| Big Idea Productions, LLC | |
| Type: | Subsidiary |
| Location City: | Universal City, California |
| Location Country: | U.S. |
| Products: | Animated direct-to-video programs Animated television series Animated theatrical films |
| Parent: | Classic Media (2003–2007) Entertainment Rights (2007–2009) Boomerang Media (2009–2012) DreamWorks Animation (2012–present) |
| Foundation: | (GRAFx Studios) (Big Idea) 2022 (as in-name-only unit) |
Big Idea Productions, LLC (formerly known as Big Idea Productions, Inc., Big Idea, Inc. and Big Idea Entertainment, LLC; also known simply as Big Idea) was an American animation production company and is currently an in-name only unit, best known for its animated VeggieTales series of Christian-themed home videos.
Founded in February 1989 as GRAFx Studios by Phil Vischer, the company was renamed as Big Idea Productions in August 1993 and it released its first direct-to-video VeggieTales program in December. In 2002, Big Idea adapted the Biblical story of Jonah for its first theatrical feature film, , which was co-produced with FHE Pictures. Its second theatrical film, , was co-produced with Starz Animation and released in 2008.
From 1999 to 2004, headquarters of Big Idea Entertainment was in Lombard, Illinois, a suburb outside of Chicago.[1] After Big Idea Entertainment declared bankruptcy in 2003 and the company was sold to Classic Media, headquarters was moved in 2004 to Franklin, Tennessee, a suburb outside of Nashville.[2] In 2012, DreamWorks Animation purchased Classic Media.[3] In 2013, DreamWorks began to oversee productions of Big Idea Entertainment and launched the Netflix series VeggieTales in the House. After production of VeggieTales in the House's sequel series entitled VeggieTales in the City wrapped in 2017, DreamWorks sold the Franklin headquarters to Kingdom Story Company.[4] Big Idea continues to operate as an in-name-only subsidiary of DreamWorks Animation, with Universal Pictures recently giving TBN a license to make The VeggieTales Show.[5]
Bob the Tomato and Larry the Cucumber, from VeggieTales, served as the company's mascots.
Big Idea was founded in February 1989 under the name GRAFx Studios by Phil Vischer to create graphics in television commercials.[6] In 1991, Vischer created a 12-second short film called Mr. Cuke's Screen Test. This short inspired him and Mike Nawrocki to create VeggieTales, with Nawrocki coming up with the name. Vischer thought the name "GRAFx" no longer suited a company about to create children's videos, so he renamed it as Big Idea Productions, Inc. on August 6, 1993.[6] The company released its first video, Where's God When I'm S-Scared? in December of the same year.
Rapidly running out of office space, Big Idea relocated to the Chicago suburbs in 1997 with the purchase of the DuPage Theater in Lombard, Illinois.[7] However, renovation delays, unforeseen building conditions, and lengthy zoning battles resulted. In the interim, the company was guided by Lombard Village officials to rent space at the Yorktown Center, a local mall.
In a co-production with FHE Pictures, Big Idea released its first theatrical feature film, on October 4, 2002.
On September 2, 2003, Big Idea declared bankruptcy after encountering management and financial issues and a lawsuit by HIT Entertainment in 2001. By the end of the year, it was auctioned off to Classic Media for $19.3 million.[8] [9] [10] After its purchase, the company relocated to Nashville in 2004.
Big Idea partnered with Toronto-based Starz Animation to produce its second theatrical feature film, , which was released on January 11, 2008 by Universal Pictures.[11]
In April 2009, Entertainment Rights fell into voluntary administration and sold its UK- and US-based subsidiaries, including Big Idea and its parent company, Classic Media, to Boomerang Media.[12] As of 2011 Big Idea, Inc. has been repackaged officially as Big Idea Entertainment, LLC. In July 2012, Big Idea's parent company, Classic Media, was acquired by DreamWorks Animation and began trading as DreamWorks Classics.
On April 28, 2016, NBCUniversal announced that it would be acquiring DreamWorks Animation for $3.8 billion.[13] The sale was completed on August 22, 2016.[14] [15]
On July 3, 2018, Vischer confirmed that Big Idea's offices in Franklin were shut down. While marketing employees continued to work for Big Idea during this time, DreamWorks sold the Franklin, Tennessee studio in late 2017.[16]
In 2018, NBCUniversal licensed the properties of the studio to The Trinity Broadcasting Network. They launched the production of a new series entitled The VeggieTales Show in 2019 through a collaboration between NBCUniversal and Trilogy Animation Group. Vischer confirmed on Twitter that he and Nawrocki were both returning to work as head writers for the new series.[17] The company reverted back to its original name Big Idea Productions, LLC. On June 29, 2021, Phil Vischer announced that he and Mike Nawrocki were no longer working on VeggieTales due to pay disputes and creative differences, consequently bringing the end of Big Idea Entertainment after the production The VeggieTales Show was completed.[18]
See main article: VeggieTales. VeggieTales is a series of children's animated films featuring anthropomorphic vegetables and conveying moral themes based on Christianity, spliced with joking references to pop culture and current events. VeggieTales was created by Phil Vischer and Mike Nawrocki, who also provide many of the voices. VeggieTales has also been released as books, games, and many other branded items such as toys and clothing. Additionally, the series has been adapted for television broadcast on Qubo (where it aired from September 9, 2006, to September 5, 2009)[19] and on Netflix where DreamWorks Animation Television produced two series, VeggieTales in the House[20] (which ran from November 26, 2014, to September 23, 2016) and VeggieTales in the City (which ran from February 24 to September 15, 2017).
| Title | Creator(s)/ Developer(s) | Premiere | Finale | Network | Note(s) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | VeggieTales | Phil Vischer Mike Nawrocki | Direct-to-video | ||||
| 2 | Tom Bancroft | Direct-to-video | First spin-off of VeggieTales Only 2D-animated series by Big Idea Entertainment | ||||
| 3 | VeggieTales in the House | Doug TenNapel | Netflix | Second spin-off of VeggieTales | |||
| 4 | VeggieTales in the City | Third spin-off of VeggieTales Sequel to VeggieTales in the House | |||||
| 5 | The VeggieTales Show | Phil Vischer Mike Nawrocki | TBN | Revival and sequel to the 1993 original series VeggieTales |
| width=10 | width=225 | Title | width=110 | Release date | width=200 | Network | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | VeggieTales Christmas Spectacular! | align=center | PAX | ||||
| 2 | align=center | PBS |
| width=10 | width=225 | Title | width=90 | Release date | width=150 | Co-production with | width=90 | Budget | width=90 | Gross | width=50 | Rotten Tomatoes | width=50 | Metacritic | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | October 4, 2002 | $14 million | $25.6 million | 65% | 58 | ||||||||||
| 2 | January 11, 2008 | $15 million | $13.2 million | 43% | 49 |