Augenblick Studios

Augenblick Studios is an independent animation studio founded in 1999 by Aaron Augenblick, and located in Brooklyn, New York City.[1] The company has created a wide array of animated shorts for television, film, and the Internet, with the target audience typically being adults. Their clients include Cartoon Network, Comedy Central, Adult Swim, the TED conference, PBS, MTV, and Nickelodeon.

Augenblick Studios
Company typePrivate
IndustryAnimation, motion pictures, television
Founded1999; 25 years ago (1999)
FoundersAaron Augenblick
HeadquartersBrooklyn, New York City, United States
Key people
Aaron Augenblick
Websitewww.augenblickstudios.com Edit this at Wikidata

History

Aaron Augenblick studied animation at the School of Visual Arts in New York City. After graduating in 1997, Augenblick worked at MTV Animation on shows such as Daria, Downtown, and Cartoon Sushi.

In 1999, Augenblick opened Augenblick Studios in the Dumbo section of Brooklyn.[2] The first cartoon produced by the company was "Ramblin' Man", an independent short film based on the Hank Williams song. "Ramblin' Man" was released to critical acclaim and was a 2001 SXSW award winner.[3] Several other independent shorts followed, including "Drunky" (2001) and "Plugs McGinniss" (2003).

The first television production from Augenblick Studios was Shorties Watchin' Shorties on Comedy Central in 2004.[4] The show featured animated interpretations of stand up comedy segments from comedians including Denis Leary, Patton Oswalt, Louis C.K., Dane Cook, and Mitch Hedberg. In 2004, Augenblick Studios produced the animated content for two seasons of PFFR's Wonder Showzen on MTV2.[5] Augenblick created short segments, motion graphics, and illustrations for the show.

In 2006, they created the faux-documentary Golden Age for Comedy Central, which was an official selection of the Sundance Film Festival.[6] In 2007, Augenblick Studios animated the short "Lying Rhino" for the feature film comedy The Ten.[7] In 2008, the studio completed 11 episodes of Superjail! for the Adult Swim programming block on Cartoon Network.[8] They also created several short cartoons for Yo Gabba Gabba on Nickelodeon.

Augenblick Studios created 31 episodes of the Comedy Central series Ugly Americans which aired between 2010 and 2012.[9] In 2011, the studio also created a video for the track "Another Tattoo" on Weird Al Yankovic's album Alpocalypse.[10] In 2013, they worked on a cartoon short for Saturday Night Live, with SNL writer Zach Kanin. In 2015, Augenblick Studios collaborated with Animation Domination High Def on Golan the Insatiable, a primetime half-hour series for Fox.[11] In 2015, Augenblick Studios animated a new TV series written and created by Tyler, the Creator called The Jellies! which premiered in 2017.[12] Augenblick Studios also did additional animation for the Cartoon Network animated series MAD. The Netflix series Losers, released in March 2019, features animated segments created by Augenblick Studios.[13]

In January 2016, Augenblick Studios announced it is producing its first animated feature film, The Adventures of Drunky. The R-rated comedy stars Sam Rockwell, Jeffrey Tambor, Steve Coogan, and Nina Arianda.[14] Its release date was slated to be 2018, but was stalled due to Jeffrey Tambor's sexual harassment allegations. On September 24, 2021, it was stated that the film will be completed in 2022.[15]

Death Hacks, was released on Snapchat on August 29, 2020.[16] The company produces Teenage Euthanasia which started airing on Adult Swim in September 2021.[17]

In 2021, Future Brain Media was established as a children's animation division with Augenblick and Daniel Powell as co-founders.[18]

Filmography

Television

YearTitleNotesClient
2004Shorties Watchin' ShortiesComedy Central
2005–06Wonder Showzenanimated segmentsMTV2
2007Sesame Street: Kids' Favorite Country Songs"Tall Tale" segmentSesame Workshop
2007–08Superjail!pilot and season 1 onlyAdult Swim
2009Xavier: Renegade Angelanimated contest entryAdult Swim
2010–12Ugly Americansseason 1 and 5 episodes of season 2Comedy Central
2012–13Madadditional animationWarner Bros. Animation
2012Saturday Night Liveanimation ("Cool Drones", "Faberge Egg Cop" segments)NBC
2013–15Golan the InsatiableFox
2013–14The Heart, She Holleranimated segmentsAdult Swim
2013T.I. & Tiny: The Holiday HustleVH1
2017–19The Jellies!Adult Swim
2019LosersNetflix
2021Headspace Guide to Meditationanimation
2021Teenage Euthanasiaseason 1Adult Swim
2021–presentCakeseason 5 (Swan Boy segments)FXX
2022City Islandproduced by Future Brain MediaPBS Kids
2023One Piece2nd-key animation; ep 1066Toei Animation

Feature films

YearTitleCo-production withNote
2019Murder in the Front Row: The San Francisco Bay Area Thrash Metal StoryBonded By Bloodanimation
2020Have a Good Trip: Adventures in PsychedelicsNetflixanimation
2020Zoolander: Super ModelCBS All Accessanimation
2022The Adventures of DrunkyCartunaanimation and post-production
2022Weird: The Al Yankovic StoryFunny or Dieanimated sequence

Short films

YearTitleClientNotes
2000Ramblin' Mananimation
2002Moomie's GarageNickelodeonone-shot interstitial
2003The Man with the Smallest Penis in Existence and the Electron Microscope Technician Who Loved Himanimation
2006The Lying RhinoThinkFilmanimation
2007Golden AgeComedy Centralanimation
2013–14DC Nation ShortsWarner Bros. AnimationMetal Men shorts
2013Cookie ChemistryTED-Ed
What Is JASH?Jash
Spacemen From BrookstoniaOttawa Animation Festival
2017ASAP Fables: The Snake With No MannersTopicanimation
2017–18The NibTopic
2018–19MonologueTopicanimation; 3 episodes
2020Death HacksSnapchatanimation
NYS COVID PSATribeca Film Instituteanimation

Music videos

YearTitleArtist
2011"Another Tattoo""Weird Al" Yankovic
2013"Tiny Anthem"The M Machine
2014"Far Away"Feed Me & Kill the Noise
2015"Rubble Kings Theme"Run the Jewels
2019"Expensify This"2 Chainz x Adam Scott
2020"Ultraviolent"Kill the Noise
2023"Your Horoscope for Today""Weird Al" Yankovic

References

External links