World Events Productions
American animation and distribution company known for Voltron.
Based in St. Louis, Missouri, World Events Productions is an American firm that distributes animation. The company is famous for releasing the anime series Voltron, Defender of the Universe and Saber Rider and the Star Sheriffs, and for creating the original cartoon Denver, the Last Dinosaur.
Quick Facts
- Founded
- 1980
- Headquarters
- St. Louis, Missouri, United States
- Industry
- Entertainment
- Products
- Anime, cartoons
- Subsidiaries
- Calico Entertainment
Facts from the source article.
History
World Events Productions, Ltd. was started in 1980 by Ted Koplar, whose father Harold Koplar owned KPLR-TV and was a St. Louis businessman. The company began with a TV program called World Events, which covered current events. In 1982, Koplar worked with Jack Galmiche and Frank Babcock to create three nationally syndicated kickboxing shows that were produced and distributed from St. Louis, Las Vegas, and Madison Square Garden in New York. The next year, at a science fiction convention, Koplar came across the anime Beast King GoLion and saw a chance to bring it to American television. WEP got the rights from Toei Animation and released it in 1984 as Voltron, an edited and English-dubbed version that earned strong ratings across the country. After finishing the GoLion episodes, WEP turned Armored Fleet Dairugger XV into Voltron’s second season, but it did not do as well with viewers, who preferred the original team. So WEP asked Toei to make 20 more episodes based on GoLion. In 1987, WEP licensed Star Musketeer Bismark from Studio Pierrot and released it as Saber Rider and the Star Sheriffs, rearranging or cutting several episodes and adding six new ones for the U.S. version. It never matched Voltron’s popularity but developed a cult following, especially in Germany. WEP then moved into original animation, releasing Denver, the Last Dinosaur in 1988, which got positive reviews from parent groups and a recommendation from the National Education Association. Vytor: The Starfire Champion came out in 1989 and won awards at the International Film and Video Festival and the New York Festival, but its TV run was brief. In 1998, WEP returned to Voltron with Voltron: The Third Dimension, a 3-D animated sequel that brought back some original voice actors and added Clancy Brown and Tim Curry. It won a Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Sound Editing but got mixed reactions from critics and fans. In 2008, WEP licensed the original GoLion and Dairugger XV in the U.S. Two years later, Classic Media, now DreamWorks Classics, bought the distribution rights to the Voltron franchise.
Legal issues
World Events Productions found itself in court with Toei Animation in 2010 over copyright issues tied to a planned live-action Voltron movie. That wasn't their first legal clash; an earlier fight had erupted when Voltron: The Third Dimension came out, and that one ended in 2000. Back then, WEP walked away with the rights to the animated Voltron and GoLion, plus Vehicle Force Voltron and Dairugger. The 2010 dispute centered on whether WEP could turn the anime into a live-action film and potentially release it in Japan. That uncertainty caused 20th Century Fox and New Regency Productions to abandon the project. In July 2009, Atlas Entertainment had picked up the live-action film rights, which prompted producers James Young, Ford Oelman, and Mark Costa to sue WEP. They claimed their companies, Animus Films and NHO Entertainment, had held exclusive live-action rights since 2004. The live-action film was ultimately shelved in June 2010, making way for a new Voltron TV series. Later, on November 4, 2016—three months after NBCUniversal finished buying DreamWorks Animation for $3.8 billion—Universal Pictures and DreamWorks Animation announced they would produce the film, with David Hayter writing the script.
Filmography
Voltron (1984–1985) adapted Toei Animation's Beast King GoLion and Armored Fleet Dairugger XV. Voltron: Fleet of Doom (1986) was a one-off crossover co-produced by Toei Animation. Saber Rider and the Star Sheriffs (1987–1988) adapted Studio Pierrot's Star Musketeer Bismarck. Denver, the Last Dinosaur (1988) was WEP's first all-original work. Vytor: The Starfire Champion (1989) followed. Other productions include Widget the World Watcher (1990–1991, co-production), Mr. Bogus (1991–1993), The Moo Family Holiday Hoedown (1992, Christmas special), a Bubsy pilot (1993), Twinkle the Dream Being (1993–1994), The New Adventures of Voltron (1994–1995, original episodes without Toei involvement), This Land Is Your Land: The Animated Kids' Songs of Woody Guthrie (1997, video short), a Bad Baby pilot (1997), Voltron: The Third Dimension (1998–2000, 3D animated sequel co-produced by Mike Young Productions), Voltron Force (2011–2012, co-produced by Kickstart Productions and DreamWorks Classics), Voltron: Legendary Defender (2016–2018, co-produced by DreamWorks Animation Television), and Denver the Last Dinosaur (2018, CGI co-produced by Zagtoon). A live-action Voltron film produced through DreamWorks Animation is to be released through Amazon MGM Studios.
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