Mainframe: Going down the tubes?

[KnuxSonic]

Is it just me or is Mainframe, previously one of the best animation companies around, dying a slow and horrible death? Their last decent work was Spider-man and it seems the past 3 or 4 years they've been content on releasing direct-to-video movies for children which recieve little if any attention at all.

Why is a company that pulled of such feats as ReBoot, Beast Wars, War Planets etc. suddenly focusing on the "Ages 3-7" demographic?

ReBoot v4 was just released on DVD recently along with Beast Wars and there is not a single word about it on their website. However they are pretty big on pushing their Barbie, Popeye and Scary Godmother DVDs, though I doubt any of those will see very high sales. Their website, once a glorious land of information is becoming as stale as it gets and they seem to be resorting to doing odd jobs like CGI for the MTV awards. They've also been working on a CGI IMAX film as long as I can remember (at least 5 or 6 years).

It was mentioned that if the ReBoot DVD sales were high, they would be interested in continuing/finishing the series, but will there be a company left to attempt something like that in a few years time?

[Artimus Gigan]

Mainframe has been disbanded if I rmember correctly

[lostrune]

Mainframe has been disbanded if I rmember correctly

Bought by IDT Media (http://news.awn.com/index.php?ltype=search&range=all&search=idt&newsitem_no=9196).

But many of the old guard, including those who produced Reboot, had already left.

[Mad Monkey 7]

Mainframe is still around, their just making the new 3-D Popeye special for Fox as well as a new Inspector Gadget direct to DVD film for DIC.

[wrenchien]

popeye and gadget in 3-d ... wow.

i'd be worried about this. disney has managed proper live action editions of both in the past, to add in the debate (perhaps) but somehow, i'd like to remain to believe, that 2-d best captures the craziness both popeye and gadget have brought to two different eras of fandom... that 3-d probably wouldn't correctly capture.

[loyalheart]

this is kinda on topic but i heard PAX is talking with a canadian company about a merge/takeover i wonder if it's IDT

btw, where did the ones who left Reboot go?

[Wanted]

Maybe they faded into normal Canadian life. I don't know, but other ReBoot fans should.

[Pic1360]

Some of their works was in the video "Beyond The Mind's Eye" (1992)

[KnuxSonic]

this is kinda on topic but i heard PAX is talking with a canadian company about a merge/takeover i wonder if it's IDT

btw, where did the ones who left Reboot go?I remember something about some of them moving to California and starting up their own CGI studio but I've not seen/heard anything of that for a year or two.

Also, found this quote from March of this year on TVshowsonDVD.com:

"Yesterday I spent some time talking to the person in charge of licensing at Mainframe Entertainment, and I asked her a few questions about ReBoot. The show still performs well in reruns and she has hopes that it may be relaunched sometime down the road, either as a movie or another TV series."

http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/newsitem.cfm?NewsID=1206

So apperently they have (or hope to have) enough talent/cash to continue/finish ReBoot at some point but after that, they really have nothing left as they don't seeem to be intent on creating new stuff.

Their website lists a Tony Hawk cartoon in the works, but it's said that for well over a year now, anyone heard anything on that?