Toei Company, Ltd. is a Japanese film, television production, and distribution and video game developer and publishing company. Based in Tokyo, Toei owns and operates thirty-four movie theaters across Japan, studios at Tokyo and Kyoto; and is a shareholder in several television companies. It is notable for creating animated programming known as anime, and live action dramas known as tokusatsu which use special visual effects. It also creates historical dramas. Outside Japan, it is known as the controlling shareholder of Toei Animation and the owner of the Kamen Rider and Super Sentai franchises. Toei is one of the four members of the Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan, and is therefore one of Japan’s Big Four film studios. The name “Toei” is derived from the company’s former name “Tōkyō Eiga Haikyū”.