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California Awards $193 Million in Film Tax Credits as Animated Features Enter Program for First Time

The expanded $750 million program seeks to pull work back to California by growing jobs across more counties.

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General view of the Hollywood Sign on November 17, 2020 in Hollywood, California.
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A sequel to "The Simpsons Movie" (2007) from Twentieth Century Studios qualified for  $21.9 million in tax credits.

Overview

  • California Film Commission approvals, announced Thursday, granted roughly $193.5 million to 38 films in the latest round, the first to include animated features such as The Simpsons Movie 2, a Phineas and Ferb movie, and an untitled DreamWorks title.
  • The largest allocations went to an untitled Paramount crime thriller at $25.9 million, an untitled DreamWorks Animation feature at $24.7 million, and The Simpsons Movie 2 at $21.9 million.
  • The slate is projected to generate nearly $800 million in statewide economic activity with 1,019 shoot days, employing 5,316 cast and crew plus 20,845 background performers, with more than 45% of filming days outside the traditional Los Angeles studio zone.
  • Lawmakers more than doubled the annual cap last year to $750 million and opened eligibility to animation, and since then the commission reports 147 approved projects representing about $5.5 billion in activity and roughly 21,500 jobs.
  • Next steps include a May 11 application window for features and expected TV approvals around May 18, with officials pitching the credits as a tool to revive production and stage use that fell in recent years.