Cinesite moves into Asia by acquiring majority stake in Mumbai VFX Studio Assemblage

UK and Canada-based VFX company Cinesite has made its first foray into Asia, acquiring a controlling stake in budding Mumbai, India-based CGI animation and VFX studio Assemblage.

Under the terms of the agreement, Assemblage will continue to serve its global customer base independently, led by founder AK Madhavan and CEO Arjun Madhavan.

Founded in 2013 by Madhavan, affectionately known in the industry as Madmax, Assemblage has worked on a variety of American studio and independent films and series, including Disney’s Miraculous LadybugSony swan princesslion gate norm of the northentertainment studios Arctic dogs and French televisions Pinocchio’s Enchanted Village.

The studio also regularly worked with Netflix, among other things on productions troll hunter, Chico Bon Bon and have a partyand with AppleTV+ and Amazon Prime puffin and Puffin impossible.

Cinesite has become increasingly commercial amid the global production boom, recently acquiring Canadian animation studios L’Atelier Animation and Squeeze and Balkan-based VFX house FX3X. The company’s portfolio also includes Trixter with offices in Berlin and Munich; and Image Engine in Vancouver, in addition to the original Cinesite facilities in London, Vancouver and Montreal.

“Assemblage is an undisputed leader in the CGI animation industry in Asia and knows the market, the culture and the landscape better than any other company,” said Antony Hunt, CEO of Cinesite.

“In order to produce the high-quality content that we want to address the market demand in the future, we need to be able to draw talent and expertise from different fields around the world. Through this venture, we have found the right partner in Assemblage, which is well positioned to further consolidate its position as a major player in the international animation market, expand its VFX capabilities and meet growing commercial demand in Asia.”

Assemblage CEO Arjun Madhavan said: “Cinesite brings a wealth of experience in feature film and VFX, which fits perfectly with our growth strategy. The creative and technical expertise, the multinational presence and the robust network of talent give us more possibilities. This will enable us to further strengthen our service offering, deepen our footprint and expand our customer base globally.With a legacy of many firsts in and out of India, we are excited to see how much more we can achieve together. “

Cinesite’s recent and upcoming credits include Marvels Black Panther: Wakanda Foreverthat of Netflix Mathilde and The Witcher season 3and that of Apple TV+ Foundation season 2.