Trioscope Studios, the U.S. animation shingle that created the unique hybrid animation technology used in Netflix’s World War II drama “The Liberator,” has partnered with Polish visual effects and sound studio Juice to launch Trioscope Europe.
Michał Misiński, director and partner at Juice, will serve as CEO of the new potential animation powerhouse that will be based in Poland. Besides producing original content they are also seeking to adapt third-party IP under a third-party studio partnership program.
The stated intention behind Trioscope Europe is to attract European creators, studios and distributors by providing the opportunity to cost-effectively produce their scripted dramas as hybrid animations using Trioscope’s proprietary technology platform. “The Liberator,” on which Trioscope and Juice partnered, will provide the studio’s creative and a business model blueprint.
“The Liberator,” after being stuck in development hell as an eight episode live-action skein at the History Channel, became the four-episode hybrid animated show combining human performance and specially designed animation that is now a big success on Netflix, where it recently reached the top three worldwide in terms of views.
Due to the pandemic, animation is getting more traction since it involves smaller crews in a single space, so it’s less impacted by delays due to coronavirus production protocols than live-action content.
“Juice has been a powerhouse of passionate artists and producers, and a leader in visual effects worldwide, said L.C. Crowley, CEO of Trioscope Studios, in a statement.
“The extraordinary Polish team was integral to our success with ‘The Liberator,’” he added. “And as we continue to prioritize European and international production and co-production, Trioscope Europe is a key component in our strategic mission to rapidly expand the reach of our animated drama platform around the globe.”
Misiński in the statement noted that a key component of the Trioscope Europe mission will be “to leverage the amazing amount of talent hidden in eastern Europe and give them an opportunity to contribute to the creation of world-class content.”
Juice is a Poland-based post-production company specialized in high-end CGI with outposts in Tokyo and London. Besides “The Liberator,” they’ve worked on high-profile projects such BAFTA-winning advertising campaign “BBC Winter Olympics: Nature,” Ridley Scott’s film “The Martian”, and Gaijin Entertainment’s popular video game “War Thunder,” as well as collaborations with Sony Entertainment and 20th Century Fox.
Trioscope’s expansion into Europe comes on the heels of a busy year. In addition to launching “The Liberator” on Netflix, the company is currently adapting into a TV series “The Havana Job,” a long-form journalism piece about the CIA and Fidel Castro’s Cuba written by Truly*Adventurous co-founder Greg Nichols. They have also partnered with Dark Horse Comics, Oni Press, Netflix and Unique Features on other projects being kept under wraps.