Why didn't Fox have a dedicated Animation division for Fox Kids/Family?

[TheMisterManGuy]

The more I think about it, I think a big reason for the fall of Fox Kids was due to Fox lacking a dedicated TV animation division. It's rival Kids' WB! had the backing of Warner Bros. Animation and it was one of the reasons that network/block lasted as long as it did, hell it was one of the reasons Fox Kids took off. Meanwhile, Fox Kids relied heavily on Saban for much of it's life, especially when it consolidated with Saban, and when the Fox Family fallout happened, it took Fox Kids down with it. Honestly, I think this could've all been avoided if Fox had it's own equivalent of Warner Bros. Animation for Fox Kids and Fox Family, and just bought out Saban's stake in Fox Family Worldwide. It probably wouldn't have been able to quite match WBA in terms of output, but it would have at least gave Fox Kids and Fox Family much longer lives, since a dedicated TV animation division would've allowed Fox to extend their film brands as well like Star Wars (which was technically Lucasfilm, but Fox distributed the first 6 Star Wars movies).

I know Fox had the former Fox Children's productions (before the Saban merger), but I don't think that cut it. I'm talking about a Fox equivalent to Warner Bros. Animation.

 

[AdrenalineRush1996]

I don't know why and I think Fox Animation became defunct after Titan AE became a box office flop, though that film has since become a cult classic.

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[TheMisterManGuy]

I don't know why and I think Fox Animation became defunct after Titan AE became a box office flop, though that film has since become a cult classic.

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Yeah I heard about that. But my point was that Fox never seemed to have a TV Animation Unit that Fox Kids and Fox Family could feed off of.

 

[jaylop97]

There wasn't much that they made at the time and even then they needed more original material.

 

[Mikurotoro92]

I think the OP is on to something

Disney, Nick, and CN all have successful TV animation studios so I bet if FOX had one they would also be successful!

 

[Mandouga]

I don't know if it's the same thing, but the Fox network did have "Fox Children's Productions", which mainly produced animated series before merging with Saban Entertainment.

 

[TheMisterManGuy]

I don't know if it's the same thing, but the Fox network did have "Fox Children's Productions", which mainly produced animated series before merging with Saban Entertainment.

Yeah, the Fox Broadcasting company did, but I'm mainly talking about Twentieth Century Fox as a whole. Suprisingly, Twentieth Century Fox Television has an animation division, which produces Simpsons, Family Guy, and the like, so surely they could've also produced for Fox Kids as well.

 

[CookieS]

It wasn't about their inability to run a studio, but rather a planned phase-out to help pay for their NFL rights.

From Variety (9/9/2001):
News Corp. spun off Fox Kids into a joint venture with Saban Entertainment in 1996 and bought out their affiliates’ interest in 1998 as part of a deal to help pay for the net’s pricey NFL football package.

At the end of the day, football promised to make bigger dollars that original animation for children.

 

[superkeegan9100]

Typical. Fox was better known for Sports anyway.

 

[Red Arrow]

Disney, Nick, and CN all have successful TV animation studios so I bet if FOX had one they would also be successful!

Not really. FOX started making animated series for children in 1990 and they actually did great, but for some reason they stopped inventing new shows in 1994.

1. Attack of the Killer Tomatoes (1990–1991)
2. Bobby's World (1990–1998)
3. Peter Pan and the Pirates (1990–1991)
4. Piggsburg Pigs! (1990–1991)
5. Zazoo U (1990–1991)
6. Little Shop (1991)
7. Eek! The Cat, the Terrible Thunderlizards and Klutter (1992–1997)
8. Life with Louie (1994–1998)
9. The Tick (1994–1996)

Successful shows are bolded.

The premiere of Power Rangers in late 1993 probably made FOX overrely on Saban.
They only had two popular shows of their own (Bobby's World and Eek The Cat) back then, and five flops.

It's funny how their last two shows also turned out successful. Things would finally go well, but yeah, by the time those shows premiered, Saban's overreliance was a fact already : /

Who knows, maybe without Power Rangers, Fox would have kept making new Fox Kids originals from 1995 onwards, and maybe Fox Kids would still exist till this day.

 

[Mikurotoro92]

Who knows, maybe without Power Rangers, Fox would have kept making new Fox Kids originals from 1995 onwards, and maybe Fox Kids would still exist till this day.

Are you saying Power Rangers is what led to Fox Kids' downfall?

 

[Red Arrow]

Are you saying Power Rangers is what led to Fox Kids' downfall?

Power Rangers led to Fox Kids' overreliance on Saban, which is what led to Fox Kids' downfall.

 

[AdrenalineRush1996]

Power Rangers led to Fox Kids' overreliance on Saban, which is what led to Fox Kids' downfall.

What led to Fox Kids' downfall was the strong competition with Cartoon Network, Disney Channel and Nickelodeon.

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[TnAdct1]

What led to Fox Kids' downfall was the strong competition with Cartoon Network, Disney Channel and Nickelodeon.

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Don't forget Kids WB (especially once Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh were added to the mix).

 

[AdrenalineRush1996]

Don't forget Kids WB (especially once Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh were added to the mix).

That too.

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