Canadian animation studio
Mercury Filmworks
is a Canadian independent
animation studio
based in
Ottawa
,
Ontario
. The studio was originally founded in Vancouver by Clint Eland, the current CEO, in 1997. Mercury Filmworks has produced animated television series and feature films for a variety of companies, including
Disney
,
Netflix
,
Amazon Studios
, and
Warner Bros.
Its recent projects include
Kid Cosmic
,
Centaurworld
,
Hilda
,
The Wonderful World of Mickey Mouse
, and
The Ghost and Molly McGee
. The studio has won
Emmy Awards
for its work in several categories, most recently for
Hilda
.
[3]
Mercury has over 340 employees employed at its Ottawa location, and continues to show steady growth.
[4]
In 2020, it was named one of the best offices in Ottawa by the
Ottawa Business Journal
.
[5]
History
[
edit
]
Mercury Filmworks was founded in 1997 in
Vancouver
by current chief executive officer Clint Eland.
[6]
The studio started with a small investment from friends and family, including Reg Eland, who became a partner overseeing finances from 1997 to 2002 and managing partner of the Vancouver studio from 2003 to 2006.
[
citation needed
]
In the late 1990s, technology was evolving to allow artists to paint and render images at a much faster pace and with greater and more consistent results. Mercury Filmworks was one of the first companies in North America to specialize in digital ink and paint services in Canada.
[
citation needed
]
In 2000, Mercury opened a studio location on King Street East in Toronto to satisfy a multi-year output deal for its services. Meanwhile, in its Vancouver studio, they produced
D'Myna Leagues
using digital ink & paint plus CG integration, creating the first Canadian animated television series to integrate 3D locations in a 2D series.
In 2004, Mercury moved its
Toronto
studio to Ottawa, where local animation director, Jerry Popowich, joined the company as a partner.
[7]
The studio was already a leader in the field of computer assisted traditional animation. However, in its Ottawa studio with the help of people like Director Christian Larocque, Rob Buchanan, Anthony Ng, Dave Merrit, Phil Lafrance, Graham Macdonald, Emma Gignac, and Craig Berry, it leveraged this to become one of the world's first companies to produce an animated television series entirely in one studio using the beta version of
Toon Boom Animation's
Harmony software. Using this software, they produced the series
Mischief City
for
Shaftesbury Films
and
YTV
.
The following year, the studio animated
Gerald McBoing-Boing
. This production was widely regarded as a new benchmark for quality in digital animation.
In 2007, the studio developed and co-produced
Toot & Puddle
with
National Geographic
for the
Nick Jr. Channel
. This was the first use of advanced builds and rigging techniques resulting in a level of animation that was indistinguishable from hand drawn. This series set the new world bar for digital animation.
Toot & Puddle
was also one of Mercury's first proprietary series.
In 2008, Mercury Filmworks collaborated with
Walt Disney Television Animation
on
Kick Buttowski: Suburban Daredevil
. The series was the first full television series project with Disney and one of Mercury's first hybrid productions where characters were animated interchangeably and indistinguishably in both 2D and 3D. The series was one of the first examples of character-based CG Assists in a long form series.
The studio again collaborated with Disney on
Jake and the Never Land Pirates
in 2009. The animation project pushed advanced builds and rigging techniques to a new level.
From 2012 to this day, Mercury Filmworks animates the
Mickey Mouse
shorts and television specials for Disney Television Animation,
[8]
once again collaborating with Disney and
Director Paul Rudish
on the award-winning reinvention of the character. The shorts have been widely regarded as the new benchmark when it comes to making digital animation look indistinguishable from the highest quality hand drawn animation.
2013 brought the fourth Disney-Mercury production,
The Lion Guard
, based on the theatrical animated film
The Lion King
. The series involved advanced builds and rigging and heavy use of CG integration techniques for character and location assists. The series set the standard for feature-quality animation in long form television animation.
Two years later, the studio produced Disney's
Repunzel's Tangled Adventure
, a television adaptation of another Disney theatrical animated film,
Tangled
. The production methodologies used in the production were built upon the innovative techniques developed for
The Lion Guard
, and was to push animation and character performance levels to a new high.
Mercury Filmworks has been producing
Hilda
for
Silvergate Media
and
Netflix
since 2017. The series is one of the first that didn't push the bar in terms of process or technology. The artists involved focused on art, craft, and storytelling. The series has gone on to critical acclaim and is one of Netflix's best and most successful animated series. It is widely referenced as a benchmark in storytelling.
Television series
[
edit
]
Lighthouse Studios
Specials/shorts
[
edit
]
Films
[
edit
]
Theme parks
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
c
d
"Capital a tough draw for animation firms"
.
Ottawa Business Journal
. Archived from
the original
on 2016-10-12
. Retrieved
12 October
2016
.
- ^
Wolfe, Jennifer (May 7, 2014).
"Mercury Filmworks Opens Dublin Studio"
. Animation World Network
. Retrieved
October 20,
2016
.
- ^
"Streaming wars an exciting time for Ottawa's animation industry | CBC News"
.
CBC
. Retrieved
2020-10-26
.
- ^
Zahed, Ramin (2020-10-16).
"Studio Spotlight: Mercury Filmworks"
.
Animation Magazine
. Retrieved
2020-10-26
.
- ^
"Best Offices Ottawa: Beyond the walls"
.
Ottawa Business Journal
. Retrieved
2020-10-26
.
- ^
Technology, Algonquin College of Applied Arts and.
"Mercury Filmworks"
. Retrieved
2023-03-27
.
- ^
Milligan, Mercedes (2017-09-28).
"Mercury Filmworks Makes Key Promotions, Management Hires"
.
Animation Magazine
. Retrieved
2020-10-26
.
- ^
"Mercury Filmworks, Cartoon Saloon launch Irish studio"
. Retrieved
2020-10-26
.
- ^
Milligan, Mercedes (2021-02-02).
"Mercury Filmworks Starts New Adventure with 'Pangors of Puddle Peak'
"
.
Animation Magazine
. Retrieved
2021-02-02
.
- ^
Milligan, Mercedes (2021-11-01).
"Mercury Filmworks Joins Co-Pro Coven for Mukpuddy's 'Badjelly the Witch'
"
.
Animation Magazine
.
- ^
Milligan, Mercedes (2021-04-26).
"Peter Ricq's 'Once Our Land' Gets Animated with Mercury Filmworks, Goodbye Prod"
.
Animation Magazine
.
- ^
"Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway has officially left the station at Disney's Hollywood Studios!..."
Mercury Filmwork's Facebook
. Retrieved
September 30,
2020
.
External links
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