Mercury Filmworks And Blue Spirit Are Partnering To Produce High-End Films And Series

Ottawa, Canada’s Mercury Filmworks (The Bob’s Burgers Movie, Hilda, The Wonderful World of Mickey Mouse) and France and Canada’s Blue Spirit Studios (Blue Eye Samurai, What If…?), are partnering to launch Seraphim, a new animation pipeline that combines their strengths to produce “high-end” animation that blends 2d and 3d techniques and “blurs the line” between concept art and production.

Here is what we currently know about their new service offering:

• The pipeline gives clients access to Mercury Filmworks’ 2d services and Blue Spirit’s 3d services. It is designed for “high-budget” projects, including feature films in the $30-50 million range, and series with “premium + episodic budgets.” Seraphim’s pipeline extends from visual development through post production, giving producers a one-stop shop to complete an entire project. The pipeline will handle both adult and family content.
• Production will take place across Ottawa, Montreal, Paris, and Angoulême. Per the press release, “These locations provide access to top-tier talent and offer significant tax credits and financial incentives, enhancing overall production values.”
• Mercury and Blue Spirit will not be using this pipeline for original content developed at their own studios. Nor will Seraphim impact the service work that these companies currently do for other clients. They are currently onboarding their first client, with visual development set to begin this summer.
• Mercury Filmworks CEO Clint Eland said in a statement:
  

  Seraphim addresses the global shortage for reliable sophisticated animation capabilities for big-budget series and movies. It will operate as a bespoke production service for each project and be configured to meet specific creative and production needs. Our clients are producers seeking a design and production pipeline solution for unique and artistically ambitious projects that push the boundaries of animation.

• Olivier Lelardoux, CEO of Blue Spirit, added:
  

  By combining our strengths, we can explore new creative horizons and deliver sophisticated animated content with compelling characters, intricate stories, and groundbreaking visuals. This unique approach ensures that each animation produced is not just a project, but a masterpiece.