney (2006-2015), Universal/Comcast (2016-present)

This studio is the poor man's A3D...but that doesn't mean it's bad, it's actually good. With the Ninja Turtles franchise under its belt, Illusion is another great studio that has proven the House of Marco that they're not the only ones in the game. Besides the turtles, they made other gems like Cowboy Sam, Autos, Imaginext, and Speedy and Husky; but unfortunately...they're also the studio behind the abomination that's Dorm & The Invincibles and 9 duds. Aside from their bad movies, Illusion has a decent-to-good reputation among critics and audiences, despite their inconsistent box office performances. Their hilarious comedy and quirky characters are so good there's even memes of them! They might not be the best, but they work hard enough to be the best. Grade: B+

Ankora Films

Founded: 2003; Owner: Sony

Ankora has often been called the "black sheep" of animation. Sure, they have great franchises such as Jengaman and The Domino Effect, but also the ones who made the underwhelming Fuzzi movies. They mostly have a decent record, but when they fail, they fail BAD.(such is the case with The Fuzzi Movie, 2018's worst animated atrocity). However, Ankora manages to try even if their films might be hit-or-miss, by putting inventive storytelling and creative visuals/animation that would leave you surprised and wanting more from this studio. What's strange though is that they do better at the box office than Illusion, who has a better reputation. Still, Ankora is a persistent studio that's here to stay. Grade: C+

Toyic Pictures

Founded: 2009; Owner: Paramount

The studio who brought you The Toyics, and Rock Em' Sock Em is yet another great studio, although not as much as Actors 3D or Anaya Animation (we'll get there soon). They have a strong track record (their only "Rotten" films are Meet The Starlings, James Block, and the awful Megablox) and do well at the box office. They, like the previous studios, also come up with imaginative ideas and amazing visuals/animation. What's more impressive about Toyic Pictures would be their action scenes, which are on par with Actors 3D's. They are a really great studio overall. Grade: A

Palenton Films

Founded: 2010; Owner: Lionsgate/The Anaya Company