United Productions of America
United Productions of America, better known as UPA, was an American animation studio and later distribution company founded in 1941 as Industrial Film and Poster Service by former Walt Disney Productions employees. Beginning with industrial and World War II training films, UPA eventually produced theatrical shorts for Columbia Pictures such as the Mr. Magoo series. In 1956, UPA produced a television series for CBS, The Boing-Boing Show, hosted by Gerald McBoing Boing. In the 1960s, UPA produced syndicated Mr. Magoo and Dick Tracy television series and other series and specials, including Mister Magoo's Christmas Carol. UPA also produced two animated features, 1001 Arabian Nights and Gay Purr-ee, and distributed Japanese films from Toho Studios in the 1970s and 1980s.
| Formerly | Industrial Film and Poster Service (1941–1945) |
|---|---|
| Industry | Animation |
| Founded | 1941 |
| Founders | Zack Schwartz David Hilberman Stephen Bosustow |
| Defunct | January 1, 2000 |
| Fate | Closed |
| Successor | DreamWorks Classics |
Key people | Robert "Bobe" Cannon John Hubley Henry G. Saperstein |
| Owner | |
| Parent | |
Universal Pictures currently owns majority of the UPA library after their acquisition of DreamWorks Animation in 2016.