France-based ON Entertainment has announced it is opening a North American production facility in Montréal, Canada. The new subsidiary — ON Animation Studio, Montréal — plans to hire 300 animation artists and crew over the next three years.
“Our new Montréal studio gives us a foothold in North America and provides us with the resources we need to ramp up production and extend our reach with films intended for international release,” said Thierry Pasquet, Co-founder of ON Ent. “Montréal is a magnet for global talent and has a rich pool of creative minds.”
The company intends to invest in innovative, cutting-edge technology to build up its production pipeline with the aim of completing one animated feature every two years.
ON Ent.’s recent feature film adaptation of Antoine de Saint-Exupery’s The Little Prince was produced in Montréal in partnership with a local studio. In addition to receiving funds for the project from the governments of Québec and Canada (close to $5 million CAD), ON also benefited from the support and expertise of Montréal International, Greater Montréal’s investment promotion agency.
Greater Montréal currently boasts nearly 40 studios, providing 3,000 jobs in the local animation and visual effects industry — currently ranked fourth in the world.
Visit www.onanimationstudios.com for more info about the company.
