GLOBAL ANIMATION COMPANY Cinesite, which has studios in London, Montreal and Vancouver, announced last week it has acquired a majority stake in animation studio Squeeze, located in Quebec City and Montreal.
The investment in Squeeze will allow Cinesite “to further increase its animation content and service offerings for international markets while bringing mocap (motion capture) and Unreal capabilities into the group to service video game and film productions,” explains a press release.
Squeeze was co-founded in 2011 by Denis Doré and Patrick Beaulieu, who were joined in 2014 by François Houde, the studio’s current chief financial officer. The animation studio has a creative team of more than 200 artists and technical experts, according to the press release.
“Squeeze works with the world’s elite in the entertainment industry including Disney, Marvel, Universal, Illumination, Supercell, Warner Bros and Ubisoft. The company has a mocap studio in Montreal and is also the creator of Cracké, an animated TV series broadcasted in over 210 territories and counting over 600 million views worldwide on digital platforms,” the release reads.
Last year, Squeeze received an Epic MegaGrant from Epic Games, which “has allowed Squeeze’s team of Unreal Engine specialists to focus on the development and combination of tools and systems that allows for the creation of uniquely styled and visually rich, animated footage,” according to the release.
Squeeze will retain its brand and its staff will continue to work under the leadership of Doré and Houde.
“The Squeeze management team led by Co-founder & CEO Denis Doré will be working with Cinesite Animation COO Brad Wald to integrate the company and expand their Montreal footprint to meet the growing demand for animated content,” the release says.
The Squeeze studio is currently in production on several gaming and theme park projects as well as an unannounced animated feature film, according to the release.
“Squeeze is a fantastic addition,” Cinesite Group CEO Antony Hunt said in the release, “not only for its successful original IP Cracké and for its world-class animation portfolio, but also for its mocap capabilities and scale, and the opportunity to further enhance a dynamic Montreal based hub for the Cinesite group as a rapidly growing family entertainment powerhouse.”
Doré added: “I’m very pleased to see Squeeze join a leading group like Cinesite, we share a common vision of creation and commercialisation of original animation content and, most importantly, fundamental values such as excellence, humility and integrity. Besides helping us strengthen our leadership position with our entertainment elite partners, this alliance will benefit our talented artists so they can deliver bigger than life character performances.”
Squeeze is the fifth studio to join the Cinesite group following Image Engine in 2015, Nitrogen Studios (renamed Cinesite Vancouver) in 2017, German VFX studio Trixter in 2018 and L’Atelier Animation last month.
Over 780 employees now work for the Cinesite group across Canada, delivering animated content under the Cinesite, L’Atelier Animation and Squeeze brands, the release says.
