EXCLUSIVE: The animation indie behind Netflix’s Trash Truck and My Dad the Bounty Hunter has been acquired by France Télévisions’ studio arm.
France.TV Studio becomes a majority owner of Dwarf Animation Studios, providing the animation producer and facility with a “more robust operational infrastructure and accelerating the long-term goal of building a creative hub in the South of France,” according to France.TV Studio. Financials were not disclosed.
France.TV Studio, which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of French national broadcaster France Télévisions, will build out Dwarf’s front-end pre-production such as visual development and storyboarding, while sharing technical facilities.
Dwarf Animation Studio is best known for Netflix animation double My Dad the Bounty Hunter from Everett Downing and Trash Truck, which is EPd by Oscar-winning animation vet Glen Keane, along with Disney+ show Monsters at Work. The studio has also teamed with ON Animation Studios on the animated Ladybug and Cat Noir feature Miraculous: The Film, which will be given a theatrical release next month.
Founded in 2010 by former DreamWorks Animation exec Olivier Pinol, Dwarf is based in Montpellier, France, and has adopted a culture of merging new technologies with traditional media to “build memories through emotional connection in feature films and episodic series.”
“Having such an opportunity to grow and develop Dwarf Animation Studio as well as build a creative hub together is a truly gratifying and eye-opening experience,” said Pinol.
France.TV Studio CEO Laurence Schwob praised Dwarf for “pushing the envelope in real time animation.”
France.TV Studio creates shows across genres, mainly for the French national broadcaster. It makes around 1,500 hours worth of shows per year and calls itself the “largest production company of ephemeral content and the third largest producer of fiction in France.”
