Zaratan, A New Scottish Studio, Will Focus On Producing ‘Older-Skewing Animation’

A new production company has risen from the ashes of Axis Studios, which was Scotland’s largest animation and vfx company before collapsing last summer.

Zaratan is founded by Paula Bird and Andrew Pearce, longtime veterans of Axis who held producing and management roles at the former studio. Their new company, based in Glasgow, Scotland, focuses on “older-skewing animation,” continuing the path of Axis’s work, which included projects like Eyes of Wakanda and Love Death & Robots.

Here’s everything we know that has been announced about the new operation:

• Zaratan will work both as a production partner and developer of its own IP. The company is already in pre-production with India-based Arka Mediaworks on an unannounced film project, and has also partnered on developing a new series IP with France’s Fédération Studios, screenwriter Guillaume Lemans, and creative collective Alcyde (comprised of Antoine Charreyron, Florent Auguy, and Dorian Marchesin).
• Zaratan is backed by animation production company Aniventure (Hitpig!, the upcoming Animal Farm), which is “providing significant support by completing financing for Zaratan’s growth strategy.” Aniventure CEO Adam Nagle added, “The future of older-skewing animation is extremely exciting; we want to work with the most talented people in the space. Zaratan was a perfect opportunity for us.”
• Zaratan will leverage Aniventure’s existing animation infrastructure and will also benefit from Aniventure’s first-look deal with Cinesite.
• “Our new approach balances creative flexibility and stability,” Zaratan co-founder Paula Bird said in a statement. “Flexibility means assembling bespoke, world-class creative teams for each project – artists and storytellers who are not only masters of their craft but are also genuine fans of the content we’re creating. Stability comes from rigorous production methodology, and our strategic partnership with Aniventure.”
• Co-founder Andrew Pearce explained why they’ve chosen Zaratan as their company name: “The genesis came from our love of animation and genre storytelling. Older-skewing animation is a constant discovery. We were searching for an icon that encapsulated that sense of adventure and exploration, and we found it in the cryptid zaratan – the stuff of stories.”