Animation studio drawn back to Hintonburg

A Vancouver-based studio is hoping to reanimate an Ottawa neighbourhood once known as the city's animation centre.

Thunderbird Entertainment opened itsnew studio, Atomic Cartoons Ottawa, onWellington Street W., right in the heart of Hintonburg, earlier this month. The area used to be known as "animation alley," according to studio manager Chris Wightman, and was home to some of Canada's first animation studios.

It's a reputation Wightmanis hoping the company can bring back.

"Ottawa [is becoming] a place where we're pitching, creating our own stories and our own productions, and they're getting made here,"Wightmantold CBCRadio's All In A Day.

"Ottawa is an amazing city and it's a great home of culture and arts and amazing talent and schools,"the company's CEO, Jennifer Twiner McCarron, agreed.

"Welooked all over Canada and felt Ottawa would be a great home."

Animation in Ottawa

Thunderbird is also hoping to replicate thesuccess they found in Vancouver, where the company began with just 14 employees and has grown its workforce to more than 500.

Twiner McCarronsaid she expects Ottawa's branch to be buzzing with more than 200 employees in the near future. For now, she said, Atomic Cartoons, Thunderbird's kids division,is looking for18 animators.

"We want to help build out Ottawa the same way we are ... building out Vancouver," she said."We see those possibilities in Ottawa."

Atomic Cartoons has already started working on a new animated series for Netflix called The Last Kids on Earth, tobe produced in Ottawa.

The series,based on a New York Times bestselling book seriesbyMax Brallier, will include 26 episodes. Its makers describe it asa show about a zombie apocalypse that meets The Breakfast Club, and say itwill feature some interactive episodes.