Offering what it calls a “clean AI animation platform” to give studios and creators a simpler, speedier and more cost-effective workflow, Cheehoo has just opened its doors and is backed by an impressive founding team.

The LA-based startup was quietly incubated at Rideback—the banner co-founded by Netflix Film chairman Dan Lin, who has production credits on The Lego Movie franchise and this summer’s live-action Lilo & Stitch feature. And it was developed by AI researchers and data scientists/engineers working with in-house artists, animators and game developers. This team includes former DreamWorks Animation president Chris deFaria (How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World), Rideback co-CEOs Michael LoFaso and Jonathan Eirich, former Apple scientists Yao-Hung Hubert Tsai and Wei-Cheng Kuo, Lin as a co-founder, and AI scientist advisor Ruslan Salakhutdinov.

According to TechCrunch, the platform allows users to quickly prototype and make changes to existing animation, as well as leveraging in-house AI models to help with character and asset creation. Cheehoo can also integrate with existing softwares such as Unreal Engine and Autodesk Maya, support tasks like data annotation and file conversions, and it aims to retain a unique artistic quality despite its AI approach.

Multiple partners have already joined Rideback in backing Cheehoo—a Greycroft-led funding round has raised somewhere in the range of US$10 million for the company, as per TechCrunch, with Point72 Ventures, Basis Set, Headline Asia, Powerhouse Capital and Playground Productions also participating. 

Now that it’s open for business, Cheehoo is looking to connect with animators, artists, IP holders, brands and production companies that are interested in a faster workflow.