LONDON — VFX and animation studio Cinesite (cinesite.com) is marking its 30th anniversary. The independent studio has produced work for more than 200 motion picture and series over the past three decades. Established in 1991, Cinesite has created animation and visual effects for film, broadcast and streaming media platforms. The company is headquartered in London, with studios in Montreal and Vancouver, alongside group VFX brands Image Engine and Trixter.
“Marking this milestone is cause for great pride and much celebration,” says Cinesite Group CEO, Antony Hunt. “We’ve seen progressive growth, both in the size and location of our studios and in the scale and complexity of our VFX & animation projects through the years. All the people involved in our success to date have had a hand in establishing the groundwork for our future artists and collaborators to build upon. We’re excited for what the next chapter holds.”
To celebrate the studio’s legacy, Cinesite has released a showreel featuring some of its most beloved and memorable work, including scenes from Space Jam, Band of Brothers, World War Z, the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Pirates of The Caribbean, the Harry Potter, X-Men and James Bond franchises. Its Oscar and BAFTA-winning work includes The Revenant and The Golden Compass. On the animation side, Cinesite has created films such as Riverdance: The Animated Adventure and The Addams Family 1 & 2.
“We want to inspire the next generation of storytellers to push the boundaries of VFX and animation, and to do that we all need to honour the movies and artists who came before us,” adds Dave Rosenbaum, Cinesite’s chief creative officer. “In all aspects of life, we often forget to turn back and look at the landmark moments and inspirational people who got us to where we are. This celebration is our way of doing that and it give us a great perspective as we charge forward.”
In 2014, Cinesite began working on animated films, and in the last five years, it completed 11 animated features for a range of clients, including Sony Pictures Animation, MGM, 3QU Media and Aniventure. The studio just wrapped production on Blazing Samurai, directed by Rob Minkoff, starring Mel Brooks, Ricky Gervais and Samuel L. Jackson. Currently in production is Berkeley Breathed’s Hitpig, starring Peter Dinklage as the title character.