Fox’s Bento Box partners with Princess Pictures for new Australian animation division

Bob’s Burgers

Fox Entertainment’s LA-based animation studio Bento Box Entertainment has linked up with Aussie production company Princess Pictures to launch a new division down under.

Princess Bento Studio will be based out of Melbourne, Australia, and will be overseen by the Bento Box and Princess management teams, although details have not yet been confirmed.

Bento Box, which was acquired by Fox in 2019, is behind shows including Apple TV+’s Central Park and Bob’s Burgers for Fox, while Princess Pictures has produced adult animation Koala Man and is behind Chris Lilley-starring Summer Heights High.

Laura Waters & Scott Greenberg

The new division’s creation comes after Princess and Fox struck a first-look development deal last year to work together on animated content from Australian-based creators. Bento Box will continue to operate its studios in LA and Atlanta.

“While closely working with everyone at Princess Pictures over the past year, my team and I immediately saw a natural fit between our two companies,” said Scott Greenberg, co-founder & CEO of Bento Box.

“With growing demand for animated content, a shared passion for the type of programming we want to make and a short-hand that perfectly complements our individual strengths, it was clear to us joining forces to set up shop in talent-rich Australia with Princess Bento will take our partnership to the next level and bring strategic benefits to both companies and, most importantly, creators and buyers around the world.”

Laura Waters, founder of Princess Pictures, added: “Working with Bento Box has been one of the most creatively rewarding experiences in the history of Princess Pictures. Not only have we been able to promote some of the best animation talent in the country, we’ve also been able to create a pipeline for new combinations of artists, comedians and underrepresented writing talent to develop uniquely Australian stories.”

The launch of Princess Bento Studio, which is being supported via Film Victoria’s recently announced Victorian Screen Incentive, follows a recent boom in adult animation.