Rough Draft Studios, Inc. is an American animation studio based in Glendale, California, with a sister studio Rough Draft Korea located in Seoul, South Korea. The studio was founded in Van Nuys, Los Angeles by Gregg Vanzo in 1991.
Rough Draft Studios and its divisions have produced specials, commercials and direct-to-video work for companies such as Warner Bros. Animation, Cartoon Network Studios, 20th Television Animation, MTV Animation, Film Roman, Disney Television Animation and Nickelodeon Animation Studio.
Founding Rough Draft Studios was founded in a Van Nuys, Los Angeles, California garage by Gregg and Nikki Vanzo. While working on The Ren & Stimpy Show as a contractor for Spümcø, Nikki approached series creator John Kricfalusi, about taking the animation to South Korea, in order to avoid ballooning costs from working with Bob Jaques at Carbunkle Cartoons as well as low-quality work from Lacewood Productions. Nikki founded and runs Rough Draft Korea, which initially produced animation for Ren & Stimpy; they worked on a majority of the series' episodes after the first season.
Growth in business After working on The Ren & Stimpy Show, many other shows requested the assistance of Rough Draft Korea in animation and ink & paint. In 1992, Rough Draft Studios had produced animation for its first feature film, FernGully: The Last Rainforest. In the same year, the studio began producing animation for The Simpsons and then for Beavis and Butt-Head in 1993. Also in 1993, Gregg's brother Scott Vanzo was brought on board. Rough Draft Korea quickly built a strong portfolio in the animation business with shows like their first series produced outside of South Korea, The Maxx in 1995, which was nominated for an Annie Award. Claudia Katz, who had joined Rough Draft Studios in 1994 to produce The Maxx, and Rich Moore, joining in 1995 after having worked with Gregg on The Simpsons, completed the core of a Rough Draft Studios which would help "drive the cartoon boom of the late ‘90s". It was also in 1995 that Rough Draft Studios moved to Glendale, California, where they enjoyed further success. Peter Avanzino, who was acquainted with the studio during his career, joined in 1998 and stayed a director at the studio.
Technology Rough Draft Studios is known for its blending of 2-D with computer animation, or non-photorealistic rendering which it first used on The Maxx and further utilized with Matt Groening's projects like Futurama, The Simpsons Movie, a few episodes of The Simpsons after the film and Disenchantment.
Filmography Rough Draft Studios Most projects produced by Rough Draft Studios, Inc. in Glendale, California are also animated overseas by Rough Draft Korea Co., Ltd. in Seoul, South Korea.
TV series Show Year(s) Client Notes 1990s The Maxx 1995 MTV Animation Futurama 1999–2003; 2008–2013; 2023–present The Curiosity Company20th Television Animation 2000s Baby Blues 2000 Warner Bros. Animation 5 episodes Star Wars: Clone Wars 2003–2005 LucasfilmCartoon Network Studios Drawn Together 2004–2007 Double-Hemm ProductionsComedy Partners Korgoth of Barbaria 2006 Williams Street TV pilot Sit Down Shut Up! 2009 Adelaide Productions20th Century Fox Television 2010s Good Vibes 2011 Rough House PicturesWarner Horizon TelevisionMTV Production Development "Pilot" Napoleon Dynamite 2012 Hess FilmsScully Productions20th Century Fox Television Full English Two Brothers Pictures Coffin Dodgers 2013 Williams Street TV pilot Clash-a-Rama 2015–present Tolerable EntertainmentSupercell Web series Tarantula 2017 Rough House PicturesSolid BrassStudio T Disenchantment 2018–2023 The ULULU CompanyNetflix 2020s Fired on Mars 2023 Pat & Mike ProductionsNN Productions Ted TBA Universal Global TelevisionMRCFuzzy Door Productions
Films/specials Title Year Client Notes 1990s The Thief and the Cobbler 1992 The Completion Bond Company ink-and-paint RoboCop 3 1993 Orion Pictures "Johnny Rehab" commercial animation 2000s Whizzard of Ow 2003 Warner Bros. Animation theatrical short Duck Dodgers: Attack of the Drones 2004 theatrical shortproduced in 2003 Futurama: Bender's Big Score 2007 The Curiosity Company20th Century Fox Television direct-to-video Futurama: The Beast with a Billion Backs 2008 Futurama: Bender's Game The Pink Panther 2 2009 Metro-Goldwyn-MayerColumbia Pictures opening title sequence only Futurama: Into the Wild Green Yonder The Curiosity Company20th Century Fox Television direct-to-video 2010s How Murray Saved Christmas 2014 Universal Television TV special 2020s King Star King!/!/!/ 2023 Williams Street TV special
Other The Simpsons - "Deep, Deep Trouble" music video (overseas animation provided by Anivision) MADtv - Spy vs. Spy shorts 2003 Wendy's "Go Wild" and Sprint “Duck Naked” commercials starring the Looney Tunes characters, promoting Looney Tunes: Back in Action 59th Primetime Emmy Awards - Brian and Stewie Griffin opening number Gravity Falls - "Weirdmageddon 3: Take Back The Falls" (ShackTron CG animation) Futurama: Worlds of Tomorrow DuckTales - "Moonvasion!" (additional animation)
Rough Draft Korea
Rough Draft Korea, RDS' sister studio based in Seoul, South Korea, has produced animation for the following series, features and specials:
TV series Show Year(s) Client Notes 1990s The Ren & Stimpy Show 1992–1995 SpümcøGames Animation The Simpsons 1992–present Gracie FilmsFilm Roman (1992–2016)20th Television Animation (2016–present) season 4–present Beavis and Butt-Head 1993–1997;2011 MTV Animation The Critic 1994–1995 Gracie FilmsFilm Roman The Brothers Grunt A.k.a. Cartoon Timon & Pumbaa 1995 Walt Disney Television Animation 8 shorts Eek! Stravaganza Film Roman Klutter! segments only The Twisted Tales of Felix the Cat 1995–1996 The Nanny 1995 TriStar Television "Oy to the World" Rocko's Modern Life 1996 Joe Murray ProductionsGames Animation "Fatal Contraption" and season 4 onlywith Sunwoo Entertainment Dexter's Laboratory 1996–1999;2001–2003 Hanna-Barbera (1996–1998)Cartoon Network Studios (2001–2003) Pinky and the Brain 1996–1998 Warner Bros. Animation Jumanji 1996 Adelaide Productions 6 episodes of season 1 What a Cartoon! 1996–1997 Cartoon Network Studios "Buy One, Get One Free*", "The Zoonatiks, in Home Sweet Home" King of the Hill 1997–2001 Deedle-Dee ProductionsJudgemental Films3 Arts Entertainment20th Television Animation 30 episodes The Angry Beavers Gunther-Wahl ProductionsNickelodeon Animation Studio Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child 1997 HBO 8 episodes of season 2 Johnny Bravo Hanna-Barbera Season 1 alongside Sunwoo Entertainment Cow and Chicken 1997–1999 I Am Weasel 1997–2000 Daria 1998 MTV Animation Season 2 CatDog 1998–2001 Peter Hannan Productions Nickelodeon Animation Studio with Saerom Animation Oh Yeah! Cartoons 1998–2001 Frederator Studios The Powerpuff Girls 1998–2005 Hanna-Barbera (1998–2001)Cartoon Network Studios (2002–2005) Dilbert 1999–2000 Adelaide Productions 11 episodes SpongeBob SquarePants 1999–present United Plankton PicturesNickelodeon Animation Studio ChalkZone 1999–2000 Frederator Studios season 1 Dragon Tales 1999–2005 Adelaide Productions Season 2 And 3 2000s Family Guy 2000–2001 Fuzzy Door Productions20th Television Animation eight episodes of season 2 (production order) The Cartoon Cartoon Show Cartoon Network Studios Sammy 2000 Adelaide Productions Jackie Chan Adventures 2000–2002 13 episodes of seasons 1 and 2 Sheep in the Big City Curious Pictures The Oblongs 2001 Film Roman Samurai Jack 2001–2004;2017 Cartoon Network Studios seasons 1-4 and "XCVIII" Grim & Evil 2001–2004 Harold and the Purple Crayon Adelaide Productions Kim Possible 2002–2007 Walt Disney Television Animation 22 episodes Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law 2002–2003 Williams Street episodes 2-9 Whatever Happened to... Robot Jones? Cartoon Network Studios 3-South Hentemann FilmsWarner Bros. Animation MTV Animation Clone High Touchstone TelevisionDoozerLord Miller ProductionsNelvana My Life as a Teenage Robot 2002–2006 Frederator StudiosNickelodeon Animation Studio Codename: Kids Next Door 2002–2008 Curious Pictures The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy 2001–2006 Cartoon Network Studios seasons 1–5 Evil Con Carne 2001–2004 Danny Phantom 2004–2007 Billionfold Inc. Nickelodeon Animation Studio American Dad! 2005 Underdog ProductionsFuzzy Door Productions20th Television Animation Unaired pilot episode only The Life & Times of Juniper Lee 2005–2007 Cartoon Network Studios Catscratch Nickelodeon Animation Studio Camp Lazlo 2005–2008 Cartoon Network Studios Sunday Pants 2005 "Periwinkle Around the World" The X's 2005–2006 Nickelodeon Animation Studio Squirrel Boy 2006–2007 Cartoon Network Studios Korgoth of Barbaria 2006 Williams Street TV pilot American Dragon: Jake Long 2006–2007 Walt Disney Television Animation Season 2 Class of 3000 2006–2008 Cartoon Network Studios 14 episodes Random! Cartoons 2006–2007 Frederator Studios Nickelodeon Animation Studio The Modifyers 2007 TV pilot Tom and Jerry Tales 2007–2008 Warner Bros. Animation 5 episodes of season 2 Phineas and Ferb 2007–2012 Disney Television Animation Seasons 1-3 The Replacements 2008–2009 Season 2 The Mighty B! 2008–2011 Paper Kite ProductionsPolka Dot PicturesNickelodeon Animation Studio The Cartoonstitute 2009 Cartoon Network Studios 2010s Adventure Time 2010–2018 Frederator Studios Cartoon Network Studios with Saerom Animation Sym-Bionic Titan 2010–2011 Orphanage Animation Studios The Looney Tunes Show 2011–2013 Warner Bros. Animation Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated 2012 "The Night the Clown Cried" and "The Night the Clown Cried II" Gravity Falls 2012–2016 Disney Television Animation 23 episodes Ben 10: Omniverse 2012–2014 Cartoon Network Studios Nickelodeon Animated Shorts Program 2013–2018 Nickelodeon Animation Studio "Bug Salad", "Ice Station Zedonk", "Magic Children Doing Things", "Someone Needs to Stop Aunt Phyllis", "Camp Weedonwantcha" Uncle Grandpa 2013–2017 Cartoon Network Studios Steven Universe 2013–2019 with Sunmin Image Pictures Star vs. the Forces of Evil 2015–2019 Disney Television Animation "Blood Moon Ball", Season 2 until season 4 We Bare Bears 2015–2019 Cartoon Network Studios with Saerom Animation Wabbit 2015–2016 Warner Bros. Animation Season 1 Bug Salad 2016 Nickelodeon Animation Studio web shorts Billy Dilley's Super-Duper Subterranean Summer 2017 Disney Television Animation Craig of the Creek 2017–2025 Cartoon Network Studios Summer Camp Island 2017–2023 Big City Greens 2018–present Disney Television Animation with Sugarcube Animation Amphibia 2019–2022 with Saerom Animation and Sunmin Image Pictures Steven Universe Future 2019–2020 Cartoon Network Studios with Sunmin Image Pictures 2020s The Owl House 2020–2023 Disney Television Animation with Sunmin Image Pictures and Sugarcube Animation Chibi Tiny Tales 2020–present interstitial series Tig n' Seek 2020–2022 Cartoon Network Studios Kamp Koral: SpongeBob's Under Years 2021 United Plankton PicturesNickelodeon Animation Studio "Kitchen Sponge", "Outhouse Outrage", "Help Not Wanted", and "Mermaid Men and Barnacle Boys" (2D sequences only) The Patrick Star Show 2021–present We Baby Bears 2022–present Cartoon Network Studios with Saerom Animation Chibiverse 2022–present Disney Television Animation with Saerom Animation Hailey's On It! 2023–2024 with Saerom Animation Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake 2023 Cartoon Network StudiosFrederator Studios Season 1; with Saerom Animation Jessica's Big Little World 2023–2024 Cartoon Network Studios with Saerom AnimationCartoon Cartoons2026“Afternoon Super”, “Greetings From Samson” and "Unlovable"
Films/specials