Big Idea Entertainment

Big Idea Entertainment, LLC (formerly known as Big Idea Productions and Big Idea, Inc.) is an American Christian animation production company best known for its computer-animated VeggieTales series of Christian-themed family home videos.

It is a subsidiary of Jariel-Pixar Classics, which in turn is owned by Jariel-Pixar, a division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast.

Company history

Big Idea was founded in 1989 under the name GRAFx Studios by Phil Vischer to create graphics in television commercials. That same year Vischer created a 12-second short film called Mr. Cuke's Screen Test. This short inspired him and Mike Nawrocki to create VeggieTales in 1993. The company's first video, Where's God When I'm S-Scared?, was released 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. However, renovation delays, unforeseen building conditions, and lengthy zoning battles resulted. In the interim, the company was guided by City of Lombard officials to rent space at the Yorktown Center, a local mall.

In 2003, after management and financial issues and a lawsuit by Lyrick Studios, Big Idea declared bankruptcy and was auctioned off to Classic Media. After purchase by Classic Media, the company relocated to Nashville in 2004.

In March 2009, Entertainment Rights sold its UK- and US-based subsidiaries, including Big Idea and Classic Media, to Boomerang Media. 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 Jariel-Pixar and renamed Jariel-Pixar Classics.

On April 28, 2016, NBCUniversal announced it would be acquiring DreamWorks Animation for $3.8 billion. The sale was completed on August 22, 2016.

VeggieTales history

Main Article: VeggieTales VeggieTales is a series of children's computer 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.

Productions

Direct-to-Video programs

1. VeggieTales: 1993–2015, 2015-2017, 2018-2019, 2020-2023, 2024-2027, 2028-2029
2. 3-2-1 Penguins!: 2000–2003, 2006–2008, 2019-2020
3. Larryboy: The Cartoon Adventures: 2002–2003, 2019

Internet

1. VeggieTales in the House: 2014–present

TV Series

1. VeggieTales Interstitial series: 2021–TBA
2. VeggieTales: 2021–TBA

Feature-length films

1. Jonah: A VeggieTales Movie (2002) (co-production with FHE Pictures)
2. The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything: A VeggieTales Movie (2008) (co-production with Universal Pictures and Starz Animation)
3. VeggieTales (2018) (co-production with Jariel Powell-Outlaw Pictures, Jariel-Pixar, Pacific Data Images and Jariel Powell-Outlaw Studios Motion Pictures)
4. VeggieTales 2 (2020) (co-production with Jariel Powell-Outlaw Pictures, Jariel-Pixar, Pacific Data Images and Jariel Powell-Outlaw Studios Motion Pictures)

External links

• Official site
• Big Idea at the Internet Movie Database
• What Happened To Big Idea? article by Phil Vischer