Japan’s anime industry is experiencing a significant transformation as TMS Entertainment has announced the dissolution of its historic studio and the absorption of the production company Telecom Animation Film. This strategic decision is aimed at addressing Telecom’s substantial financial losses in 2025, with TMS set to take over the studio’s rights and production responsibilities while maintaining Telecom as a division within the parent company.
According to the merger announcement, Telecom incurred losses of ¥346 million ($2.23M USD) for the financial year ending in March 2025, while TMS distributed dividends amounting to ¥2.091 million. The studio being dissolved has its roots in TMS, established back in 1975.
The extent to which this move will affect Telecom staff remains unclear. The merger will integrate TMS-branded, Telecom-produced properties such as the classic Detective Conan and Lupin the IIIrd franchises, along with recent successes like Blue Box. This places them alongside TMS hits like Dr. Stone and Sakamoto Days, amidst an industry grappling with critical labor shortages fueled by the rising global demand for anime content.
Telecom Animation Film has played a significant role in the Lupin the IIIrd universe, contributing to an OVA series, four television anime series, and seven films (including Hayao Miyazaki’s The Castle of Cagliostro), with its latest offering being the feature film The Immortal Bloodline. The studio is also well-known for its collaborations with the esteemed Studio Ghibli, helping introduce digital painting and CG techniques in productions such as Princess Mononoke, The Wind Rises, Spirited Away, Porco Rosso, Laputa: Castle in the Sky, and more. Recent anime projects from the studio also include Blue Box, Rick and Morty: The Anime, Tower of God, Mary and the Witch’s Flower, and the self-produced feature Blue Thermal.
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Telecom has also made valuable contributions to numerous Western animation classics, including retro DIC titles like Inspector Gadget, Heathcliff, and Rainbow Brite, as well as Disney’s Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers, Gargoyles, and DuckTales, WB’s Tiny Toon Adventures and Animaniacs, as well as various Batman series, highlighted by the beloved Batman: The Animated Series.
[Source: Gamebiz via ScreenRant]
