Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Animation (shortened to MGM Animation) was an American animation division of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, that specializes in animated productions for theatrical features and television, and based in Hollywood, California. It was founded in 1993 and primarily involved in producing children's entertainment based upon MGM's ownership of intellectual properties, such as The Pink Panther, The Lionhearts, The Secret of NIMH, and All Dogs Go to Heaven.
The founders, Paul Sabella and Jonathan Dern, left the company in 1999 and founded SD Entertainment. The studio has been dormant since 2002, following the 2000 release of their last production Tom Sawyer.
There were plans for an animated musical feature film of Betty Boop to be MGM Animation's first theatrical animated film, but the plans were later canceled. The musical storyboard scene of the proposed film can be seen online.[2] The finished reel consists of Betty and her estranged father performing a jazz number together called "Where are you?" Jimmy Rowles and Sue Raney provide the vocals for Betty and Benny Boop. Later, All Dogs Go to Heaven 2 became MGM Animation's only theatrical animated film.
Stargate: The Young Explorers
1997
A proposed direct-to-video film based on MGM's Stargate franchise that was announced to be in development alongside Babes in Toyland and The Secret of NIMH II. While the movie was never produced it's possible some of the concepts were incorporated into the animated series Stargate: Infinity.[3]
Noah
1998
According to Animation Magazine, MGM Animation had plans to do a theatrical animated film adaption of comedian Bill Cosby's famous stand up sketch of his take of Noah's Ark with Cosby producing, co-writing the script with Charles Kipps and as the voice of God, while Mel Brooks, Carl Reiner and Jonathan Winters were in talks to voice Noah. However the project was canceled after Cosby's previous films were both commercial and critically failures and more people were becoming aware of Cosby's sex abuse cases.[4][5]
