Bandai Namco Pictures Inc.,^[a] also known as BN Pictures and BNP, is a Japanese animation studio. It is a spinoff of Sunrise, a subsidiary of Bandai Namco Filmworks which is owned by Bandai Namco Holdings. The company was formed as a part of the medium-term management plan of Bandai Namco Holdings on restructuring itself. All the anime intellectual property, copyright and production divisions of Sunrise that target children and family were transferred to Bandai Namco Pictures such as Sgt. Frog, the Battle Spirits series, the Aikatsu series, the Gintama series, the Zorori series among others. The company began its operations in April 2015.
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History

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On February 12, 2015, Bandai Namco Holdings announced plans to restructure itself through the usage of a three-year medium-management plan.^[1] The company sought to focus its resources on creating new intellectual properties (IPs) and marketable characters, and required faster planning and development time to satisfy these demands.^[1]^[2] Bandai Namco executives also believed it was necessary for its IP Creation content area to strengthen ties with its Toy and Hobby area, as it would lead to both strong relationships between the two divisions and allow for future product collaborations.^[2]

As part of its efforts to fulfill these obligations, Bandai Namco Pictures was established in April 2015 in Nerima, Tokyo.^[2]^[3] Headed by Masayuki Ozaki, the representative director of animation studio Sunrise, the company was to lead its parent's "Strengthen IP Creation Output" project and focus on the creation of new characters and franchises, specifically those targeted towards children and families.^[1]^[3] Bandai Namco Pictures would also work together with the Toy and Hobby division of Bandai Namco Holdings to strengthen the linkage between the two areas of the latter company.^[1]^[2]^[3] BN Pictures absorbed Sunrise's production departments and copyrights relating to children-oriented IPs, becoming a wholly owned subsidiary of Sunrise and part of Bandai Namco's IP Creation department.^[4]^[5]

The company's first project was Aikatsu!, an anime based on the Bandai trading card arcade game of the same name which had been produced by Sunrise until that point.^[3] In addition to working on pre-established franchises, Bandai Namco Pictures would produce several original projects, such as the stop-motion animation series Milpom!^[6] BN Pictures focused primarily on series and characters targeted towards children and families, though some, such as Tiger & Bunny and the Gintama series, were aimed at older audiences. The company regularly collaborates with other subsidiaries within Bandai Namco Holdings; in 2016, it partnered with Bandai Namco Entertainment to produce Dream Festival!, a multimedia franchise centered around video games and original net animations.

In August 2018, Bandai Namco Pictures opened a division in Osaka, the Bandai Namco Pictures Osaka Studio, for the purpose of digitally transferring animation to decrease production times.^[7] The company hoped the success and productivity from the Osaka Studio could allow for additional offices to be opened in Japan and eventually overseas.^[7] A year later in October, Pictures absorbed Studio Dub, an animation subcontractor established by former Sunrise animators. The acquisition renamed the company Bandai Namco Pictures Iwaki, though it continues using the name Studio Dub for its projects.

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "ム › ニュース › トレンド › 記事バンダイナムコピクチャーズ2015年4月設立サンライズがキッズ・ファミリー向けを分社化". Anime Anime (in Japanese). IID. February 12, 2015. Archived from the original on March 29, 2019. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "サンライズの一部を分社化「バンダイナムコピクチャーズ」設立「アイカツ！」などキッズ向け担当". ITMedia. February 12, 2015. Archived from the original on September 8, 2019. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Sunrise's Kids & Family IP to Spin Off Into New Bandai Namco Group Company". Anime News Network. February 12, 2015. Archived from the original on August 29, 2020. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
^ "Corporate Profile". www.bn-pictures.co.jp (in Japanese). Bandai Namco Pictures. Archived from the original on April 28, 2020. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
^ "Bandai Namco Group Integrated Report 2019". Bandai Namco Holdings. September 13, 2019. Archived from the original on May 17, 2020. Retrieved May 17, 2020.
^ Ressler, Karen (March 30, 2015). "Bandai Namco Pictures Unveils Milpom Stop-Motion Anime Project for Girls". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on December 6, 2018. Retrieved January 10, 2021.
^ ^a ^b "BNP、大阪スタジオを設立。アニメーション現場の環境整備にも着手。". OtakuIndustry.biz (in Japanese). September 7, 2018. Archived from the original on January 11, 2021. Retrieved January 10, 2021.

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