Netflix Plants Flag In Vancouver As More Animation Production Heads North

Netflix has opened a new animation studio in Vancouver, further cementing the Canadian city’s growing status as a major global production hub.

The new Netflix Animation Studios (NAS) facility spans more than 110,000 square feet and will house more than 450 artists working across feature animation and visual effects. The company said the site is expected to contribute more than $50 million CAD to British Columbia’s GDP and generate over $100 million CAD annually for the local economy.

“This is an exciting new chapter for our studio,” said Hannah Minghella, Netflix’s head of feature animation and family film. “Our new Vancouver hub is an investment in the long-term growth of Netflix Animation Studios globally and reflects our ongoing commitment to make original animated movies for fans around the world.”

The facility builds directly on Netflix’s acquisition of Animal Logic, the Australian studio behind films like The Lego Movie. Rather than operating it as a separate label, Netflix has absorbed the company into its in-house NAS pipeline, effectively transforming the Vancouver location into a core studio for its feature animation slate.

Netflix’s new studio launch is the latest sign of how much animation production has shifted north of the U.S. border in recent years. Vancouver has steadily evolved from a service-based outsourcing market into one of the industry’s most important hubs, with a deep talent pool and a dense concentration of studios supporting both television and feature work.

The streamer’s investment reinforces that growth. More than just outsourcing work to Vancouver, the streamer is building long-term infrastructure there, including integrating its Eyeline VFX division into the same ecosystem. The studio is already working on upcoming projects at the studio, including Steps, a feature directed by Alyce Tzue. Previous features worked on by the Vancouver team include Leo and Thelma the Unicorn.

“Vancouver is home to some of the world’s most incredible talent, and we’re lucky to have many of them in our studio,” said Netflix Animation Studios chief operating officer Amir Nasrabadi in a release sent out after the location’s grand opening. “We’re proud of what we’ve created here and even more excited about the work to come.”

Vancouver’s rise has been driven by a combination of factors that have become increasingly hard for studios to ignore. Competitive tax incentives, a strong local workforce, and relative proximity to Los Angeles have all contributed to its growth. Major studios and streamers have expanded their presence in the region over the past decade, turning it into a key node in the global animation pipeline.

What was once considered “Hollywood North” for live-action production now applies equally to animation. As companies like Netflix continue to invest in permanent production capacity in the region, Vancouver is positioning itself less as an alternative to Los Angeles and more as a parallel center of the industry.

Netflix’s new studio does not necessarily signal a shift away from California; its L.A. offices remain the outfit’s home base, but it does reflect a broader realignment. Increasingly, the work of making animation is happening outside of Hollywood, and Vancouver is at the forefront of that change.