Recent months have seen a significant downturn in demand for animated projects from streaming services, forcing animation studios to adapt. This lull has given the studios, especially those in the service segment a chance to focus on original projects. It’s a well-known fact that service studios are the unsung powerhouses of the animation industry. Although many films are original ideas formed and rendered by big studios, a large swath of celebrated features and shows owe their visual charm to service studios. However, this is possible only if the studios were able to adapt to a range of genres and art styles combined with considerable experience, expertise and business acumen.

At Toonz, we continue to grow with the filmmakers to produce films that creatively push boundaries and entertain audiences and our presence is in both the service segment as well as on original projects. We pride ourselves on being able to achieve any look the filmmakers envision; this is our superpower. We have studios in several places with different specialties, but all those studios are connected. That’s why we have developed the company that way, to be ready to answer any needs at any time. All these aspects of Toonz, which we have painstakingly built over the last 25 years is now helping us to navigate the challenging times as this gives us the options to pivot and adapt.

Another key aspect to our advantage is that we have terrific in-house leads with deep experience practically every style who help mentor new artists so that we can expand our skills. As popular writer E.B. White said: The magic comes when the solid foundation meets the new blood, and each inspires the other. At Toonz, we are always focused on maintaining good relationships with collaborators and our business interests are considerably driven by our own projects. We believe in doing the projects together on site and as I have reiterated many times animation is a collective achievement.

Hugely popular shows that go into multiple seasons like Pakdam Pakdai, Jholmaal, PaJaMa, and Zoonicorn are critical because they bring stability. We are strategically looking into such productions through co-production and multi-territory finance model, which enhances our sustainable business operations in the long run. Additionally, we have expanded our budget ranges so that we can deliver really great content at a lower price, which opens up the range of partners we can work with. Also shaking up the industry is the advent of generative AI and we have already seen major studios integrate the technology.

Generative AI gives us an opportunity to envision pipelines without code issues that can easily adapt to other technologies, the creation of tools that allow artists more freedom and creative possibilities and a final product that is achieved in less time and effort. Toonz has always played the long game and we have always pivoted and adapted in challenging times to build our legacy in the last 25 years. We will continue to be innovative and sustainable as that is the only way ahead as we continue our journey beyond 25 years.