On Entertainment Opens Montréal Animation Studio

Plans to Hire 300 Animation Pros over the Next Three Years

Paris-based On Entertainment, the company behind recent feature-film release The Little Prince, says it plans to hire a staff of 300 over the next three years to run a new studio in Montréal, Québec.

"Our new Montréal studio gives us a foothold in North America and provides us with the resources we need to ramp up production and extend our reach with films intended for international release," said On Entertainment co-founder Thierry Pasquet in a prepared statement. The company expects to ramp up production and release one animated feature every two years.

On Animation Studio will receive about $3.7 million (U.S.) in government loans, split between the governments of Canada and Québec (the latter granted through financing corporation Investissement Québec) to help fund the studio's opening, the company said in a press release.

"By opening a studio in Montréal, On Entertainment helps enhance the value proposition of the city's animation and special effects industry, which currently ranks fourth in the world," said Hubert Bolduc, president and CEO of nonprofit organization Montréal International, a local investment promotion agency, in a prepared statement. "Big industry players and major productions flock to Montréal because of our high-quality academic programs and rich pool of highly skilled talent." The organization estimates that 40 Montréal studios already employ 3,000 in the VFX and animation industry.