Beautiful Virgin Islands

Tuesday, Jun 03, 2025

Disney faces competition as streaming giants ramp up animation production

Disney faces competition as streaming giants ramp up animation production

Netflix, HBO Max, Amazon Prime, Paramount+ seek foothold in other forms of film and TV production
Tinseltown has gone animation crazy in the wake of the pandemic, which has stalled live action production and accelerated demand for family-friendly content that can be streamed at home.

Studios are now plowing money into making cartoons like never before — despite knowing that toppling the creator of Mickey Mouse and “Frozen” will be tricky, if not impossible, sources said.

“All the streamers wanted animated shows to brand their networks, but the pandemic has made it even more so. Everyone is doubling down,” said Titmouse founder and president Chris Prynoski, who has worked on shows like MTV’s “Beavis and Butthead” and Nickelodeon’s “Baby Shark’s Big Show!”

Animation deals are “exploding,” added a dealmaker with a top Hollywood agency who has also seen budgets for animated content balloon. Before the rise of streaming, animated budgets were between $350,000 and $750,000 per episode. Now, some shows have budgets of over $5 million, said the source.

Netflix has made no bones about its efforts to challenge Disney in the animation space. “We’re very fired up about catching them [Disney] in family animation — maybe eventually passing them, we’ll see, a long way to go just to catch them — and maintaining our lead in general entertainment that’s so stimulating,” Netflix founder and co-Chief Executive Officer Reed Hastings said in January.

But it’s not just Netflix that’s eager to chip away at Disney’s market share. HBO Max, Paramount+ and Amazon Prime Video, just to name a few, have also jumped headlong into race as the pandemic strangles other forms of film and TV production.

And it’s a trend that’s expected to last for years to come — even after the pandemic ends — as Hollywood studios vie for family-friendly material to help them win the streaming wars.

“I think it’s going to be a really interesting next couple of years in the animation industry,” said Sam Register, president of Warner Bros. Animation and Cartoon Network studios. “We all have great content. We all have great IP [intellectual property]. We all have studios. I don’t think any one company is absolutely a projected dominant player in this space.”

But experts see the Bob Chapek-led Disney maintaining its perch, thanks to the decades it’s spent building its library of animated content and intellectual property, as well as its solid reputation for providing family entertainment.

“Disney has that platinum brand,” said media analyst Michael Nathanson of MoffettNathanson. “Even if there’s a little bit of share loss” it will stay on top, he predicted.

“For the other products, HBO Max, Paramount+, you have to convince people, who are new to those brands, that those brands stand for kids entertainment,” he said.

There’s more room to compete in adult animation, Nathanson added.

It’s one reason AT&T’s new streaming service HBO Max — buttressed by its Warner Bros. studio — paid over $500 million for the streaming rights to raunchy cartoon “South Park” ahead of its May 2020 launch.

This year, the studio run by Jason Kilar’s WarnerMedia also scored a family-friendly animated hit with its “Tom & Jerry” movie starring Chloe Grace Moretz, which debuted in cinemas and on HBO Max simultaneously last month. The comedy, based on the 1940 cartoon, raked in $13.7 million on opening weekend — the best domestic opening of the year.

Warner, which created new episodes of “Looney Tunes” for HBO Max last year, is also slated to debut “Gremlins,” an animated prequel based on the 1984 film, later this year.

Amazon also went the adult route with its first original animation series “Undone,” about life after almost dying, in 2019. And in March it will debut the adult animated series “Invisible” by “The Walking Dead” creator Robert Kirkman.

The Jeff Bezos-led streamer has also invested in a slew of children’s programs, including “Pete the Cat” and “Lost in Oz,” as well as licensed shows like “Dora the Explorer” and “SpongeBob SquarePants.”

Netflix, which launched its animation studio in 2018, has made the biggest strides by far in both family and adult animation. On the adult side, it has hits like “Big Mouth” about an awkward teen, and “BoJack Horseman” about a washed up Hollywood horse.

For kids, Netflix last year released “The Willoughbys,” about four siblings featuring the voices of Ricky Gervais and Alessia Cara, as well as animated musical “Over the Moon,” which was directed by Glen Keane, a legendary ex-Disney animator.

The streaming giant has also invested an estimated $1 billion for rights to bring Roald Dahl’s works to life in animated form.

“It feels like we’re in the golden age of animation here at Netflix,” head of animation, Melissa Cobb, told The Post. “In a few short years we’ve created a one-of-a-kind studio, one that is breaking down the walls creators face, like a house style, language or borders.”

But even Netflix isn’t predicted to topple Disney anytime soon. “I do not think Netflix will pass Disney, but Netflix has a great track record and I expect them to have some major hits,” said Jeff Wlodarczak, founder and CEO of Pivotal Research Group.

“As for other streamers in animation, to keep up with Disney and Netflix very large dollars will need to be spent and I question whether most will be able. But for the next couple of years,” he added, “I expect others to try.”
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Dutch government falls as far-right leader Wilders quits coalition
Harvard Urges US to Unfreeze Funds for Public Health Research
Businessman Mauled by Lion at Luxury Namibian Lodge
Researchers Consider New Destinations Beyond the U.S.
53-Year-Old Doctor Claims Biological Age of 23
Trump Struggles to Secure Trade Deals With China and Europe
Russia to Return 6,000 Corpses Under Ukraine Prisoner Swap Deal
Microsoft Lays Off Hundreds More Amid Restructuring
Harvey Weinstein’s Publicist Embraces Notoriety
Macron and Meloni Seek Unity Despite Tensions
Trump Administration Accused of Obstructing Deportation Cases
Newark Mayor Sues Over Arrest at Immigration Facility
Center-Left Candidate Projected to Win South Korean Presidency
Trump’s Tariffs Predicted to Stall Global Economic Growth
South Korea’s President-Elect Expected to Take Softer Line on Trump and North Korea
Trump’s China Strategy Remains a Geopolitical Puzzle
Ukraine Executes Long-Range Drone Strikes on Russian Airbases
Conservative Karol Nawrocki wins Poland’s presidential election
Study Identifies Potential Radicalization Risk Among Over One Million Muslims in Germany
Good news: Annalena Baerbock Elected President of the UN General Assembly
Apple Appeals EU Law Over User Data Sharing Requirements
South Africa: "First Black Bank" Collapses after Being Looted by Owners
Poland will now withdraw from the EU migration pact after pro-Trump nationalist wins Election
"That's Disgusting, Don’t Say It Again": The Trump Joke That Made the President Boil
Trump Cancels NASA Nominee Over Democratic Donations
Paris Saint-Germain's Greatest Triumph Is Football’s Lowest Point
OnlyFans for Sale: From Lockdown Lifeline to Eight-Billion-Dollar Empire
Mayor’s Security Officer Implicated | Shocking New Details Emerge in NYC Kidnapping Case
Hegseth Warns of Potential Chinese Military Action Against Taiwan
OPEC+ Agrees to Increase Oil Output for Third Consecutive Month
Jamie Dimon Warns U.S. Bond Market Faces Pressure from Rising Debt
Turkey Detains Istanbul Officials Amid Anti-Corruption Crackdown
Taylor Swift Gains Ownership of Her First Six Albums
Bangkok Ranked World's Top City for Remote Work in 2025
Satirical Sketch Sparks Political Spouse Feud in South Korea
Indonesia Quarry Collapse Leaves Multiple Dead and Missing
South Korean Election Video Pulled Amid Misogyny Outcry
Asian Economies Shift Away from US Dollar Amid Trade Tensions
Netflix Investigates Allegations of On-Set Mistreatment in K-Drama Production
US Defence Chief Reaffirms Strong Ties with Singapore Amid Regional Tensions
Vietnam Faces Strategic Dilemma Over China's Mekong River Projects
Malaysia's First AI Preacher Sparks Debate on Islamic Principles
White House Press Secretary Criticizes Harvard Funding, Advocates for Vocational Training
France to Implement Nationwide Smoking Ban in Outdoor Spaces Frequented by Children
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
Russia's Fossil Fuel Revenues Approach €900 Billion Since Ukraine Invasion
U.S. Justice Department Reduces American Bar Association's Role in Judicial Nominations
U.S. Department of Energy Unveils 'Doudna' Supercomputer to Advance AI Research
U.S. SEC Dismisses Lawsuit Against Binance Amid Regulatory Shift
Alcohol Industry Faces Increased Scrutiny Amid Health Concerns
×