Bento Box Entertainment co-founder Joel Kuwahara is stepping down from his role as animation studio further integrates into Fox Entertainment Studios.
“While Joel Kuwahara steps away from his role, his vision as one of the founders of Bento Box and his dedication greatly contributed to its success,” Fox Entertainment Studios head Fernando Szew said in a statement. “We wish him well in his future pursuits.”
Bento Box was co-founded in 2009 by Kuwahara, Scott Greenberg and Mark McJimsey. The departure leaves Greenberg as the only remaining founder still at the company, with McJimsey previously exiting in 2016. Fox Entertainment Studios would acquire the company in 2019 amid the Disney-21st Century Fox merger.
The studio’s notable credits include “Bob’s Burgers,” “Duncanville,” “The Great North,” “Krapopolis,” “Universal Basic Guys,” “Grimsburg,” Prime Video’s “Hazbin Hotel,” Apple TV+’s “Central Park” and Netflix’s “Hoops.”
Prior to Bento Box, Kuwahara served as director of post-production at Sony Animation and Sony Pictures Entertainment, vice president of production at icebox.com, a producer at Warner Bros. Animation, and a supervising producer at Starz Animation.
His other credits include a line producer for “The Simpsons Movie,” a digital producer for “The Goode Family,” a supervising producer for “Bordertown,” “Murder Police,” “Brickleberry” and “Legends of Chamberlain Heights,” and an executive producer on “Alien News Desk,” “Paradise PD” and “Hoops.”
Variety was the first to report Kuwahara’s departure.
