MONTREAL — Cinesite (cinesite.com) has acquired Montreal studio L’Atelier Animation, which gives the company further access to the city’s highly skilled talent pool, while making animation content under the two brands. Cinesite is headquartered in London, with operations in Montreal and Vancouver. They also have VFX partner studios Trixter in Germany and Image Engine in Vancouver. The new deal will expand Cinesite’s creative and production capacity to meet demand in Quebec and elsewhere.
The L'Atelier Animation management team, led by general manager Benoit Blouin, will be working with Cinesite Animation COO Brad Wald to integrate the two companies and expand their Montreal footprint to meet the growing demand for animated content. L’Atelier Animation specializes in feature-length 3D animation and series. Established in downtown Montreal in 2012, the company is best known for its work on Leap! (Caramel Films/Quads), which generated over $110M in international box office revenues. The studio’s most recent production is Fireheart (pictured, below), produced by Les Films Seville, Anton, Main Journey, Caramel Films, and M6 Films SND. The film’s voice talent includes Olivia Cooke, Kenneth Branagh and William Shatner. L'Atelier also worked on the series Robozuna (Kidscave Entertainment and ITV Studios), and is currently in production on the feature 10 Lives (GFM Animation), which is being directed by Chris Jenkins (Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King).
“As one of the largest independent studios producing animation, we are always looking to grow our team with talented artists, and the L’Atelier team has a strong track record of producing outstanding work while taking great care of their clients,” says Cinesite’s Wald. “Bringing our two teams together will allow us to serve our clients even better and on a greater scale in both feature films and episodic television. I know we will have great success working together and continuing to meet the growing demand for animated content.”
“I am so proud of where our team’s incredible talent has brought L'Atelier,” adds L'Atelier’s Blouin. “We have been admirers of Cinesite for years, so joining the Cinesite family will allow us to reach new heights together. We believe this deal will have a significant, positive impact on the animation industry in Quebec.”
To date, Cinesite has delivered 10 feature films, with recent credits that include Paramount Pictures Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank and MGM’s The Addams Family franchise. The studio is in production on Aniventure’s upcoming films Hitpig and Animal Farm, as well as the six-part Disney+ series Iwaju.