Marvel Productions

Marvel Productions Ltd. (MP), last called New World Animation, was a television and film studio subsidiary of Marvel Entertainment Group (MEG), based in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, then New World Entertainment and News Corporation/Fox. Originally an animation studio, Marvel produced such notable television shows, motion pictures and television specials such as Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends, The Transformers: The Movie, The Incredible Hulk and G.I. Joe: The Movie. Most productions of Marvel Productions are now owned by The Walt Disney Company, with the several exceptions.

DePatie-Freleng Enterprises (1963–1980)
The company began in 1963 as DFE Films and was sold to Cadence Industries, Marvel Comics Group's owner, in 1980 after DFE founder and company executive Friz Freleng departed the company to return to his former job at Warner Bros. Animation. Freleng's business partner and DFE co-founder David H. DePatie continued to work for the company under the Marvel banner for several years until his retirement.

Marvel Productions (1980–1993)
Marvel Productions opened its Los Angeles studio in 1980. In 1984, Margaret Loesch joined Marvel Productions as President and Chief Executive Officer. MCG was owned from 1968 by Cadence Industries Corporation and was incorporate as Marvel Entertainment Group (MEG) and sold in 1986 to New World Pictures. With New World have cash flow problems, MEG was sold in January 1989 to Andrews Group, a MacAndrews and Forbes subsidiary, owned by Ronald Perelman. However, Marvel Productions was merged into New World's television business. MP moved their offices from Van Nuys to West Los Angeles in May 1989. New World's problems continued which lead them to also be acquired by the Andrews Group within the year. Loesch left for Fox Kids in 1990.

New World Animation (1993–1996)
Marvel Productions became New World Animation by 1993 as Marvel and New World started up Marvel Films including Marvel Films Animation. New World Animation (The Incredible Hulk), Saban (X-Men), and Marvel Films Animation (Spider-Man (1994 TV series)) each produced a Marvel series for television. Tom Tataranowicz was in charge of production and development, studio chief and executive producer during its New World Animation period.

New World Animation and Marvel Films Animation was sold along with the rest of New World by Andrews Group to News Corporation/Fox as announced in August 1996.

Film catalog ownership
In 1996, Fox Children's Productions merged with Saban Entertainment to form Fox Kids Worldwide bring the Marvel Productions and Marvel Films Animations library. With The Walt Disney Company's purchase of Fox Family in 2001, the Saban/Fox Kids library including the Marvel Production library  As a result, Disney now holds the home video and broadcast rights to virtually all Marvel animated programs produced during the 1980s and 1990s, as well as all Marvel series produced by predecessor company DePatie-Freleng (the 1978 Fantastic Four revival and Spider-Woman) and Grantray-Lawrence Animation (The Marvel Super Heroes and the 1967 Spider-Man series). Disney, via their ownership of the Muppets franchise, also owns the Muppet-related programs which were co-produced with Jim Henson Productions.

The only exceptions are:
 * The shows produced by Hanna-Barbera (the 1967 Fantastic Four series and The Thing's 1979 spin-off), which are under Time Warner's control.
 * Programming involving characters and trademarks owned by other companies (such as programming based on properties held by Hasbro and others).

On December 31, 2009, Disney acquired Marvel Entertainment for $4 billion, reunifying the two film libraries under the same corporate banner.

Marvel Properties

 * Spider-Man (1981)
 * Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends (1981)
 * The Incredible Hulk (1982)
 * X-Men: Pryde of the X-Men (1989, aired on the Marvel Action Universe block)
 * Spider-Man: The Animated Series (1994-1998)
 * as New World Animation
 * Fantastic Four (1994, aired on the Marvel Action Hour/Marvel Action Universe block)
 * Iron Man (1994, aired on the Marvel Action Hour/Marvel Action Universe block)
 * The Incredible Hulk (1996)
 * as Saban Productions
 * X-Men: The Animated Series (1992-1997)

Henson Properties

 * Note: All programs are co-productions with Henson Associates, eventually doing business as Jim Henson Productions. Except where noted, the rights to these series are now held by The Muppets Studio, LLC, a subsidiary of the Walt Disney Company.


 * Jim Henson's Muppet Babies (1984)
 * Jim Henson's Little Muppet Monsters (Animated segments, 1985)
 * Fraggle Rock (1987, Fraggle Rock was not included in the February 2004 Henson sale of the rights and ownership of the Muppets and the Bear in the Big Blue House characters to Disney. )

Hasbro Properties

 * Note: All programs based on Hasbro properties are co-productions with Sunbow Productions. These programs are currently owned by Hasbro.


 * The Charmkins (1983)
 * The Transformers (1984)
 * G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero (1985)
 * Super Sunday (aka Super Saturday) (1985, featuring Jem, Inhumanoids, Robotix, and Bigfoot and the Muscle Machines)
 * Jem (1986)
 * Inhumanoids (1986)
 * My Little Pony: Rescue at Midnight Castle (1984)
 * My Little Pony: Escape from Catrina (1985)
 * My Little Pony and Friends (1986) (Including Glo Friends, MoonDreamers and Potato Head Kids as well as My Little Pony)
 * My Little Pony: The Movie (1986)
 * The Transformers: The Movie (1986)
 * G.I. Joe: The Movie (1987)

Other licensed properties
For a more complete list see Saban Entertainment.
 * The Pink Panther in: Pink at First Sight (1981, co-production with Mirisch-Geoffrey-DePatie-Freleng and United Artists)
 * The Grinch Grinches the Cat in the Hat (1982, co-production with DePatie-Freleng Enterprises (in name only) and Dr. Seuss)
 * Meatballs and Spaghetti (1982, co-production with InterMedia Entertainment)
 * Pandamonium (1982, co-production with InterMedia Entertainment)
 * Dungeons & Dragons (1983, co-production with TSR Hobbies, Inc.)
 * Gallavants (1984)
 * Defenders of the Earth (1986, co-production with King Features Syndicate)
 * The Little Wizards (1987)
 * Dino Riders (1988, aired as part of Marvel Action Universe)
 * RoboCop (1988, co-production with Orion Pictures; aired as part of Marvel Action Universe)
 * Rude Dog and the Dweebs (1989)
 * Attack of the Killer Tomatoes (1990, co-production with Fox Children's Productions)
 * Kid 'n Play (1990–1991, co-production with Saban Entertainment)
 * Space Cats (1991, co-production with Paul Fusco Productions)
 * Biker Mice from Mars (1993 (New World Family Filmworks would assume production), co-production with Brentwood Television Funnies)

Executives

 * David H. DePatie - President and Chief Executive Officer (1981–1984)
 * Margaret Loesch - President and Chief Executive Officer (1984 -1990 )
 * Lee Gunther - senior vice-president, production (1986)
 * Stan Lee - vice-president, creative affairs (1986)
 * Michael Wahl - vice-president, business affairs (1986)
 * Peter Knepper - vice-president & chief financial officer (1986)
 * Hank Sarovan - vice-president (1986)