LOS ANGELES — 3D conversion, VFX and VR studio Legend 3D, Inc., is expanding its line of business into the world of animation. CEO Aidan Foley announced the establishment of Legend Animation, a new unit that will be headed by veteran animation industry executive and producer Galen Walker (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles). The business will be based at the Legend 3D headquarters within the parent company’s 27,000-square foot location on the Columbia Square campus in Hollywood.
Legend Animation has been designed as a global studio with the expertise to develop, produce and distribute animated content to worldwide markets. Legend will partner with filmmakers, studios, creative agencies and brands to carefully craft compelling stories across all platforms. In addition to multiple projects currently in development that are being brought under the new Legend Animation division, Walker and team will leverage Legend’s experience and relationships to collaborate with partners in identifying both new IP as well as existing properties that have never had a CGI/animated presence.
“The launch of Legend Animation will expand Legend’s offerings in our sweet spot – digital media imaging – and will provide an expanded suite of services for our clients, TV networks, creative agencies and global brands,” says Foley. “Adding capabilities in CGI, 2D and 3D animation is a natural extension to our core competency and will result in efficiencies both pre- and post production work. In addition, it will enable Legend to participate in new IP that the venture creates. And adding Galen and his talented team of animation veterans to the Legend team provides clients with extraordinary creative talent across multiple media formats and a track record of success.”
Walker is a multi-faceted entertainment industry veteran who founded and served as president of Imagi Studios. There he secured the theatrical feature rights to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Highlander franchises, and launched animation production teams for each property in Los Angeles, Japan and Hong Kong. He produced TMNT, the CGI-animated film financed and distributed by Warner Bros. and The Weinstein Co. (2007), which was #1 at the US box office in its opening weekend and went on to gross more than $98 million in theatres and millions in home video. In 2014, Walker produced the Turtles’ live-action reboot with Michael Bay and his production company Platinum Dunes for Paramount Pictures, which grossed over $485 million worldwide. Its sequel, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows, was released in June 2016, with Paramount anticipating additional films from the franchise.
While continuing to control the TMNT film rights with Viacom, Walker also helped set up the animation production platform for the animation release of Astroboy in 2009. Walker and team are currently producing the CGI/hybrid animated feature Once Upon a Zodiac with Paramount Studios and Unicorn Studios in Hong Kong/China, as well as The Book of Mojo with creator Everett Downing and co-production partner Blueshore Films. Their multiple projects in development and pre-production will be moved under the Legend Animation umbrella.