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Description
"Every experience, good or bad, is a priceless collector's item."
--Isaac Marion

Today, on April 7, 2021, Blue Sky Studios, the animation company famous for the Ice Age franchise, closes its doors permanently. Back in February, Disney made the announcement that they would be shutting down the Connecticut-based animation studio, and this generally lead to extensive backlash from the public. Not only because it would result in the hundreds of people who work there losing their jobs, but one of their films that was close to completion was put to a complete stop. It was called Nimona, based on the graphic novel of the same name by Noelle Stevenson, and it would've been about a young shapeshifter who teams up with knight-turned-mad scientist named Lord Ballister Blackheart to expose the ruler of the kingdom and their corrupt organization. What made this film special was that it was going to have an innovative animation style similar to the low framerate of their 2015 film The Peanuts Movie, and it would've featured the first LGBT relationship and kiss in a Disney animated film (or even Disney films in general). However, when the news came out that Blue Sky was shutting down, that meant that the unfinished film would be shelved. This has prompted a movement on Twitter and possibly other social media sites called #/SaveNimona (which PhoenixOfGrunvale was a strong advocate of, as, if I'm correct, he was the one who kickstarted the movement) with the intention of saving the film and have it be released. However, despite the effort of those who participated, one of the animators of the film made a statement that the task of finishing the film wasn't possible, as only 75% of it was completed at the time Blue Sky was announced being shut down to the day they close their doors. As a result, the ultimate fate of Nimona is that, until another animation studio obtains the rights to the graphic novel, the film is considered cancelled media.

When the day finally came, Chris Wedge, one of the founders of Blue Sky, made this announcement about the company's eventual end:

Dear Friends and Followers

For the past thirty-four years, we, like our single minded character Scrat, have reached for something that at times seemed unattainable. Yet time after time we've managed to get our arms around our own versions of that elusive acorn.

Unfortunately, it's not possible to hold onto anything forever.

We've had more fun bringing our movies to life than anyone should be allowed. We hope you've been able to feel some of that joy. Thank you, from the bottom of our collective Blue Sky hearts, for being with us all these years.

With tremendous gratitude,
Co-Founder, Chris Wedge, and Your Friends at Blue Sky Studios

Now onto the piece!

When deciding what I wanted to do to honor the animation studio, I knew that I wanted to honor all of their films at once (except for the sequel films). Because I made this image late in the day, drawing the characters would've taken too long for me. Instead, I opted to draw certain objects from the films that would make them instantly recognizable to which film they belong to. The items included are:

-Scrat's acorn from Ice Age
-Wonderbot (the cup) from Robots
-The Whos' speck and flower from Horton Hears a Who!
-Nico's bottlecap hat/tambourine from Rio
-The flower pod from Epic
-The Little Red-Haired Girl's pencil from The Peanuts Movie
-A rose from Ferdinand
-The inflatable hug from Spies in Disguise

That's honestly all I have to say about this artwork. Hope you enjoyed it, and thank you, Blue Sky Studios, for the thirty-four years you've entertained us with. May all your employees find work at other studios, and we will always remember your films.

RIP Blue Sky Studios (February 22, 1987 - April 7, 2021)

Description
"Every experience, good or bad, is a priceless collector's item."
--Isaac Marion

Today, on April 7, 2021, Blue Sky Studios, the animation company famous for the Ice Age franchise, closes its doors permanently. Back in February, Disney made the announcement that they would be shutting down the Connecticut-based animation studio, and this generally lead to extensive backlash from the public. Not only because it would result in the hundreds of people who work there losing their jobs, but one of their films that was close to completion was put to a complete stop. It was called Nimona, based on the graphic novel of the same name by Noelle Stevenson, and it would've been about a young shapeshifter who teams up with knight-turned-mad scientist named Lord Ballister Blackheart to expose the ruler of the kingdom and their corrupt organization. What made this film special was that it was going to have an innovative animation style similar to the low framerate of their 2015 film The Peanuts Movie, and it would've featured the first LGBT relationship and kiss in a Disney animated film (or even Disney films in general). However, when the news came out that Blue Sky was shutting down, that meant that the unfinished film would be shelved. This has prompted a movement on Twitter and possibly other social media sites called #/SaveNimona (which PhoenixOfGrunvale was a strong advocate of, as, if I'm correct, he was the one who kickstarted the movement) with the intention of saving the film and have it be released. However, despite the effort of those who participated, one of the animators of the film made a statement that the task of finishing the film wasn't possible, as only 75% of it was completed at the time Blue Sky was announced being shut down to the day they close their doors. As a result, the ultimate fate of Nimona is that, until another animation studio obtains the rights to the graphic novel, the film is considered cancelled media.

When the day finally came, Chris Wedge, one of the founders of Blue Sky, made this announcement about the company's eventual end:

Dear Friends and Followers

For the past thirty-four years, we, like our single minded character Scrat, have reached for something that at times seemed unattainable. Yet time after time we've managed to get our arms around our own versions of that elusive acorn.

Unfortunately, it's not possible to hold onto anything forever.

We've had more fun bringing our movies to life than anyone should be allowed. We hope you've been able to feel some of that joy. Thank you, from the bottom of our collective Blue Sky hearts, for being with us all these years.

With tremendous gratitude,
Co-Founder, Chris Wedge, and Your Friends at Blue Sky Studios

Now onto the piece!

When deciding what I wanted to do to honor the animation studio, I knew that I wanted to honor all of their films at once (except for the sequel films). Because I made this image late in the day, drawing the characters would've taken too long for me. Instead, I opted to draw certain objects from the films that would make them instantly recognizable to which film they belong to. The items included are:

-Scrat's acorn from Ice Age
-Wonderbot (the cup) from Robots
-The Whos' speck and flower from Horton Hears a Who!
-Nico's bottlecap hat/tambourine from Rio
-The flower pod from Epic
-The Little Red-Haired Girl's pencil from The Peanuts Movie
-A rose from Ferdinand
-The inflatable hug from Spies in Disguise

That's honestly all I have to say about this artwork. Hope you enjoyed it, and thank you, Blue Sky Studios, for the thirty-four years you've entertained us with. May all your employees find work at other studios, and we will always remember your films.

RIP Blue Sky Studios (February 22, 1987 - April 7, 2021)