Walden Media, LLC or Walden Media is an American film and television investor, distributor, and publishing, and production company founded in 2000 by Micheal Flaherty and Cary Granat. Its films are based on children's literature, biographies or historical events, as well as documentaries and some original screenplays.
The corporate headquarters of Walden Media are located in Los Angeles, California. The company is owned by the Christian conservative Philip Anschutz, who has said he expects their movies "to be entertaining, but also to be life affirming and to carry a moral message."
Walden Media operates Walden Pond Press, a joint venture with HarperCollins, which publishes middle grade books.
Company history[]
Walden Media was founded in 2000 by Micheal Flaherty and Cary Granat as a movie, television, publishing and Internet enterprise whose goal is to teach and entertain kids. Granat was president of Miramax's Dimension Films division, and Flaherty came from the world of education. The two were housemates at Tufts University before following different paths, and later reunited to form the company.
The company's notable releases include Holes in 2003, Because of Winn-Dixie in 2005, Charlotte's Web in 2006, Bridge to Terabithia, in 2007, three adaptations of The Chronicles of Narnia in 2005, 2008 and 2010, Ramona and Beezus in 2010, and both A Dog's Purpose and Wonder in 2017. All of these films are adaptations of popular children's books.
In late 2001, Anschutz Entertainment Group purchased a majority stake in the company, leaving the founders as minority shareholders.
Walden Media signed a marketing partnership with 20th Century Fox in 2006 under the Fox Walden name. Several movies flopped under the partnership, so in October 2008, Fox Walden reduced its staffing.
In March 2008, Michael Bostick, formerly of Imagine Films, was hired as creative officer. Cary Granat was released from his co-CEO title effective December 1, 2008, with Bostick replacing him. Walden Media created a joint publishing venture with HarperCollins during the same year called Walden Pond Press.
Frank Smith was named CEO in 2013 after working with the company for ten years. Prior to joining the Anschutz Film Group, Smith worked at New Line Cinema/Fine Line Features.
Education program[]
Walden Media is unique among film production and distribution companies in that it works with teachers, museums, and national organizations to develop supplemental educational programs and materials associated with its films and the original events and/or novels that inspire the films.
Walden Media offers in-class teaching tools like educational guides and teacher kits and sponsors seminars and forums for teachers to discuss their practice and to share ideas on using media in the classroom. Directors, writers, and stars of the productions participate in these events.
In 2006, Walden Media sponsored the "Break the World Reading Record with Charlotte's Web". At noon on Wednesday, December 13, 547,826 readers in 2,451 locations, 50 states and 28 countries read an excerpt from Charlotte's Web, breaking the world record of 155,528 students from 737 schools in the United Kingdom who read William Wordsworth's poem, "Daffodils" in 2004.
Filmography[]
| Type of film | |
|---|---|
| A | Animated film |
| H | Live-action and animated film |
| L | Live-action film |
| D | Documentary film |
Feature films[]
| Title | Release date | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| L | Holes | April 18, 2003 | co-production with Walt Disney Pictures, Phoenix Pictures and Chicago Pacific Entertainment |
| L | Around the World in 80 Days | June 16, 2004 | co-production with Walt Disney Pictures, Spanknyce Films, and Mostow/Lieberman Productions |
| L | I Am David | December 3, 2004 | co-production with Lionsgate and Film and General |
| D | Aliens of the Deep | January 28, 2005 | co-production with Walt Disney Pictures and Earthship Productions |
| L | Because of Winn-Dixie | February 18, 2005 | co-production with 20th Century Fox |
| L | The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe | December 9, 2005 | co-production with Walt Disney Pictures |
| L | Hoot | May 5, 2006 | co-produced by New Line Cinema and The Kennedy/Marshall Company |
| L | How to Eat Fried Worms | August 25, 2006 | co-production with New Line Cinema and Gran Via Productions |
| L | Charlotte's Web | December 15, 2006 | co-production with Paramount Pictures, The K Entertainment Company, and Nickelodeon Movies |
| L | Bridge to Terabithia | February 16, 2007 | co-production with Walt Disney Pictures |
| L | The Seeker: The Dark is Rising | October 5, 2007 | co-production with 20th Century Fox |
| L | Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium | November 16, 2007 | co-production with 20th Century Fox and Mandate Pictures |
| L | The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep | December 25, 2007 | co-production with Columbia Pictures, Revolution Studios, Strike Entertainment, Ecosse Films, Weta Workshop and Beacon Pictures the |
| L | Nim's Island | April 4, 2008 | co-production with 20th Century Fox (North America), Universal Pictures (Germany, Latin America, Spain, United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand) and Summit Entertainment (International) |
| L | The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian | May 16, 2008 | co-production with Walt Disney Pictures |
| L | Journey to the Center of the Earth | July 11, 2008 | co-production with New Line Cinema |
| L | City of Ember | October 10, 2008 | co-production with 20th Century Fox and Playtone |
| L | Bandslam | August 14, 2009 | co-produced by Summit Entertainment |
| L | Charlotte's Web 2 | December 25, 2009 | co-production with Paramount Pictures, Columbia Pictures, Sony Pictures Animation, Nickelodeon Movies and The K Entertainment Company |
| L | Tooth Fairy | January 22, 2010 | co-production with 20th Century Fox, Mayhem Pictures, Blumhouse Productions and Dune Entertainment |
| L | Ramona and Beezus | July 23, 2010 | co-production with 20th Century Fox, Di Novi Pictures and Dune Entertainment |
| D | Waiting for "Superman" | September 24, 2010 | co-production with Paramount Vantage and Participant Media |
| L | The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader | December 10, 2010 | co-production with 20th Century Fox and Dune Entertainment |
| L | Journey 2: The Mysterious Island | February 10, 2012 | co-production with Warner Bros. Pictures, New Line Cinema and Contrafilm |
| L | Tooth Fairy 2 | March 6, 2012 | co-production with 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment |
| L | Won't Back Down | September 28, 2012 | co-production with 20th Century Fox and Gran Via Productions |
| L | Chasing Mavericks | October 26, 2012 | co-production with 20th Century Fox |
| L | Parental Guidance | December 25, 2012 | co-production with 20th Century Fox, Chernin Entertainment, Face Productions and Dune Entertainment |
| L | Return to Nim's Island | March 15, 2013 | co-production with ARC Entertainment |
| L | Dear Dumb Diary | September 6, 2013 | co-production with ARC Entertainment, Zucker Productions, and Triple D Productions |
| L | The Giver | August 15, 2014 | co-production with The Weinstein Company |
| L | Everest | September 18, 2015 | co-production with Universal Pictures, Cross Creek Pictures, and Working Title Films |
| L | The BFG | July 1, 2016 | co-production with Walt Disney Pictures, Amblin Entertainment, Reliance Entertainment and The Kennedy/Marshall Company |
| L | The Resurrection of Gavin Stone | January 20, 2017 | co-production with Blumhouse Tilt, WWE Studios, and Vertical Church Films |
| L | A Dog's Purpose | January 27, 2017 | co-production with Universal Pictures, Amblin Entertainment, Reliance Entertainment, and Pariah Entertainment Group |
| L | Wonder | November 17, 2017 | co-production with Lionsgate, Participant Media, and Mandeville Films |
| A | The Star | co-production with Columbia Pictures, Sony Pictures Animation, Affirm Films, Franklin Entertainment, and The Jim Henson Company | |
| L | A Dog's Journey | May 17, 2019 | co-production with Universal Pictures, Amblin Entertainment, Reliance Entertainment, Alibaba Pictures, and Pariah Entertainment Group |
| H | Dora and the Lost City of Gold | August 9, 2019 | co-production with Paramount Pictures, Paramount Players, Nickelodeon Movies, Media Rights Capital, and Burr! Productions |
| L | Playing with Fire | November 8, 2019 | co-production with Paramount Pictures, Paramount Players, Nickelodeon Movies, and Broken Road Productions |
| L | A Babysitter's Guide to Monster Hunting | October 15, 2020 | co-production with The Montecito Picture Company; distributed by Netflix |
| L | Finch | November 5, 2021 | co-production with Amblin Entertainment, Reliance Entertainment, ImageMovers, and Misher Films; distributed by Apple TV+ |
| A | Rumble | December 15, 2021 | co-production with Paramount Animation, WWE Studios, and Reel FX Animation Studios; distributed by Paramount+ |
Television series[]
| Title | Years | Network | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Baby-Sitters Club | 2020-2021 | Netflix | co-production with Terrible Baby Productions, Paulilu, and Michael De Luca Productions |
| Upcoming | |||
| Manhunt | TBA | Apple TV+ | co-production with Apple Studios, Lionsgate Television, POV Entertainment and 3 Arts Entertainment |
Etymology and logo[]
The company is named after Walden Pond in Concord, Massachusetts. Its logo is a rock skipping across a pond.