Cinesite Opens Major Animation Studio in Montréal creating 500 jobs by 2020
Skwigly
Fantastic news for the Canadian animation industry as it emerges that Cinesite have chosen Montréal, Québec, to launch a new state of the art animation studio with the intention of getting a whopping nine feature animated films into production over the next five years. This was announced at the opening of the new 54,000 sq ft Animation Studio in downtown Montréal. The new facility will have the capacity to employ 500 permanent staff to work on animated films by 2020.
Investissement Québec on behalf of the Government of Québec is advancing a loan of $2.4m to support the creation of infrastructure to allow Feature Animation production. An additional loan guarantee of $19.6m towards an overall budget of at least $90 million is being advanced to the production company to help with the financing of each of the first three animated films. Six more films are planned to follow the initial three films, which will see the facility at full capacity with over 500 new permanent jobs by 2020.
Eamonn Butler, Cinesite’s Head of Animation said,
“Drawing on the sophisticated techniques developed over the last 20 years in the visual effects industry, we wanted to build a new creative home for the world’s best storytellers, writers, directors and animators. Whether you are an established filmmaker or an emerging writer, we want you to think of our studio as a new destination where your work can be nurtured and flourish.”
Comic Animations will join SPA Studios and Atresmedia Cine to co-produce the animated feature Klaus at the new facility. The holiday season film will be written and directed by Sergio Pablos (Despicable Me, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Hercules, Tarzan), and produced by Jinko Gotoh (The Little Prince, Finding Nemo). The Project will be a treaty co-production with Spain.
Comic Animations and Dublin-based River Productions will begin development on an animated feature, taking as its inspiration, the international stage phenomenon Riverdance. This will feature the Grammy-award winning music from the show, composed by Bill Whelan. Co-Creator and Producer of the stage show Riverdance, Moya Doherty added
“To see an animated feature film, inspired by Riverdance, will be an innovative and exhilarating milestone in a show which has had many great moments in the last twenty years. We look forward enormously to see it take shape and fly!”
In addition to these projects, Comic Animation and its partners have an active development slate that includes several more feature animation films in various stages of development.