New animation studio opens in London

“The next global animation powerhouse” ​

An animation studio aimed at being “the next global animation powerhouse” has opened its doors in London.Locksmith Animation’s new studio facility will be the first dedicated high-end computer generated feature animation studio in the UK.
Founded by producer and director Sarah Smith and producer Julie Lockhart, alongside Elisabeth Murdoch, the studio hopes to be a UK contemporary for US giants Disney-Pixar and DreamWorks.
It will be a pipeline for features that go into digital production at visual effects facility Double Negative, which is also based in London.

Speaking at a launch party at the studio attended by Cate Blanchett, Murdoch said: “We have actually been on this creative journey for quite a few years now and it really started with conversations on my sitting room floor with Sarah because we were getting really enthusiastic about the possibilities and the opportunity of creating the next global animation powerhouse right here in the UK.

Smith added: “We started with a ridiculous ambition, which was why don’t we have Disney-Pixar or Dreamworks in this country, we can do that here, and luckily enough we found Liz, who believed that was a possibility.”
Comparing Locksmith’s Primrose Hill studio to those of the big companies, she said: “By comparison this is relatively modest but nonetheless we can achieve films of that calibre, partly because of the might of Double Negative, who are possibly the best visual effects company in the world right now, producing amazing high quality imagery. The other is our talent and passion and vision.”
​
The company has recruited animators who have worked on films including Oscar-winner Coco, The Incredibles, Happy Feet, Inside Out and The Lego Movie.

Read Full Article

PRESS ASSOCIATION UPDATED: 23:04, 26 March 2018