Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 24, 2026

NWave Studios

nWave Studios is a Belgian animation studio based in Brussels, Belgium, with an American office in Los Angeles, California.

Last revised
Jun 24, 2026
Read time
≈ 3 min
Length
800 w
Citations
14
Source
Wikipedia ↗
nWave Studios
TypePrivate
Industry
Founded1994 (1994)
FounderBen Stassen
HeadquartersBrussels, Belgium,
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Eric Dillens (CEO)
ProductsAnimated films
OwnerMZM (majority stake)
Websitewww.nwave.com

nWave Studios is a Belgian animation studio based in Brussels, Belgium, with an American office in Los Angeles, California.

History

nWave Studios was founded in 1994 by Ben Stassen.1

In September 2018, Matthieu Zeller's production group MZM acquired a majority stake in nWave Pictures.2

Productions

Feature films

Title Release date Co-production with Distributor(s) Gross
Fly Me to the Moon 30 January 2008 Illuminata Pictures
uMedia
uFilm 		Kinepolis Film Distribution
Summit Entertainment 		$46.6 million
A Turtle's Tale: Sammy's Adventures 4 August 2010 StudioCanal $70.6 million
A Turtle's Tale 2: Sammy's Escape from Paradise 15 August 2012 $49.2 million
The House of Magic 25 December 2013 StudioCanal
Anton Capital Entertainment
uMedia 		Belga Films
StudioCanal 		$64.1 million
Robinson Crusoe 30 March 2016 Illuminata Pictures
uFilm 		$40 million
The Son of Bigfoot 16 February 2018 StudioCanal
Belga Productions
Illuminata Pictures
Waterman Entertainment 		$47 million
The Queen's Corgi 3 April 2019 Belga Films Belga Films
Lionsgate (UK)
Freestyle Releasing (USA) 		$35.5 million
Bigfoot Family 5 August 2020 Octopolis Charades
Netflix 		$11 million
Chickenhare and the Hamster of Darkness 16 February 20223 Sony Pictures International Productions
Netflix 		$11 million
The Inseparables 10 August 20234 Belga Films
A Contracorriente Films
Viva Pictures 		$2.3 million
Chickenhare and the Secret of the Groundhog 15 October 20255 SND (France)
Sony Pictures (International) 		$9.6 million

In development

Title Release date References
Yugly 2026 6
Untitled Jean-Paul Gaultier project 2027 7

3D films

  • Thrill Ride: The Science of Fun (1997)
  • Magic Carpet Adventure (1998)
  • Encounter in the Third Dimension (1999)
  • Alien Adventure (1999)
  • Haunted Castle (2001)
  • SOS Planet (2002)
  • Misadventures in 3D (2003)
  • Haunted House (2004)
  • Wild Safari 3D (2005)
  • Jett and Jin (2006)
  • African Adventure: Safari in the Okavango (2007)
  • Fly Me to the Moon 4D (2008)
  • The Curse of Skull Rock (2009)
  • Turtle Vision (2010)
  • Pirate Story (2011)
  • The Little Prince (2011)
  • Castle Secret (2011)
  • 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (2012)
  • Deepo: A Fish Story (2012)8
  • The Good, The Bad and a Horse (2013)
  • The House of Magic 4D (2013)
  • Sherlock Holmes (2013)
  • The Lost World (2013)9
  • Haunted Mansion (2014)
  • Knights Quest (2014)
  • Robinson Crusoe 3D (2016)
  • Birds of a Feather (2016)
  • Return to the Lost World (2017)
  • The Son of Bigfoot 4D (2017)
  • Jolly Roger (2018)
  • Chaos in Wonderland (2019)
  • Dog Games (2019)
  • Rex: A Royal Topdog (2019)
  • Bigfoot Family 4D (2020)
  • Wanted Alive (2021)
  • Trapper's Adventures (2022)
  • Meg and the Lost Scepter (2022)
  • Happy Family: Next Level (2023)10
  • Theater of Dreams (2023)11
  • Meg and the Quest for the Holy Spork (2025)

Reception

Box office grosses

Film Budget North America Overseas
gross 		Worldwide gross
(unadjusted) 		Ref(s)
Opening Gross
(unadjusted)
Fly Me to the Moon $25 million
A Turtle's Tale: Sammy's Adventures N/a
A Turtle's Tale 2: Sammy's Escape from Paradise N/a
The House of Magic $34 million
Robinson Crusoe $13 million
The Son of Bigfoot $20 million
The Queen's Corgi $25 million N/a N/a $35,515,687 $35,515,687 12
Bigfoot Family $25 million
Chickenhare and the Hamster of Darkness $20 million N/a N/a N/a $10,885,116 13
Chickenhare and the Secret of the Groundhog $23 million N/a N/a N/a $9,677,003 14

Critical and public response

Film Critical
Rotten Tomatoes
Fly Me to the Moon 20%
A Turtle's Tale: Sammy's Adventures 44%
A Turtle's Tale 2: Sammy's Escape from Paradise 20%
The House of Magic 71%
Robinson Crusoe 17%
The Son of Bigfoot 74%
The Queen's Corgi 0%
References

References

  1. "nWave Studios – Profile (March 6, 2013)" (PDF).
  2. Keslassy, Elsa (2018-09-20). "Ben Stassen's nWave Acquired by Production Group MZM (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 2019-04-02.
  3. Coates, Charlotte (22 March 2022). "Chickenhare and the Hamster of Darkness: nWave's latest film shares universal message". BlooLoop. Retrieved 24 May 2022.
  4. Keslassy, Elsa (12 May 2022). "'Toy Story' Writers, nWave Team on $25 Million Animated Feature 'The Inseparables' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
  5. "DÉCOUVREZ LA BANDE ANNONCE DE HOPPER ET LE SECRET DE LA MARMOTTE, AU CINÉMA LE 15 OCTOBRE". Salles Obscures. 1 July 2025.
  6. "A new project on the way for nWave Studios! Stay tuned✨". Instagram. 13 March 2024.
  7. Goodfellow, Melanie (13 June 2024). "Jean-Paul Gaultier & NWave Unveil First Images For Animated Movie About A Fashionista Moth Featuring Rossy De Palma In Voice Cast – Annecy". Deadline. Retrieved 13 June 2024.
  8. Rubin, Judith (2011-08-12). "nWave Pictures has a new home in Burbank; acquires distribution rights for "Deepo"". InPark Magazine.
  9. Kleiman, Joe (2013-11-19). "nWave Pictures Introduces Red Star's "The Lost World 4D" at IAAPA Attractions Expo". InPark Magazine. Retrieved November 19, 2013.
  10. Whittaker, Adam (2022-07-06). "Mack Animation presents Happy Family Next Level 4D". Blooloop.
  11. "nWave launches 4D/3D attraction Theater of Dreams at IAAPA Expo in Orlando". Blooloop. November 27, 2023.
  12. "The Queen's Corgi". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 16 February 2025.
  13. "Chickenhare and the Hamster of Darkness". BoxOfficeMojo. IMDBpro. Retrieved 26 October 2023.
  14. "Chickenhare and the Secret of the Groundhog". BoxOfficeMojo. IMDBpro. Retrieved 27 October 2025.
External links