March Entertainment was a Canadian animation studio of digital animated entertainment for television and the World Wide Web . The company's properties include the television series Chilly Beach , Maple Shorts , Yam Roll , and Dex Hamilton .
Founded as Infopreneur in 1996 by Dan Hawes and Doug Sinclair as a producer of web content ,[ 1] [ 2] March Entertainment's Chilly Beach Flash animation series[ 3] would be broadcast on CBC Television starting in 2003.[ 4] The property also yielded two movies, The World is Hot Enough [ 5] and The Canadian President .[ 6] In 2011, the series launched in the U.S. on the streaming video website Hulu ;[ 7] the series had also been available on iTunes .[ 8] Their series Yam Roll also made it to Hulu via Catherine Tait 's distributor Duopoly Inc, which also released Smiley Guy Studios ' Odd Job Jack .[ 9]
In 2007, the company co-produced the series Dex Hamilton: Alien Entomologist with Australia's SLR Productions .[ 10] [ 11] The company also co-produced G2G: Got to Go , which aired on Australia's Nine Network in September 2008 and before airing on Canada's CBC-TV.[ 12]
In 2009, March produced its first and only animated movie for toymaker Playmobil , entitled The Secret of Pirate Island .[ 13] The company was in production for a second DVD movie, which has since been scrapped.[ 14]
March animated season 1 of Mia and Me , an international co-production with Rainbow S.p.A. , broadcaster ZDF and Lucky Punch.[ 15] The show, which mixes live action and CGI animation, was the most requested program at 2010s MIPJunior conference.[ 16]
March Entertainment was also responsible for the websites iLaugh and Edge of Toon.
The company went into decline in the early 2010s,[ 17] despite an investment of provincial funds,[ 18] [ 19] and was ultimately succeeded by Toonrush.[ 20] [ 21] [ 22]
The company's head office was in Toronto and it had an animation studio located in Sudbury ,[ 23] before closing in 2013.[ 24]
^ Ross, Ian (2004-07-19). "Animated success" . Northern Ontario Business . Retrieved 2024-06-16 .
^ "Dan Hawes" . IEEE Xplore. Retrieved 2024-06-15 .
^ "Infopreneur showcases weird Canadians" . Playback . 2000-05-15. Retrieved 2024-06-12 .
^ Caldwell, Rebecca (2003-09-03). "Great White North Park" . The Globe and Mail . Retrieved 2024-06-06 .
^ "Chilly Beach movie, The World is Hot Enough, makes national debut" . Sudbury.com . 2007-12-31. Retrieved 2024-06-12 .
^ Valiquette, Mike (2011-05-09). "Press release: Chilly Beach on Hulu – CARTOON NORTH" . Canadian Animation Resources . Retrieved 2024-06-12 .
^ Claire Afan, Emily (2011-05-06). "Chilly Beach heads to Hulu" . Playback . Retrieved 2024-06-12 .
^ Wild, Diane (2009-08-22). "Updated: Canadian TV on iTunes" . TV, eh? . Retrieved 2024-06-12 .
^ "Duopoly Brings 'Yam Roll' Online to Hulu" . Animation Magazine . 2011-06-18. Retrieved 2024-06-15 .
^ Ng-See-Quan, Danielle (2012-04-10). "March Entertainment inks deals for animated feature films" . KidScreen . Retrieved 2024-06-15 .
^ "Dex Hamilton: Alien Entomologist" . Screen Australia . Retrieved 2024-06-15 .
^ "Program Guide - Programs" . CBC.ca. Retrieved 2012-01-04 .
^ Foster, Tyler (2009-10-21). "Playmobil: The Secret of Pirate Island" . DVD Talk .
^ "March Entertainment Co-Produces Full 3D movies for Playmobil" . Newswire.ca . 2009-11-27. Retrieved 2012-01-04 .
^ Milligan, Mercedes (2012-06-07). "Mattel Makes Playdate with 'Mia and Me' " . Animation Magazine . Retrieved 2024-05-16 .
^ TV (2010-10-06). "Mia and Me is MIP Jr.'s Most-Requested Show" . Animation Magazine. Retrieved 2012-01-04 .
^ Valiquette, Mike (2009-09-22). "Rumour-killer, March Entertainment, Sudbury" . Canadian Animation Resources . Retrieved 2024-06-15 .
^ "Province bolsters Sudbury animation studio" . Northern Ontario Business . 2011-12-05. Retrieved 2024-06-15 .
^ Pickard, Arron (2011-12-02). "NOHFC invests $2.5 million in animation studio" . Sudbury.com . Retrieved 2024-06-15 .
^ "Dan Hawes" . Stratford School of Interaction Design and Business . Retrieved 2024-06-15 .
^ Miller, Scott (2022-06-17). "VR learning pilot project captures student focus in Clinton" . CTV News . Retrieved 2024-06-15 .
^ Smith, Kathleen (2022-05-26). "Central Huron Secondary School's virtual reality pilot program a success" . Goderich Signal Star . Retrieved 2024-06-15 .
^ Lacey, Keith (2006-03-20). "Made in Sudbury: Chilly Beach" . Sudbury.com . Retrieved 2024-06-12 .
^ "Dan Hawes: The rise and fall of a Sudbury animation studio" . Sustainable Northern Ontario Economic Development . Retrieved 2024-06-15 .