"The Sheep’s Hotel"
Metrafilms Studio has announced a company opening in Chișinău, Moldova to develop animation projects aimed at a broad viewership around the world. Karina Kabanova, creative producer of 'Kid-E-Cats' and 'Lex and Plu:Space Taxi Drivers', will serve as CEO.
Karina Kabanova, says: “Moldova has always been a multiethnic territory with active cooperation across Europe and North America, so we’ve long been planning to establish a company here, and we’re glad we’ve finally managed to do so. We’ve successfully launched production of several projects at once in collaboration with several local studios. When I was a child, Chișinău was famous for its Floricica Animation Studio. It nurtured a whole generation of famous animators that I’m happy to call my friends.”
The new company’s first release will be the animated series, "The Sheep’s Hotel". Dmitry Vysotsky, author of the highly successful 'Kid-E-Cats' series, will direct the show once again. The project also involves Ceri Barnes (United Kingdom) and Aron Dunn (Canada). The series follows a close-knit family of sheep who’ve converted an old mansion into a hotel for families with kids. The animated series is aimed at preschoolers. The first season has 52 episodes.
Production has wrapped on the six-episode horror anthology "Red Iron Road". This is a series of short animated horror short films created by directors from all over the world. Each episode uses its own unique animation style.
Also in production: "Beastly Crimes", a detective show for 9–12 year-olds, based on the book series of the same name. Those series are all co-productions of Metrafilms Studio. Moldova and Canada’s Lakeside Animation Studio.
Artem Vasilyev, general producer at Metrafilms Studio. Moldova: “Over the past few years, we’ve been actively developing co-production of animation projects. The shows that we are launching with Metrafilms Studio. Moldova involve co-production with various countries. We’ve been working together with Canada, France, England, Ukraine, Armenia, and Romania, and we plan to expand that list. The Canadian company Lakeside Animation Studio serves as our company’s strategic partner.”
