Cheehoo Raises $10 Million to Revolutionize Animation Production with AI
The creation of animated content, whether for film, television, games, or other media, has historically been a profoundly labor-intensive and time-consuming endeavor. Every frame, every character movement, every environmental detail requires meticulous planning and execution across a complex pipeline. A single scene can demand weeks or even months of work, involving numerous specialized steps. The traditional workflow typically begins with conceptualization and storyboarding, translating script ideas into visual sequences. Following this, character design and modeling bring the characters to life in 3D or 2D space. Rigging then adds digital skeletons and controls, allowing animators to pose and move characters. Layout establishes camera angles and scene blocking. The core animation phase involves painstakingly creating the motion of characters and objects. This is followed by texturing, lighting, and visual effects (VFX) to add realism, mood, and special elements. Finally, rendering processes convert the 3D data into 2D images, which are then composited together with backgrounds and other layers before editing and sound design complete the process.
One of the most significant bottlenecks in this traditional pipeline is the iteration phase. If a director or supervisor wants to experiment with an alternative take on a scene perhaps a different character expression, a slight tweak in timing, a change in camera angle, or an adjustment to lighting the animation team must often revisit multiple steps in the process. This can involve re-animating sections, adjusting lighting setups, re-rendering frames, and recompositing the scene. Each change, no matter how small, can trigger a cascade of required adjustments, adding substantial time and cost to the production schedule. This inherent rigidity makes creative experimentation costly and often limits the ability of filmmakers to explore numerous possibilities and refine their vision effectively. This challenge is particularly acute for smaller studios, independent creators, and those working with limited budgets or tight deadlines, where the financial and time overhead of extensive iteration can be prohibitive.
Addressing this fundamental challenge is the core mission of Cheehoo, a new startup emerging from the intersection of Hollywood production expertise and cutting-edge artificial intelligence technology. Founded by a group combining seasoned film executives and accomplished technologists, Cheehoo aims to develop AI-powered tools designed to streamline and accelerate the animation production process, making it more accessible, flexible, and cost-effective for creatives.
The origins of Cheehoo are deeply rooted in the practical realities of major film production. The startup was born out of the production company Rideback, known for producing successful franchises like the Lego Movie series. This direct link to large-scale animation projects provided the founding team with firsthand experience of the inefficiencies and costs inherent in traditional pipelines. Several key figures from Rideback are part of Cheehoos founding team, including Ridebacks co-CEOs, Michael LoFaso and Jonathan Eirich, as well as Rideback co-founder Dan Lin. This core group brings extensive experience in navigating the complexities of feature film production and understanding the needs of creative teams. Complementing this industry knowledge are technologists with deep expertise in artificial intelligence: former president of DreamWorks Animation, Chris deFaria, brings executive leadership from one of the world's leading animation studios, while ex-Apple AI researchers Yao-Hung Hubert Tsai and Wei-Cheng Kuo contribute significant technical prowess in machine learning and AI model development. This blend of creative insight and technical innovation positions Cheehoo uniquely to tackle the specific challenges faced by animators and studios today.
In a conversation with TechCrunch, Michael LoFaso articulated the driving force behind Cheehoo. He stated, "What we found through Rideback is that in Hollywood, the process of creating animation was getting expensive and complex. It was starting to become tougher for creators to get their idea out in the world. We wanted to create a tool that was native to the workflows of creators and make their lives easier." This quote underscores the startup's commitment to developing solutions that integrate seamlessly into existing creative pipelines rather than forcing artists to adopt entirely new systems. The focus is on empowering creators by removing technical friction and reducing the barriers to bringing animated visions to life, particularly in a landscape where production costs continue to escalate.
Cheehoo's approach centers on providing tools that enable creators to prototype and iterate on animation concepts with unprecedented speed and flexibility. The platform is designed to alleviate some of the most tedious and time-consuming technical tasks that often interrupt the creative flow. For instance, handling data annotation, which involves labeling and preparing data for various stages of production, can be automated or significantly accelerated. File conversions between different software packages or formats, a common headache in collaborative pipelines, are streamlined. Ensuring format consistency across assets and scenes is another area where Cheehoo aims to simplify the process. By tackling these technical hurdles, Cheehoo allows artists and directors to remain focused on the creative aspects of their work, moving more fluidly between different steps of the animation process without getting bogged down in technical busywork.
A key aspect of Cheehoo's value proposition is its ability to integrate with industry-standard platforms. Recognizing that studios and individual creators already rely on powerful software like Autodesk Maya for 3D modeling and animation, or Unreal Engine for real-time rendering and interactive content, Cheehoo's workflow is designed to complement rather than replace these tools. This integration allows users to make changes within the Cheehoo environment and see the results reflected almost immediately, facilitating rapid iteration and feedback loops. The platform's core functionality includes AI features aimed at assisting various production tasks. Crucially, Cheehoo emphasizes creative control: users have the ability to turn AI features on or off, allowing them to leverage AI assistance where it's helpful while retaining manual control over critical artistic decisions. This hybrid approach respects the artist's agency and ensures that AI serves as a co-pilot rather than an autonomous director.
The AI capabilities within Cheehoo are powered by a combination of in-house developed models and integration with third-party AI services. The company utilizes its proprietary AI models to assist with foundational tasks such as character and asset creation, potentially speeding up the initial stages of generating digital puppets and environmental elements. Furthermore, Cheehoo allows users to integrate with leading third-party AI providers like OpenAI and Runway. This open approach enables creators to leverage a wider range of specialized AI tools for tasks such as post generation (potentially generating text or script elements), motion stylization (applying different animation styles to existing motion data), and scene composition (assisting with layout and camera placement suggestions). This flexibility allows Cheehoo users to tap into the rapidly evolving ecosystem of creative AI tools, enhancing the platform's versatility and power.
While Cheehoo did not publicly announce specific launch partners at this stage, the company indicated that it is already actively working with several prominent IP holders, studios, and individual creators. This suggests that the technology is already being tested and validated in real-world production environments, providing valuable feedback for further development. The startup's potential to attract established players in the industry underscores the perceived need for solutions that can address the escalating costs and complexities of modern animation production.
Supporting Cheehoo's vision is a significant financial backing. The company recently announced a successful funding round, raising $10 million. This round was led by Greycroft, a venture capital firm with a strong track record of investing in media and technology companies. Additional participation came from a diverse group of investors including Point72 Ventures, Basis Set, Headline Asia, Powerhouse Capital, Playground Productions, and Rideback, demonstrating broad confidence in Cheehoo's potential. The involvement of Rideback as an investor further solidifies the connection between the startup and its production roots, suggesting a continued synergy between development and practical application.
Brentt Baltimore, a principal at Greycroft, commented on the investment, highlighting the venture firm's strategic interest in the evolving media landscape. He stated that Greycroft has "always been inclined to make investments in companies that create 'new age' media." Baltimore expressed strong confidence in Cheehoo's founding team and their unique blend of expertise, adding that he believes Cheehoo possesses "the right mix of Hollywood, media, and technology DNA to solve problems in animation pipelines." This investor perspective emphasizes the importance of having a team that understands both the creative and technical sides of the industry to effectively address its challenges.
Baltimore further elaborated on the potential impact of Cheehoo's technology. He believes that "Cheehoo has an opportunity to reduce the cost of animation production overall." This cost reduction is not just about efficiency; it has the potential to democratize animation creation. As Baltimore explained in an interview, "That means it can have sophisticated creators easily create animation films without having an expensive studio setup. Using AI, the company is trying to put enterprise or big studio-level workflows into a tool enabling independent filmmakers to individuals to be creative with animation features." This vision suggests that Cheehoo could lower the barrier to entry for high-quality animation, allowing a wider range of storytellers to produce animated content without needing access to massive budgets or large teams typically associated with major studio productions. Importantly, Baltimore also echoed the company's commitment to creative control, noting that Cheehoo is "also doing all this while providing creative control to users, which creatives have always wanted." This focus on empowering the artist rather than replacing them appears to be a key differentiator and selling point for the platform.
Looking ahead, Michael LoFaso outlined Cheehoo's future trajectory. While the company is currently focused on serving enterprises and professional creators ("prosumers") likely studios, production companies, and experienced independent animators it intends to expand its reach by rolling out more consumer-focused products in the future. This move suggests a long-term ambition to make animation tools accessible to a much broader audience, potentially enabling individuals with little or no prior animation experience to create animated content using intuitive AI-assisted interfaces. This potential expansion into the consumer market could position Cheehoo to compete more directly with other startups also working on simplifying aspects of animation production.
The burgeoning field of AI-assisted creative tools is attracting significant investment and innovation, and Cheehoo is entering a competitive landscape. Startups like Cartwheel, which is backed by Accel, and Cinamon, supported by Naver, are also developing tools aimed at simplifying various parts of the animation pipeline. Cartwheel, for instance, may focus on specific stages like character rigging or motion transfer, while Cinamon might specialize in areas like generative content or real-time animation. Cheehoo's differentiator appears to be its comprehensive workflow approach, aiming to assist across multiple steps of the pipeline, combined with its deep roots in professional production via Rideback and its emphasis on integrating with existing professional tools and maintaining creative control. The competition in this space highlights the growing recognition of the need for technological solutions to address the challenges of traditional animation production and the significant market opportunity for tools that can make the process faster, cheaper, and more accessible.
The success of Cheehoo and similar ventures could significantly impact the future of animation. By reducing the time and cost associated with iteration and technical tasks, these tools have the potential to unlock new levels of creative freedom. Directors and artists might be able to explore more visual possibilities, refine performances with greater precision, and bring more ambitious ideas to the screen without facing prohibitive production hurdles. For independent creators and smaller studios, AI-powered tools could level the playing field, enabling them to produce content that rivals the technical quality of larger productions. Furthermore, making animation tools more accessible to consumers could foster a new wave of creativity, allowing anyone with a story to tell to explore the medium of animation. As AI technology continues to evolve, the capabilities of platforms like Cheehoo are likely to expand, further blurring the lines between complex technical processes and intuitive creative workflows, ultimately aiming to make the magic of animation more attainable for everyone.