Clockwork Zoo

Clockwork Zoo
Company typePrivate
IndustryAnimation
Live action
Founded2005 (2005)
Defunct2011
FateClosed
HeadquartersCape Town, South Africa
ProductsTelevision shows

Clockwork Zoo (formerly Octagon CSI), based in Cape Town, South Africa, was South Africa's largest animation studio from 2005 until its closure in 2011.[1][2]

After creating the local action-adventure teen show Urbo: The Adventures of Pax Afrika, the company produced the animation for several international television series, including the fifth season of Caillou co-produced with Loogaroo Animation Studio, and the Cookie Jar Group,[3] Mr. Baby for Xilam, and the Playhouse Disney series Florrie's Dragons, co-produced by Wish Films.[4]

History

2005-2010: Early career

Clockwork Zoo is Africa's largest animation studio and home to several of South Africa's most prolific storytellers and content creators. Starting in 2005 with URBO: The Adventures of Pax Afrika, the young animation division quickly grew to 30 people, producing 104 half-hour episodes. After a move from local to more international work and a change from Flash to Toon Boom as preferred medium, the studio worked on Mr Bebe (Xilam, France), Happy Valley (Dinamo, Wales) and storyboards for Wibbly Pig (Wish Films, UK).

2010-2011: Later career

In 2010, Clockwork Zoo co-produced 26 half-hour episodes for the 5th season of Caillou with Cookie Jar Entertainment (Canada), and Loogaroo Animation Studio (Canada) significantly raising the bar on previous seasons. The Caillou franchise has sold in every continent and made $40 million in sales so far.

In 2010, the company co-produced Florrie's Dragons with Wish Films (UK) for initial broadcast on the Disney Channel UK. The 52 x 10 min series about a princess and her 6 pet dragons has gained a great deal of attention, and Playhouse Disney were "thrilled" with the result. Clockwork Zoo provided development, design, script, storyboard, build, background, animatics, layout, animation and HD video post on Florrie's Dragons.

The company closed in 2011 and many of the employees formed Sea Monster Entertainment.

Awards

The company won the prestigious 2010 Cape Film Commission Imbongi trophies in both Training & Development and Animation.

References

  1. ^ "Don't feed the animators". Lauren Beukes. Design Indaba Magazine. 1 February 2008. Retrieved 25 October 2010.
  2. ^ "26 episode Canadian-South African animation co-production gets the go-ahead". Filmmaker South Africa. Balancing Act. 19 March 2009. Retrieved 25 October 2010.
  3. ^ "Clockwork Zoo begins key animation on Caillou". AnimationSA. 25 August 2009. Archived from the original on 22 January 2010. Retrieved 25 August 2009.
  4. ^ "Clockwork Zoo begins key animation on Florrie's Dragons". Screen Africa. 10 March 2010. Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 10 March 2010.


Stub icon

This article related to an animation studio is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.