The Terrific Toon Shop Down Under

Andrew Davies, CEO and founder of Australia’s Studio Moshi, gives us an overview of his thriving company.

Founded in 2005 by Andrew Davies, Studio Moshi is a 2D animation studio based in Melbourne, Australia, that specializes in character-driven comedy both in the kids and primetime space. The studio began in short form productions and then moved into full series and features, working directly with studios and commissioners like Disney, Warner Bros., Netflix, and Sony Animation to name a few.

“While we’ve been across prestigious dramatic animation projects, comedy remains at the cultural center of our company,” says Davies in a recent interview. “We’re currently producing a super-exciting primetime comedy series with a US streamer and some of television’s most celebrated producers, and Moshi’s in-house work spans pre-production through all aspects of animation production. More recently, we’ve animated Solar Opposites on Hulu, and Ari Folman’s award-winning feature Where is Anne Frank, which was a traditionally hand-drawn production that premiered at the Cannes Festival. We also have a kids’ character-driven animated comedy series currently in development with the BBC and NZOA, which we’ll be sharing with potential partners at Annecy this year.”

Studio Moshi is also the animation studio behind Sony Pictures Television and Netflix’s Good Times, the new animated series from Norman Lear, Steph Curry and Seth MacFarlane.

Visual Storytellers

Davies says the studio is bringing its A-game when it comes to primetime animation with a full mix of pre-production, 2D hand-drawn hybrid Harmony animation and weaving in CGI for memorable action moments. “We’re always innovating and pushing ourselves to find new approaches to delivering dynamic visual storytelling,” he says. “We’re a very skilled and eclectic animation studio and we pride ourselves on finding a workflow that not only serves the individual creative needs of the project, but a creative workflow which sits on our solid technical pipeline. We’ve learned how to support the vision of US-based live action showrunners producing their first animated series, and we can take creative risks because we’re nimble and adaptive to the changing marketplace and needs of multiple partners.”

“It’s all about investing in tech innovations that serve production and a creative team who are multi-skilled and diverse in their approach and backgrounds,” says Davies. “This is the bedrock to any studio being asked to rise to the creative expectations of a U.S.-style streaming production and why we’ve been able to meet that demand.”

Aside from an experienced production team and rock-solid technical pipeline, Studio Moshi’s best investments are also in comedy-based creatives; stand-up comedians, improv artists etc. who help inform the work they do and deliver a creative and competitive edge. “We’re able to respond to creative challenges with real comedic solutions – AND - we think we’ve cracked the secret sauce to a comedic workflow which elevates the production,” says Davies. “This

is what people come to us for.”

So, what is an ideal Studio Moshi project? Davies says he and his team are largely focused on kids or adult primetime series, which are truly character-driven and where the storytelling is looking to deliver some thing unexpected. “We embrace projects that really rejoice in diversity in every sense whether that’s representation or celebrating non-conformist perspectives because they have something new to teach us about our everyday lives,” he says. “2D, CGI or hybrid – bring it on!

Well-Versed in Family and Prime-Time Toons

Davies says he’d like the animation com munity to know that Studio Moshi is well versed in fee-for-service, co-production, and independent productions. “We are a multi-series creative solutions-driven studio with a track record in delivering high-con cept, creatively ambitious content,” he adds. “And as an Australian-based studio with experience working directly with U.S. and other global commissioners, Moshi can pro vide up to 45% animation tax credit for feefor-service and original productions, from storyboards, animation through to post-pro duction.

“We’re looking for all kinds of partner ships; fee-for-service, official or un-official co-productions, for IP Design, story and an imation production services, 2D, and highend CGI character animation.”

He points out that the studio offers access to a workforce of over 250, and that they’re able to ramp up at very short notice drawing upon the talent pool nation-wide. “We also have an expanding creative footprint in Los Angeles where we’ve built relationships with leading Hollywood animation directorial tal ent who can liaise directly with our partners, concludes Davies. “But don’t be afraid of the distance! Australia overlaps with much of North American business hours so we’re easy enough to get a hold of!” ◆

For more info, visit studiomoshi.com