Making good on a promise of international expansion after its 2012 purchase by British private equity firm Endless [see our previous coverage], VFX and animation industry mainstay Cinesite has merged with Vancouver's Image Engine.
The deal brings the total worldwide headcount of the combined organization to 525 at facilities in London, Vancouver and Montréal, the companies said. Cinesite had opened its Montréal studio early last year for work on the Warner Bros. project The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
"We will continue operating in our various geographical locations and our focus will continue on our different core visual effects strengths," said Cinesite Managing Director Antony Hunt in a prepared statement that also drew attention to Cinesite's feature animation push, including projects from Cinesite development company Comic Animations. "This work can now be shared across all three locations," he said.
Both of the newly combined companies have a long history in the business that predates the intense rounds of consolidation that have hit recently, particularly in the U.S. Cinesite was founded in London in 1994, and Image Engine opened the following year in Vancouver.
