Paris-based Millimages and young production company Method Films are teaming up to open a Paris-based stop-motion animation studio at the end of the year or early 2000.

Temporarily named Gimmick, the studio will work on Millimages and Method Films’ in-house projects and co-productions, as well as outside clients, from TV series to ads.

Roch Lener’s Millimages is garnering global attention with graphically stylish children’s animated co-pros such as Archibald, 64 Zoo Lane and Pablo. According to Antoine Bing, Millimages’ GM, ‘the creation of this studio is part of the company’s global strategy of development. Millimages is already associated with four studios in Poland, Romania, the Ukraine and India. And after producing classical animation series, we now want to explore other styles of animation, including stop-motion.’

A few projects are currently being developed, and the studio starts work in February on the production of Method Films’ half-hour family special The Wolf Fear.

Run by Emmanuel Giraud and Aton Soumache, Method has produced 15 animated short films, including Maaz, a 2-D/3-D Oscar-nominated film, and is currently working with Canal + on the new season of political animated parody Les Simplets.

The Wolf Fear, a co-production with French animation prodco Protecrea, a major French network, and English, Canadian and German partners, will be Method Films’ first stop-motion production. Directed by Lionel Richard, the latex and silicone fabricated co-pro remixes classic tales like Little Red Riding Hood and The Three Little Pigs into a new story. Delivery for the US$800,000 series is set for fall 2000. The two partners will globally invest US$800,000 over three years into the studio.