Screen Gems (animation studio)
| Formerly | Winkler Pictures (1921–1926) Winkler Productions (1926–1931) Charles Mintz Productions (1931–1933) |
|---|---|
| Company type | Subsidiary |
| Industry | Animation |
| Founded | 1921 |
| Founder | Margaret J. Winkler |
| Defunct | November 1946 |
| Fate | Shut down |
| Successor | United Productions of America (theatrical shorts, 1948–1959) Sony Pictures Animation (content production) |
| Headquarters | New York City, New York (1921–1931) , Los Angeles, California (1931-1946) 861 Seward Street, Hollywood, California (1940–1946) |
Key people | Margaret J. Winkler Charles Mintz Jimmy Bronis George Winkler Frank Tashlin Dave Fleischer Paul Worth Hugh McCollum Henry Binder Ray Katz |
| Products | Short films |
Production output | Animation |
| Parent | Columbia Pictures (1939–1946) |
Screen Gems, Inc. was an American animation studio and former film distributor, serving as the in-house animation division of Columbia Pictures during the golden age of American animation. Founded by Margaret J. Winkler and led during most of its existence by her husband Charles Mintz, it was best known for producing and distributing Walt Disney's works, namely the Alice Comedies and Universal Pictures' Oswald the Lucky Rabbit series, in addition to numerous series for Columbia Pictures such as the Krazy Kat, Scrappy, The Fox and the Crow, Phantasies, and Columbia Fables series. Following Mintz's death, the studio underwent numerous leadership changes throughout the 1940s. Among those who headed the studio in the post-Mintz era were Leon Schlesinger Productions alumnus Frank Tashlin, Fleischer Studios co-founder Dave Fleischer, The Three Stooges producer Hugh McCollum, and Raymond Katz, brother-in-law of Leon Schlesinger.
Alumni of Screen Gems would later found and work for Walt Disney Productions, Walter Lantz Productions and Warner Bros. Cartoons, all of which surpassed Screen Gems in popularity.