Welcome to The Vault
Our legacy is our future
Explore over 107 years of iconic work
Curated by Bob Hoffman, Technicolor historian and long-standing friend of the studio
Photographer Anthony Friedkin’s image, below, was taken on the Universal Studios backlot, sometime in the late 1970s. The vault held any number of classic Technicolor 3-strip 35mm film prints, but we use it here in a metaphorical way – to suggest the value of preservation of our shared legacy and heritage. Aside from those cinematic assets in the image, we believe they represent the enduring value of the company’s celebrated past, that continues to resonate today, informing our future goals. What do we mean by legacy and heritage?
A simple web search comes-up with definitions that contextualize these concepts, “…heritage is the history, traditions, and qualities that have been passed on for many years, and that define what it is today; legacy is a current situation that exists because of actions or events in the past…”
Reflecting on Technicolor’s twelve decade-long history, we’ve chosen to create a space for those many interested parties who wish to know more about the company’s celebrated past…BUT not as an exercise in nostalgia. William Shakespeare was quite clear-eyed when he suggested, “what’s past is prologue.” Obviously, he was addressing a very different context, while author William Faulkner once quipped, “the past is never dead. In fact, it is not even past.” This notion, of how the past continues to resonate, is something we plan to explore — while not pitting the past against the present.
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Did you know?
Technicolor worked on Disney's Pinnochio (1940s). Fast-forward 80 years and MPC are working on Pinnochio 2022.
Tiffany's opened its doors on a Sunday for the first time since the 19th century so that filming for Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961) could take place inside the store.
Technicolor's 100 year anniversary was celebrated with a Hollywood Star of Recognition.
Many in-game sequences involve complex and intricate multiple character interactions, real-time WWE footage was studied in great detail for WWE 2K22.
Mowgli was the only live action actor in The Jungle Book (2016). 54 species of animals and 224 unique animals were created in CG to bring the animals to life.
Many of The Wicked Witch of the West's scenes were either trimmed or deleted entirely, as Margaret Hamilton's performance was thought to be too frightening for audiences.
The Mill worked on Nike’s ‘Write the Future’ advert for the 2010 World Cup, which had a world record of 14 million views in two weeks.
Over 5,200 feet of trenches were dug for the film 1917 (just under one mile).
In 1922, Technicolor made the front page of the New York Times with an investor claiming that in future, 10% of American films might be made in color.
The stop-motion desert scenes in The Little Prince (2015) were mostly created using paper and the Little Prince was made out of paper clay.
Technicolor Games worked on NBA 2K22 which became the #1 downloaded title on PlayStation of 2021.
Dumbo (1941) is the first and only leading character in a Disney animated feature film to have no spoken dialogue.
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The Vault
Scroll through major moments in our iconic history.
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The Jazz Singer, the first theatrical feature film to incorporate sound using the Vitaphone system
Technicolor worked on the first ever all-talking, all-2-color film 'On with the Show!'
Audiences found the combination of color, sound and music irresistible, and in 1929 Technicolor signed with Warner Bros for twenty all-color feature films
Technicolor add color to Walt Disney’s short cartoon Flowers and Trees, the first film to use Technicolor's new and improved three-strip process
Disney's 1933 Technicolor success, Three Little Pigs is released
Natalie Kalmus was a trailblazing woman who headed the color consultancy department
During the 1935-1936 production season, Technicolor's volume of release print footage increases from 22 million to over 37 million feet of film
The first feature-length movie shot entirely in three-strip Technicolor, Becky Sharp
Shirley Temple presents Walt Disney with an honorary Academy Award for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
3-strip Technicolor was a huge success and it ushered in a golden period for Technicolor
The Adventures of Robin Hood was the first full-length feature film from Warner Bros. to use the three-strip Technicolor process
Gone with the Wind is the first all-color production to win the Academy Award for Best Picture
Meet Me in St. Louis
The legendary 1954 White Christmas, filmed in Technicolor
Following World War 2, Technicolor reaffirmed its place as the industry benchmark. That never changed from the late 1930s onward and inclusive of the ‘50s
In Hollywood, director Alfred Hitchcock created his Technicolor masterpieces including North by Northwest and Vertigo
The 1960s saw the dramatic growth of television, leading to motion pictures being shown on screen at home
Shortly after his retirement, Dr. Kalmus became one of the few non-performers to be honored on the Hollywood Boulevard's 'Walk of Fame'
Babes in Toyland
The Disney adaptation was the second filmed version of this operetta and the first to hit theatres in Technicolor. It was Walt Disney’s first foray into live-action musicals, and he was looking to achieve the “yellow brick” gold standard set by the The Wizard of Oz in 1939.
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer brought to life with the Technicolor coloring process!
Francis Ford Coppola & Warren Beatty signify the future direction with the help of Technicolor
Technicolor ceased dye-transfer printing in the 1970s and completed the transition to modern color film processing.
Scrooge
This is an Academy Award nominated musical adaptation of Charles Dickens’ classic holiday tale, A Christmas Carol. It starred Albert Finney in the title role, for which he won a Golden Globe award, and was photographed by acclaimed cinematographer Oswald Morris, BSC.
The introduction of high-speed bulk release-printing first facilitated by Technicolor
Technicolor introduces the new silver-retention process on Warren Beatty’s 'Reds'
Gremlins
A clip of It’s a Wonderful Life appears in this film, but that’s where these two small-town holiday-themed stories’ similarities end. Technicolor worked on this Warner Bros. release just as the horror/comedy genre was taking off.
Scrooged! A Technicolor lab production
The Mill opened in Soho as the world’s first fully digital VFX house for advertising
Edward Scissor Hands
Did you know that in this Technicolor sound service classic: The idea for the movie was inspired by a drawing Tim Burton had done when he was a teenager.
The Muppet Christmas Carol
The Nightmare Before Christmas
The Nightmare Before Christmas is a 1993 American stop-motion animated musical dark fantasy film directed by Henry Selick and produced and conceived by Tim Burton with Prints by Technicolor.
The Mill stepped into feature films with Mill Film, founded by Robin Sheffield and Pat Joseph
How The Grinch Stole Christmas
A Christmas Classic - How The Grinch Stole Christmas is one of the many classics that with Technicolor sound services
Visual effects facility Mill Film (The Mill) pick up an Oscar at the 73rd Academy Awards for ‘Best Visual Effects’ for ‘Gladiator’
A leader in digital technologies, Thomson SA maintains its legacy of innovation by aquiring Technicolor
Technicolor creates stand-alone division devoted to digital intermediate production
MPC Advertising (now The Mill) add VFX to Madonna’s music video ‘Die Another Day’
Eight Crazy Nights
The Mill expands locations with opening of Los Angeles office
The Holiday
A Technicolor Digital intermediate Christmas Classic!
The iconic Cadbury’s ‘Gorilla’ campaign featuring VFX from MPC Advertising (The Mill)
Fred Claus
MPC carried out a significant number of shots for the project, with the main areas of work including; the creation of a computer-generated North Pole city, extending the Snow Globe environment and augmenting crowds of CG Elves staffing Santa’s toyshop and living in the North Pole.
Mikros Image wins the Palme d’Or at Cannes Film Festival for Laurent Cantet’s film 'Entre les murs'
The Mill receives two BAFTAs for Visual Effects for work on the Return of Dr Who
Nickelodeon awards Technicolor’s Bangalore-based animation studio, Paprikaas, the Kung Fu Panda TV series
Technicolor provides services to support Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 record opening
MPC win BAFTA for Special Visual Effects on Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
Gravity
Technicolor’s teams in Hollywood and London supported the London-based production and post-production of Alfonso Cuarón's Gravity.
Picture and sound post-production on Romeo and Juliet
Technicolor completes picture and sound post-production on new adaptation of Romeo and Juliet directed by Carlo Carlei
MR. X (MPC) wins Canadian Screen Award for Achievement in Visual Effects for The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones
MR. X (MPC) wins Canadian Screen Award for Best Visual Effects in a TV Program for Vikings
Birdman
Technicolor develop a specific post-production workflow geared to the precise needs of the production of Director Alejandro Inarritu’s new film, Birdman
Technicolor celebrates 100 years of creative technology with a Hollywood star of recognition
Technicolor Provides Sound Services for Ted 2
Seth MacFarlane’s hilariously foul-mouthed teddy bear is back in the spotlight for Ted 2.
The Little Prince marks Mikros Animation's first collaboration on an international project
MR. X (MPC) wins Canadian Screen Award for Achievement in Visual Effects for Pompeii
SONIC BOOM™ launches: a co-production between SEGA of America, Inc. & Mikros Animation
Ben-Hur Chariot Sequence Races to the Winner’s Circle With Help from MR.X (MPC)
Technicolor’s VFX studio Mr.X (now MPC) delivered over 500 visually-stunning shots for Ben-Hur’s signature chariot race.
The first international feature for Mikros Animation - Release of Captain Underpants: The Epic Movie
First collaboration between Mikros Animation and Technicolor Animation Productions
on an animation episodic project: Team DroniX
Captain Underpants: The Epic Movie is nominated at VES in the category “Outstanding Visual Effects in an Animated Feature”
MPC Advertising (The Mill) partner with adam&eveDDB on the Elton John starring John Lewis campaign 'The Boy & The Piano'
MR. X (MPC) wins Canadian Screen Award for Best Visual Effects in a TV Program for Vikings
MR. X (MPC) Provides Knockout Visual Effects for Creed II
MR. X (now MPC) brings scope – massive crowds – and excitement to the Rocky-inspired feature’s thrilling boxing scenes and final showdown.
Outernet Global partners with Technicolor for the Future of Immersive Entertainment
Worldwide co-production and innovation partnership paves the way for high capacity, location-based experiences at major city destinations.
Stunning visuals add gripping detail and drama to Chernobyl
Technicolor’s role in dramatizing the nuclear disaster was to make it look and feel disturbingly real for the viewer.
MPC Advertising (The Mill) partner with Ridley Scott for Hennessy ‘Seven Worlds’ adventure
The Lion King Comes Roaring Back to Life
Technicolor’s MPC Film collaborated with the filmmakers of Disney’s The Lion King to bring the beloved story and its characters back to the big screen in a whole new way.
Building the Steampunk Fantasy World of Carnival Row
VFX Supervisor Matt Glover discusses MR. X’s work on the Amazon Prime series, starring Orlando Bloom and a cast of mythical creatures and Victorian characters.
LEGO’s ‘Rebuild The World’ Campaign
Follow the White Rabbit and Enter a World Where Limitless Imagination Comes to Life
At Technicolor, Surviving Zombies is more than a Game
Technicolor Games partnered with Capcom to deliver more realistic nightmarish creatures on Resident Evil 2 remake.
Technicolor’s The Mill and MPC Are Named Top Two UK Post Facilities in Survey
This is The Mill’s 11th year in a row taking the top spot in the annual Televisual Facilities 50 survey.
MPC Advertising (now The Mill) launches the award-winning Festive campaign for Burberry, which goes on to win 100+ awards
The One and Only Ivan
MPC Film brings Virtual Production, Character Design and Animation expertise to Disney’s The One and Only Ivan.
The Mill opens boutique studio in the heart of Berlin
The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run: A Visual Feast of Color, Comedy and Animated Fun
Technicolor provided a full range of services with close collaboration across creative studios, including animation by Mikros Animation, VFX by MR. X (MPC) and color by Technicolor Picture Post.
Replay the Super Bowl Ads with Game-Changing Work from The Mill
Technicolor’s award-winning creative studios worked on over 20 spots for the big game.
Asterix: The Secret of the Magic Potion becomes the all-time best performer in France box office
MR. X (MPC) receives Academy Award Nomination for Best Visual Effects for Love and Monsters
MPC Advertising (now The Mill) awarded the first ever Gold Cannes Lion for Color Grade
MPC delivers Bold and Rebellious VFX for Cruella
Disney’s live-action feature about one of cinema’s most notorious villains is set against a 1970’s London punk rock backdrop.
Mikros Animation brings cinematic talents to PAW Patrol: The Movie
Heroic pups of the Spin Master global franchise hit the big screen for the first time in full CGI cinematic animation.
Technicolor Games scores again for EA with FIFA 22
Technicolor Games collaboration with Electronic Arts (EA) began back in 2008, and the team has worked on every FIFA edition released since FIFA 2009.
Technicolor Games works on NBA 2K22, which becomes #1 downloaded title on Playstation in 2021
Technicolor Games solidifies footprint in the video games market with continued expansion
Bringing Back the World’s Favorite Hedgehog in: Sonic the Hedgehog 2
Paramount Pictures and director Jeff Fowler teams up with MPC to bring a fully CGI Sonic to life, completing over 1400 shots for the movie and its iconic character.
Season 1 Of Gus, The Itsy Bitsy Knight, from Mikros Animation, is still conquering charts
MPC Wins ‘Outstanding Animated Character in a Photoreal Feature’ VES Award for Finch
MPC wins Canadian Screen Award for Best Visual Effects in a TV Program for Vikings
MPC wins Genie Award for Best VFX in Around the World in 80 Days
Around the World in 80 Days Soars with VFX from MPC bringing historical reality and visual sweep to Jules Verne’s globe-spanning adventure.
Live-action meets Animation meets Photo-Real CGI in Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers
MPC’s “jet-packed” mission was to deliver a seamless blend of media styles for the Disney+ feature while orchestrating a massive team of artists from around the world.
Prometheus VFX revealed
Come behind the VFX magic of Ridley Scott’s latest feature
