BRON, a conglomerate of Canadian companies that encompasses animation studio Bron Digital and live-action prodco Bron Studios, has just filed for bankruptcy.

Its collective portfolio of kids content output includes Netflix original animated films Klaus and The Willoughbys (pictured). And it was in development/production on several other project, including a proprietary animated series called Gossamer; an animated coming-of-age feature about explorer Bear Grylls when he was young (Endangered), and an animated concept with the working title Heiress that started out as a series, but is now being developed by partner Lion Forge Animation as a feature film.

BRON filed for Chapter 15 bankruptcy in the US, as well as for creditor protection in Canada. The pandemic and the WGA/SAG-AFTRA strikes have been hard on the studio, and it “had no choice but to take this step in light of its financial circumstances,” said CEO Aaron Gilbert in a letter to shareholders yesterday.

Last year, BRON laid off several artists working at Bron Digital, a virtual production company that launched in 2020 to specialize in using Unreal Engine for developing IPs and producing content.

Feature film studio Bron Creative produced Columbia Pictures’ Ghostbusters: Afterlife and MGM’s CG-animated films The Addams Family (2019) and The Addams Family 2 (2021).