Rankin/Bass Animated Entertainment
| Formerly | Videocraft International (1960–1968, officially 1960–1974) Rankin/Bass Productions (1968–1983) |
|---|---|
| Company type | Subsidiary |
| Industry | Film |
| Predecessor | Arthur Rankin Jr. Associates |
| Founded | September 14, 1960 |
| Founders | Arthur Rankin Jr. Jules Bass |
| Defunct | 1987 (studio) 2001 (partnership) |
| Fate | Folded into Lorimar-Telepictures (studio) Dissolved (partnership) |
| Successor | Library: DreamWorks Classics (Pre-September 1974) Telepictures (Post-September 1974) Studiocanal (Embassy Pictures library only) ITV Studios (The Last Unicorn only) |
| Headquarters | , U.S. |
| Products | Television specials Television series Feature films |
| Parent | Tomorrow Entertainment (1971–1974) Telepictures (1983–1987) Lorimar-Telepictures (1987–1989) Warner Bros. Entertainment (1989–2001) |
Rankin/Bass Animated Entertainment (founded and formerly known as Videocraft International, Ltd. and Rankin/Bass Productions, Inc.) was an American production company located in New York City. It was known for its seasonal television specials, usually done in stop motion animation. Rankin/Bass's stop-motion productions are recognizable by their visual style of doll-like characters with spheroid body parts.
Nearly all of the studio's animation was outsourced to Japanese animation companies, such as Toei Animation, MOM Production, Mushi Productions and Topcraft. Rankin/Bass was one of the first Western studios to outsource their low-budget animated television and film productions to animation studios in foreign countries; the others that already practiced animation outsourcing include Total Television and King Features Syndicate TV in New York City; and Hanna-Barbera and Jay Ward Productions in Los Angeles, California.