Jam Filled Entertainment
Jam Filled Entertainment is a Canadian animation studio based in Ottawa, Ontario. Jam Filled is a division of Boat Rocker Media and has additional facilities in Toronto and Halifax. It is best known for animating the Nickelodeon series The Loud House, and for animating Thomas & Friends between 2013 and 2020.
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Formerly | Jam Filled Toronto: Dan Krech Productions (1985–2000) DKP Effects (2000–04) DKP Studios (2004–06) Starz Animation (2006–11) Arc Productions (2011–16) |
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Industry | |
Founded | 2007 |
Headquarters | 65 Auriga, , Canada |
Owner | Boat Rocker Media |
Divisions | Jam Filled Toronto Jam Filled Halifax |
Website | www |
History
Jam Filled Entertainment was founded in Manotick in 2007 by Kyle MacDougall, Phil Lafrance, and Jamie Leclaire. In January 2011, Jam Filled moved to a new location in Ottawa. On August 3, 2016, Boat Rocker Media acquired Jam Filled Entertainment.[1] On August 22, Jam Filled purchased the assets of Arc Productions, allowing them to expand into creating CGI animation in Toronto. Jam Filled opened a 10,000 square feet studio in Halifax, Nova Scotia in the fall of 2019 to work on more 2D animation projects.[2]
Jam Filled Toronto
In 2004, U.S. telecom company IDT Corp. purchased DKP Studios from its founders. IDT had already acquired in 2003 controlling interest of Film Roman and Anchor Bay Entertainment Group.[3]
On May 26, 2006, Starz Media's parent company Liberty Media bought IDT Entertainment from IDT, including Anchor Bay Entertainment and Film Roman.[4] Under its new management in 2007, the studio began a "Starz Shortz" program which has produced Bundle of Joy, Enter the Sandbox, Ormie and Lovebirds.[5] In 2007, Starz Animation took over animating Shane Acker's feature 9 from Attitude Studio, Luxembourg.[6] In 2010, the studio opened a major VFX wing to create all the effects for the new Starz Channel/Graham King Productions miniseries, Camelot, Alcon Entertainment's Dolphin Tale, and producer Avi Arad's family feature, Robosapien: Rebooted.
In April 2011, Starz Animation was sold to a Canadian consortium, and renamed itself to Arc Productions. Under the new owner, the studio was planning to do more proprietary production.[7]
On August 1, 2016, Arc Productions announced that they were closing down the studio because they were filing for bankruptcy and locked out over 500 employees after telling them there was a payroll glitch and no one had been paid.[8] On August 10, 2016, following Arc's closure, Jam Filled Entertainment entered an agreement to acquire Arc Productions' assets in which they call "substantially all of the business".[9] Jam Filled Entertainment also acquired 248 of Arc's former employees. Later on August 22, 2016, Arc Productions was reopened as Jam Filled Entertainment's Toronto facility.[10]
In 2020, Jam Filled announced that they would no longer animate episodes of the original Thomas & Friends series after the 24th and final series, with Nelvana taking over for the 2D-animated reboot series, Thomas & Friends: All Engines Go.
Productions
Jam Filled Entertainment
Arc Productions
Formerly known as Dan Krech Productions, DKP Effects, DKP Studios (IDT Entertainment), and Starz Animation.
Dan Krech Productions
- Eve of Destruction (1991) (post-production)
- High Tide (1994) (title design & graphics)
- Far from Home: The Adventures of Yellow Dog (1995) (special effects)
- National Lampoon's Senior Trip (1995) (special effects)
- Bogus (1996) (special effects)
- The Nuttiest Nutcracker (1999; with Columbia TriStar Home Video)
DKP Effects
- Joseph: King of Dreams (2000) (3D effects)
- Picture Claire (2001) (main titles)
- The First $20 Million Is Always the Hardest (2002) (special effects)
- My Little Pony G3 (2002; with SD Entertainment, Fat Rock Entertainment, and Hasbro) (TV pilot)
- 3-2-1 Penguins! (2002-2003; with Big Idea Productions)
- Scourge of Worlds: A Dungeons & Dragons Adventure (2003) (special effects)
- My Little Pony G3 (2003-2004; with Hasbro) (TV commercials)
DKP Studios
- Game Over (2004)
- Nerf N-Strike (2004; with Hasbro)
- VeggieTales (2004–05; with Big Idea Productions)
- My Little Pony G3 (2004-2006; with Hasbro) (TV commercials)
- Shoebox Zoo (2004-2005; with Blueprint Entertainment, BBC Scotland, and Alberta Filmworks) (TV)
- Bratz (2004-2006; with MGA Entertainment and 4Kids Entertainment) (TV specials)
- Surly Squirrel (2005) (short film)
- The Happy Elf (2005)
- Everyone's Hero (2006; with 20th Century Fox)
Starz Animation

- VeggieTales (2006–08; with Big Idea Productions)
- The Reef (2006; with The Weinstein Company, WonderWorld Studios, and DigiArt Productions)
- The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything: A VeggieTales Movie (2008; with Big Idea Productions)
- Space Chimps (2008; with 20th Century Fox and Vanguard Animation)
- Chop Socky Chooks (2008; with Aardman Animations and Decode Entertainment) (TV)
- 9 (2009; with Focus Features and Relativity Media)
- Yes, Virginia (2009) (TV)
- Gnomeo & Juliet (2011; with Touchstone Pictures and Rocket Pictures)
- Camelot (2011) (visual effects)
- The Simpsons ("Condiments" sequence) (2011)
Arc Productions
- Matt Hatter Chronicles (2011)[12]
- Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil (2011)
- Dolphin Tale (2011)
- Snack Attack (2012) (short film)
- Barbie: Life in the Dreamhouse (2012–2015)
- Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn (2012) (visual effects)[13]
- Lego Marvel Super Heroes: Maximum Overload (2013)[14]
- Pixie Hollow Bake Off (2013)
- Robosapien: Rebooted (2013)
- Barbie and Her Sisters in A Pony Tale (2013)
- Thomas & Friends: King of the Railway (2013)[11][15]
- Thomas & Friends: Tale of the Brave (2014)
- Thomas & Friends: The Adventure Begins (2015)
- Little Boy (2015; with Open Road Films and Metonia Films)
- Lost in Oz (pilot; 2015)
- Thomas & Friends: Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure (2015)
- Barbie and Her Sisters in the Great Puppy Adventure (2015)
- Lego Marvel Super Heroes: Avengers Reassembled (2015)[16]

- Before I Wake (2016) (special effects)
- Ice Age: The Great Egg-Scapade (2016)
- Thomas & Friends: The Great Race (2016)
- Elena of Avalor (2016)[10]
- Barbie: Star Light Adventure (2016)
- Trollhunters: Tales of Arcadia (2016)[10]
- Tarzan and Jane (2017)[10]
Jam Filled Toronto
- Thomas & Friends: Journey Beyond Sodor (2017)
- Bumblebee (2018) (visual effects)
- Scoob! (2020) (animation)
- Hoodwinked 3: Invasion of Giants (2022)
- Spaker (2024)
References
- "Boat Rocker Media Acquires Jam Filled Entertainment". Boat Rocker Media. August 3, 2016.
- "JAM FILLED IS DROPPING ANCHOR IN HALIFAX!". Jam Filled Entertainment. September 23, 2019.
- "DKP acquired by U.S. animator". Playback Magazine. March 29, 2004. Retrieved August 27, 2011.
- "Liberty Media to acquire IDT Entertainment". IDT. May 16, 2006. Archived from the original on 23 July 2011. Retrieved August 27, 2011.
- Lacey, Liam (March 24, 2011). "Animation company aims for 3D without nausea and headaches". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved August 27, 2011.
- "New Starz studio busy on Burton's 9". Playback Magazine. Retrieved 2007-09-17.
- Vlessing, Etan (April 13, 2011). "Starz Animation Studio Renamed Arc Productions". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 27, 2011.
- Valiquette, Mike (August 1, 2016). "BREAKING NEWS: Arc Productions Files for Bankruptcy". Retrieved August 2, 2016.
- "Jam Filled looks to acquire Arc Productions assets".
- Wolfe, Jennifer (August 22, 2016). "Jam Filled Entertainment Acquires Arc Productions". Animation World Network. Retrieved September 11, 2016.
- Zahed, Ramin (February 6, 2012). "Arc is on Board HIT's 'Thomas & Friends'". Animation Magazine. Retrieved February 8, 2012.
- Vlessing, Etan (June 6, 2011). "Arc To Animate 3D TV For Platinum and Endemol". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 20, 2013.
- "Arc to Provide Visual Effects for 'Halo 4'". Animation World Network.
- "Lego Marvel Super Heroes: Maximum Overload".
- "King of the Railway (Thomas and Friends)". Barnes & Noble. Retrieved December 16, 2012.
- Strom, Marc (November 12, 2015). "TV ULTRON CRASHES THE PARTY IN FIRST 'LEGO MARVEL SUPER HEROES: AVENGERS REASSEMBLED!' CLIP". Marvel. Archived from the original on January 8, 2017. Retrieved January 7, 2017.