Film Roman

Film Roman is an animation studio founded by Phil Roman, best known for producing the animation for The Simpsons, King of the Hill, as well as the Garfield and Peanuts animated TV specials.

Film Roman is a division of Starz Media, a division of Liberty Media, and was originally founded by Bill Melendez Productions director Phil Roman in 1984 as a means to produce the series of animated Garfield prime-time TV specials, since Melendez's own studio was unable to work on both the Garfield series and Peanuts specials. Melendez's studio had produced the first two Garfield specials (directed by Roman), but due to the wishes of Peanuts creator Charles Schulz' concerns about conflict of interest in allocating production priority at Melendez's boutique studio, the production had to be moved. Peanuts executive producer Lee Mendelson offered Roman, who was leaving Melendez to start his own studio, the opportunity to produce the next (3rd) primetime animated Garfield special for CBS, which Roman accepted, and went on to produce and direct, winning an Emmy in the process.

In 1985 CBS' head of children's programming Judy Price ordered the long running Garfield & Friends series, which started aring three years later, in September of 1988. This was Film Roman's first regular series. In 1986 in an effort to expand and diversify the studio, Roman hired Marvel Productions VP of Business Affairs, and Roman's personal attorney, Michael Wahl as President and Bill Schultz (producer), Marvel's Director of Development, to join as the fledgling studio's VP of Production and Development. Garfield was expanded to an hour on CBS' number one rated Saturday Morning block and the studio grew to increase its capacity.

In 1988 the new management team developed, sold and produced two new series to the brand new Fox Kids Network, headed up by former Marvel Productions head Margaret Loesch. The studio went on to grow and produce many popular animated series now seen all around the world. (see list below)

The original studio was located on Riverside Drive in Toluca Lake, California, where Roman was also joined by Melendez producer Lee Mendelson. Years later, the studio moved to a new location on Chandler Blvd. in Studio City, before settling into its present location off Hollywood Way in Burbank.

Television

 * Bobby's World
 * Bruno the Kid
 * C Bear and Jamal
 * The Critic
 * Eloise: The Animated Series
 * Family Guy (season 1 only)
 * ''Far-Quag The Cat"
 * Free For All
 * Garfield and Friends
 * The Goode Family
 * King of the Hill
 * Marvel Super Hero Squad
 * The Mask: The Animated Series
 * Mighty Max
 * Mission Hill
 * Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm
 * Mother Goose and Grimm
 * The Mr. Potato Head Show
 * The Oblongs
 * Richie Rich
 * The Simpsons (1992-present)
 * Slacker Cats
 * Tripping the Rift
 * The Twisted Tales of Felix the Cat
 * Wow! Wow! Wubbzy!
 * X-Men: Evolution

Television specials and direct-to-video

 * Animated Classic Showcase (1993)
 * Nick and Noel (1993)
 * A Cool Like That Christmas (1994)
 * Izzy's Quest for Olympic Gold (1995)
 * The Story of Santa Claus (1996)
 * The Magic Pearl (1997)
 * American Dad (Pilot Episode) (2004)
 * The Happy Elf (2005, co-production with IDT Entertainment)
 * Hellboy Animated (2006-present)'''
 * Dead Space: Downfall (2008, co-production with Electronic Arts)
 * Dante's Inferno (2010, co-production with Electronic Arts)

Theatical feature films

 * The Haunted World of El Superbeasto (2009)
 * Tom and Jerry: The Movie (1993, co-production with Miramax Films, Turner Pictures Worldwide, Live Entertainment, Turner Entertainment and WMG)
 * The Simpsons Movie (2007, co-production with 20th Century Fox, co-animation with Rough Draft Studios)

Ride

 * The Simpsons Ride (at Universal Orlando & Universal Studios Hollywood)