Mercury Filmworks (“The Bob’s Burgers Movie,” “Hilda”) and Blue Spirit (“Blue Eye Samurai,” “What If…?”) have launched Seraphim, a bespoke animation pipeline developed to produce high-end 2D and CG animation.
According to the companies, the results blur “the line between concept art and production.”
Seraphim was developed to marry Mercury’s internationally recognized 2D animation capabilities with Blue Spirit’s state-of-the-art CG production methods into a pipeline that will allow producers greater flexibility in artistic expression and performances. Mirroring the two companies’ diverse catalogs, Seraphim is intended for both adult and family animated projects.
Created with large-budget productions in mind, specifically those in the $30-$50 million range, Seraphim offers a full suite of services for all areas of development and production from vis dev to post. Although it was developed with high-cost productions in mind, Mercury and Blue Spirit say it’s fully scalable to a client’s specific needs. The first Seraphim client is onboarding now and scheduled to start vis dev this summer, although further details are being kept confidential for the time being.
In addition to leveraging Mercury and Blue Spirit’s artistic insight, Seraphim also offers clients access to resources across the companies’ hubs in Ottawa, Montreal, Paris, and Angoulême, some of the most highly regarded regions in the world for producing talented animation artists.
The companies also emphasized that the multiple locations give them access to significant tax credits and incentives, further enhancing production values.
“Seraphim addresses the global shortage for reliable sophisticated animation capabilities for big-budget series and movies. It will operate as a bespoke production service for each project and be configured to meet specific creative and production needs,” said Mercury Filmworks CEO Clint Eland. “Our clients are producers seeking a design and production pipeline solution for unique and artistically ambitious projects that push the boundaries of animation.”
“By combining our strengths, we can explore new creative horizons and deliver sophisticated animated content with compelling characters, intricate stories, and groundbreaking visuals,” added Olivier Lelardoux, CEO at Blue Spirit. “This unique approach ensures that each animation produced is not just a project, but a masterpiece.”
Mercury Filmworks and Blue Spirit will not utilize Seraphim on their original properties, and the companies have made it clear that Seraphim will not impact either studios’ service work development or productions.
