Toon Boom Animation Inc.

What Toon Boom Animation Inc. does

Toon Boom Animation Inc. is a privately held Canadian software company founded in 1994 and headquartered in Montréal, Quebec. The company develops and sells pre-production and 2D animation software — primarily Harmony (end-to-end 2D animation), Storyboard Pro (storyboarding and layout), and Producer (production management) — used by professional animation studios, broadcasters, educational institutions, and independent artists. Toon Boom's products are recognized as the industry standard for professional 2D animation, with customer adoption across more than 140 countries including Disney, Pixar, Netflix, DreamWorks, Warner Bros., Sony Pictures Animation, Marvel Studios, and Toei Animation. Its technology stack encompasses vector-based digital painting, character rigging, node-based compositing, and storyboarding, augmented by Ember, an opt-in AI productivity add-on introduced in 2025.

The company generates revenue primarily through recurring annual and monthly desktop subscription licenses, with quote-based enterprise volume agreements for major studios and discounted educational licensing for verified institutions. Distribution combines a direct enterprise sales force with a global network of authorized channel partners and resellers (Carahsoft, NOVEDGE, Animation Associates, Cartoon Compass, Rahul Commerce, iPromise, and others) across the Americas, EMEA, and Asia-Pacific, complemented by a Shopify-based online storefront for SMB and individual customers. A 14-day free trial supports top-of-funnel conversion, and the company maintains an Authorized Training Centre network, Learn Portal, and Associate Certification program that reinforce user pipeline development.

Toon Boom was acquired by Corus Entertainment in 2013 and subsequently purchased by Integrated Media Company (IMC), a private investment firm focused on media and entertainment technology, in 2023. Following the acquisition, Colin Bohm was appointed CEO in December 2023. Since then the company has launched multiple major product versions (Harmony/Storyboard Pro 24 and 25), introduced the Ember AI add-on, formed strategic partnerships with Banijay and Bria.ai, and expanded its channel network into Latin America, Asia-Pacific, and emerging markets. Jump, a drawing and animation toolset for game development, has had active development paused.

Name

Toon Boom Animation Inc.

Legal name

Toon Boom Animation Inc.

Website

https://toonboom.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Toon Boom Animation develops Harmony, Storyboard Pro, and Producer — industry-standard 2D animation and production management software used by major studios globally. The Montréal-based company serves animation studios, broadcasters, educational institutions, and independent artists across 140+ countries via subscription licensing.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Animation Software

NAICS

Motion Picture and Video Industries (5121)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)

akta.pro primary industry

3D Product/Explainer Animation (MPAHACAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Simulation & FX Animation (Cloth, Hair, Particles) (MPAHACAH)

Keywords

• 2D animation software
• Storyboarding tools
• Animation production pipeline
• Character rigging software
• Pre-production animation

Headquarters

HQ city

Montréal

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Software Licenses (Desktop Subscription): Toon Boom generates revenue primarily through annual and monthly desktop subscription licenses for Harmony, Storyboard Pro, and Producer. Subscriptions auto-renew unless cancelled. Pricing is quote-based for enterprise customers and varies by product tier and permitted user count. Educational discounts are available for verified students and institutions. The company also offers perpetual or one-time license options alongside subscription plans.
2. Enterprise and Institutional Licensing: Enterprise studios, broadcasters, and educational institutions negotiate volume licensing agreements directly with Toon Boom. Licensing is tied to a permitted number of concurrent users. Enterprise agreements include support services and may provide access to upgrades and updates as part of the subscription.
3. Educational Licensing: Dedicated educational versions of software are offered at discounted pricing to primary schools, secondary schools, colleges, universities, vocational schools, training centers, public libraries, and youth organizations. Educational end-users may not use the software for commercial purposes.
4. Cloud/Hosted Software (Toon Boom Cloud): For cloud-hosted versions of its software, Toon Boom hosts customer CONTENT on virtual machines. Customers retain ownership of their uploaded content. Cloud services are provided subject to the EULA and separate service descriptions. Usage is at the customer's own risk regarding data integrity and loss.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels10 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

Toon Boom Animation Inc. develops and sells pre-production and 2D animation software for professional animators and studios. Its flagship products — Harmony, Storyboard Pro, and Producer — cover the full animation pipeline from storyboarding and layout to rigging, compositing, and production asset management, with the Ember AI-powered productivity add-on extending capability into AI-assisted workflow support.

Product overview

Toon Boom Animation Inc. offers a portfolio of pre-production and 2D animation software tools. The core product lineup includes Harmony (end-to-end animation production), Storyboard Pro (storyboarding and layout), and Producer (production management). Additional offerings include Ember (AI-powered productivity add-on for Harmony and Storyboard Pro) and Jump (drawing/animation tools for game development, though development is currently paused). The company also provides cloud hosting services, online learning platforms, and instructor-led training through its Learn Portal. Products are sold primarily via subscription and are used by major animation studios worldwide including Disney, Netflix, Pixar, and Warner Bros. Animation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Harmony: End-to-end 2D animation software for creating worlds of animation
• Storyboard Pro
• Producer
• Ember
• Jump

Products and services

• Harmony End-to-end 2D animation software enabling the creation of animation for movies, TV shows, games, explainer videos, and advertisements. Supports vector and bitmap drawing, character rigging, cut-out animation, node-based compositing, effects, and rendering for professional animation studios.
• Storyboard Pro Professional storyboarding and layout software for animators and filmmakers, used to create storyboards from initial concept through final animatic. Integrates with Harmony and Producer and supports adding audio and animatic creation as the starting point of animation production.
• Producer Professional-grade production management suite that tracks asset creation from start to finish across distributed animation teams, replacing spreadsheets and brittle DIY solutions.
• Ember Opt-in AI-powered productivity add-on for Storyboard Pro and Harmony that assists professional animation teams with faster iteration and fewer workflow interruptions, designed to support rather than replace the work of artists and animators.
• Toon Boom Cloud Cloud-hosted delivery of Toon Boom software in which customer content is hosted on virtual machines managed by Toon Boom, allowing teams to access the software without local installation subject to the EULA and separate service descriptions.

Quantifiable outcome

• Used by all major animation studios globally, including Disney Television Animation, Pixar, DreamWorks, Netflix, and 140+ countries worldwide
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers32 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

AI capability2 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• BanijaycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 June 2025Banijay announced a new ethical AI partnership with Toon Boom at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival. The partnership focuses on ethical AI adoption in animation workflows, positioning Toon Boom as a responsible AI partner for one of the world's largest content production groups. Banijay is a major international content production and distribution group.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Adobe: Adobe's Animate product was Toon Boom's most direct competitor in 2D vector animation for studios, freelancers, and education. Adobe is exiting the Animate market, handing displacement share to Toon Boom, but Adobe Creative Cloud remains a broader incumbent in the same creative-tooling universe.
• Autodesk: Maya and 3ds Max are dominant in 3D character and feature animation pipelines used by the same major studios that buy Toon Boom. Autodesk competes for studio software budgets across animation and VFX even though it doesn't specialize in 2D.
• Unity Technologies: Unity is a broad incumbent in real-time content and game-engine software. As animation pipelines converge toward real-time and game-engine workflows, Unity increasingly competes for the same studio IT budgets as Toon Boom.
• Epic Games (Unreal Engine): Unreal Engine is increasingly used for virtual production and real-time animation by major studios, positioning Epic as a broad incumbent competing with Toon Boom at the intersection of animation, VFX, and interactive content.

Direct peers

• TVPaint Development: TVPaint offers raster/vector-based 2D animation software used by professional studios and freelancers — directly comparable to Toon Boom Harmony in feature set and target user.
• Lost Marble (Moho): Moho (formerly Anime Studio) is a direct 2D animation software competitor focused on cut-out and bone-rigging workflows serving indie animators and small studios in the same professional 2D segment as Toon Boom.
• Celsys (Clip Studio Paint): Clip Studio Paint is widely used for illustration, comics, and 2D animation by individual creators and small studios. It competes for the indie/freelance tier of Toon Boom's customer base and offers growing animation capabilities.

Emerging players

• OpenToonz: OpenToonz is the open-source 2D animation software originally developed by Toon Boom itself; it competes most directly on price-sensitive and independent animator segments.

Others

• SideFX (Houdini): Houdini serves VFX and procedural animation needs for the same major studios that use Toon Boom, often integrating within shared production pipelines even though it doesn't specialize in 2D animation.
• The Foundry (Nuke): Foundry's Nuke and Mari are leading VFX compositing and texture-painting tools deployed alongside Toon Boom in feature and high-end episodic pipelines.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/toonboom
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/ToonBoomAnimation
• Facebookfacebook.com/20548955166
• Instagraminstagram.com/toonboomanimation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/toon-boom-animation-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Toon Boom Animation Inc.