WB said: “In recent years, animation has become a tremendously important part of our slate, and this deal with Locksmith dovetails perfectly with our forward-going plans,” said Toby Emmerich, Chairman, Warner Bros. Pictures Group,  and Courtenay Valenti, President, Production and Development, Warner Bros.   “We love Sarah and Julie’s sensibilities and work, and look forward to working with them to create titles that will enchant today’s audiences and become classics for future generations of animation lovers.”

The deal covers the development and production of family animated features that Warner Bros. Pictures will distribute in theatres worldwide. Locksmith will collaborate closely with Allison Abbate, Executive Vice President, Warner Animation Group, to add a “fresh voice” to complement the Studio’s current animation activities. ​

​Locksmith’s first feature, “Ron’s Gone Wrong,” is currently in production in London and will be released by Walt Disney Studios. Locksmith Animation was founded in 2014 by BAFTA® Award-winning director, writer and producer Sarah Smith (“Arthur Christmas”) and acclaimed producer Julie Lockhart (Academy Award®-nominated “Shaun the Sheep Movie,” “Pirates! Band of Misfits”) together with Elisabeth Murdoch. 

Articles: 
https://www.animationmagazine.net/features/locksmith-animation-inks-multi-film-wb-deal/
https://www.awn.com/news/locksmith-animation-signs-multi-picture-deal-warner-bros-pictures
https://variety.com/2019/film/news/warner-bros-pact-elisabeth-murdoch-locksmith-animation-1203389453/
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/warner-bros-signs-multi-film-production-deal-locksmith-animation-1251449
https://deadline.com/2019/10/warner-bros-slate-deal-elisabeth-murdoch-backed-uk-studio-locksmith-animation-1202773640/
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In early July The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, (for those that don't know this is the organization who awards the Oscars), invited 842 artists, filmmakers, and executives to join its organization. 

The 2019 list of people invited to join from the Short Films & Feature Animation and Visual Effects branches were recently listed in an article by Cartoon Brew. Pointedly they picked up on over 20% Of New Academy member Invites, going to the Animation and VFX Branches. 

Also highlighted among the 842 total organizational invites, there was a rise to the overall Academy membership in women, now at 32% (up from 25% in 2015). Unfortunately, The Animation, VFX legs still have a way to go to even itself out. (No new women were invited this year into the academy from these areas).

We are very proud to say that our own Co-Ceo Julie Lockhart is amongst the invitees and has been for a few years now. Julie, of course, is highly qualified for the list. Her credits include Producer on Shaun the Sheep Movie and The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists. ​

The two CEO's got together this month with Animation Magazine for their regular and very popular 10 questions piece. Sarah and Julie discussed how they have been growing the company over the past 5 years, they talked of the toughest aspect of producing a CG-animated feature in the U.K. right now, and they touched on Locksmiths slate including their first film out of the studio, 'Ron's Gone Wrong'.  Other questions included the best tools the studio uses such as their use of VR software, like Gravity Sketch, for some of their early production design work.

Also, this month Locksmith went to Annecy Animation Festival where the team revealed a little more about 'Ron's Gone Wrong' in their Studio Focus Session. The focus was met with an overwhelming reaction in the room and at Annecy overall.
​A great month for Locksmith!

Animation Magazine: Since the studio turns five this year, can you tell us a little about the beginnings and how it all came together? 

​Sarah & Julie: The company was born out of our joint desire to start a high-end CG feature studio here in the U.K., given all the U.K. had to offer — great original IP, a world-class vfx industry, a vibrant, exciting city on the doorstep of Europe and, of course, a generous tax credit.
Sarah: I had just finished Arthur Christmas at Sony in Los Angeles, and coming back to London — a city whose film industry is globally pre-eminent, and whose creative community I love — it really struck me: Why have we never had a major dedicated CG feature animation studio here?
Julie: I had known Sarah from our days at Aardman, and she came back from Los Angeles with this crazy idea of setting up a studio. It felt like a huge step, but I always like a challenge and felt that if there was anyone that could do it here in the U.K., it would be Sarah. We set about finding partners to work with both from a funding and production perspective.
Sarah:  It was basically an impossible dream until we had the amazing good fortune to meet the visionary Liz Murdoch and Matt Holben and Alex Hope at Double Negative, that extraordinary success story of the British film Industry.