HUNTSVILLE – Huntsville is about to get a little more animated.
Muskoka Animation Studio Huntsville has signed a lease with the Town of Huntsville for space at the Waterloo Summit Centre for the Environment, according to Kelly Pender, chief administrative officer for the town.
Pender said the studio, which initially predicted a mid-January or early February opening, is aiming to be in the building in March. But the studio has access to its space now, he said.
“We’ve already approved the lease,” said Pender.
The studio’s parent company, Entremedia Digital Films Incorporated, has been animating feature films and television content since 1985.
Muskoka Animation Studio Huntsville is expected to create 50 to 60 full-time high-technology jobs within its first year.
The company expects to produce annually up to four animation projects in Huntsville by 2015. Each project will take between 10 to 24 months to complete.
And as the studio grows, the company hopes to attract post-production, visual effects and motion capture production to the region while establishing a training component as well, according to company representatives.
Representatives have said they want to open a studio here because the area and its natural environment offer a lifestyle for animators and filmmakers that Toronto does not.