DreamWorks to set up animation studio

BANGALORE, INDIA: DreamWorks Animation has tied up with digital video technologies company Technicolor/Thomson to launch a world-class animation studio in Bangalore.

The new studio in Bangalore would work with the other global sites in San Francisco and California on animated feature films in future, said DreamWorks executive producer, Joe Aguilar to the media. "India will become a third site for us. The studio here could work on movies in the future, but that will depend on when we will have the skill sets ready," Aguilar said.

DreamWorks’ parent company Paprikaas – in which Thomson holds a controlling stake -- said that an additional pool of 250 artists would be hired in the new studio during the next 18 months. Paprikaas currently employs 250 artists across its gaming and animation businesses in India.

The focus would be to develop sufficient capabilities at the studio to conduct work involving custom commercial animation, additive DVD materials, television specials and feature productions, it said.

According to Nasscom, the Indian animation development market would become a $950 market by 2009, growing 34 per cent annually. India produced 20 animated feature films between 2004 and 2006, compared to one such project between 1995 and to 1997.

DreamWorks is known for producing blockbuster animation movies such as "Shrek," "Madagascar," "Over the hedge" and "The Bee Movie".

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