New production studio joint venture will specialize in pre-production and animation services for real-time 2D and 3D series and features.
Digital Dimension Entertainment Group (DDEG) and Lex+Otis have formed a joint venture animatiom production studio, KRAKN Animation, with locations in Montreal and Los Angeles. Headed by Louis-Simon Menard, CEO & president of DDEG, and Jay Oliva, founder & CEO of Lex+Otis, who serve as Co-Owners, KRAKN will provide pre-production and animation services for real-time 2D and 3D series and features.
“Our mutual passion for immersive and engaging storytelling, and desire for doing things differently is what unites us,” noted Menard. “DDEG’s Meduzarts Animation has been collaborating with Lex+Otis for years on several noteworthy projects. The creation of an integrated animation studio became a natural next step for both companies.”
Digital Dimension’s Meduzarts Animation studio recently worked with Oliva and The Stone Quarry Animation on Netflix’s Army of the Dead: Lost Vegas. The series, which features an all-star cast including Joe Manganiello, Dave Bautista, Omari Hardwick, Ana de la Reguera, Christian Slater, and Ella Purnell, serves as a prequel to Snyder’s Netflix Original zombie heist action film, Army of the Dead. Army of the Dead: Lost Vegas is executive produced by Deborah Snyder, Zack Snyder, Wesley Coller from The Stone Quarry, alongside Oliva and Shay Hatten. The two studios are also collaborating on Netflix’s Twilight of the Gods, Snyder’s recently announced take on Norse mythology.
“I’ve long been an admirer of Digital Dimension and their groundbreaking work as one of the top animation studios in the world, so the opportunity to collaborate and finally be part of a studio together with them is a dream come true,” Oliva explained. “Both creatively and technologically, Lex+Otis and Digital Dimension strive to push animation to its limits, and both studios have filled their rosters with some of the finest animation talent in the world. Further, both studios rank among the best in the business, in particular with regard to real-time 3D animation. Pooling our mutual talents and visionary approaches will truly bring the best of both worlds to KRAKN.”
Fresh off the launch of the Netflix’s hit anime series Trese, Lex+Otis (L+O) continues to move forward on several new series for the streaming service; they’re also in development on two dozen additional projects. Among the upcoming, already-announced Netflix series from Lex+Otis is Ark: The Animated Series, featuring the voices of Russell Crowe, Elliot Page, Vin Diesel, Malcolm McDowell, Michelle Yeoh, David Tennant, Jeffrey Wright, Gerard Butler, and Karl Urban.
Meduzarts Animation specializes in content for mature audiences, collaborating on projects with clients such as Netflix, Legendary Entertainment, WB Games, Ubisoft, Electronic Arts, Activision Blizzard, and Bethesda Softworks. Franchises the studio has worked on include Spider-Man, Mortal Kombat, The Elder Scrolls, Tom Clancy’s Rainbow 6, Avatar, Lord of the Rings, Assassin's Creed, Far Cry, Dawn of War, and Star Wars.
Source: Digital Dimension Entertainment Group
