Following the dramatic closure of Toronto animation studio Arc Productions, Jam Filled Entertainment (itself recently acquired as a subsidiary of Boat Rocker Media) has moved to acquire “substantially all of the business” of the shuttered toon house.
Arc closed suddenly on July 29 and has since entered receivership under the control of Deloitte Restructuring. The studio has held and holds contracts to deliver animation for a number of projects, including Mattel Creations’ upcoming TV movie Thomas & Friends: The Great Race, Zodiak Kids’ Kody Kapow (Sprout, 2017) and the Amazon Studios pilot Lost in Oz.
The deal, according to Playback, was revealed in a memo sent to Arc staff by Deloitte, which stated that the receiver hopes to close the deal within the next two weeks and that Arc’s activities can resume under new ownership with “limited disruption.” It was left vague how many of Arc’s 500 employees may be affected by the takeover, but Deloitte made a point of saying that the buy will depend on “sufficient acceptance of offers of employment or engagement by the former employees of Arc to permit the continuation of key projects.”
If it goes through, the deal will significantly grow Boad Rocker’s animation business. In the past year, the company has acquired Jam Filled in Ottawa, Radical Sheep, and made a minority investment in Industrial Brothers in Toronto — Boat Rocker Animation’s partner on Dot. The parent company was formed in February by Temple Street Productions.
