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Funimation Starts Initiative for Co-Producing Anime (Update 2)

The North American anime distributor Funimation has announced on Monday that it has hired Chris Moujaes as Director of Original Entertainment. According to the company, Moujaes will head its "important new co-production initiative" and "focus his efforts on the acquisition and development of a slate of original anime titles based on major intellectual properties."

According to Funimation, Moujaes previously worked an independing producer to develop properties for AOL Kids and served as the president of the Spoonbend branding agency. He co-founded a company called Boomstar to negotiate international television co-productions and to provide animation services through Boomstar's studio facilities in the United States and India.

Manga Entertainment, Bandai Entertainment, and ADV Films were among the other North American anime distributors that co-produced and developed anime titles, instead of just acquiring exisiting anime titles.

Update: Media Blasters (Kite: Liberator) and Urban Vision (Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust) also co-produced anime titles. Central Park Media co-produced MD Geist II - Death Force in 1996. Thanks, Prede.

Update 2: Funimation has confirmed with ANN that its new co-production initiative will bring in anime studios to adapt non-Japanese franchises. This is different from co-producing original Japanese titles as a production committee member, as some of the other North American anime distributors have done. Similar Japanese-animated adaptations of overseas properties have included several Rankin/Bass productions (Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, The Hobbit, The Last Unicorn, Thundercats), Sin: The Movie, The Animatrix, Witchblade, Batman: Gotham Knight, Halo Legends, and the upcoming Dante's Inferno video project.