Bix Pix Entertainment

What Bix Pix Entertainment does

Bix Pix Entertainment is a privately held, hand-made stop-motion animation studio founded in 1998 and headquartered in Burbank, California. The studio produces both original animated series and commissioned content for Tier-1 clients across broadcast, streaming, advertising, and digital platforms. Its original IP portfolio includes Shape Island (Apple TV+), an EMMY and Annecy International Animation Film Festival winner, and Tumble Leaf (Amazon Prime Video, 4 seasons), which has earned multiple Emmys, Annies, a BAFTA, and a Peabody nomination. Client work spans high-profile projects for NBC, Cartoon Network, Google, Saturday Night Live, Warner Bros, Jim Henson Studios, Mattel, and Visine, with notable examples including a Google Doodle celebrating the 51st anniversary of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood and an SNL Funhouse parody produced in 8 hours.

The studio's technology centers on hand-crafted stop-motion animation, with each puppet sculpted, molded, armature-fitted, and hand-painted in-house. Costumes are hand-stitched, knitted, and treated for animation; sets are designed and constructed with camera-angle and reusability parameters; and animation averages roughly 200 frames (8 seconds) per animator per day. Post-production VFX handles digital rig removal, light flicker fixes, and added effects such as water, bubbles, and skies. The full-service model spans puppet fabrication, costume design, set construction, animation, and post-production.

Bix Pix operates a dual revenue model: commissioned production services (project-based work for networks, streaming platforms, and corporate brands, typically structured as one-time licenses) and original content licensing (royalties from streaming distribution of Tumble Leaf and Shape Island). The go-to-market is relationship-driven and direct-sales, with portfolio showcasing via the studio's website and social channels. Leadership is founder-controlled, with Kelli Bixler (Owner/Founder/Creator) and Drew Hodges (Creator/Director/Executive Producer) at the creative helm, supported by specialized producers handling finance and production. The studio maintains two Burbank offices, has 51-100 employees, and shows no evidence of external funding rounds or institutional investors.

Name

Bix Pix Entertainment

Legal name

Bix Pix Entertainment, Inc.

Website

https://bixpix.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Bix Pix Entertainment is a privately held, hand-made stop-motion animation studio founded in 1998 in Burbank, California. It produces original award-winning series (Tumble Leaf, Shape Island) and commissioned content for major clients including Apple TV+, Amazon Prime, Google, NBC, and Saturday Night Live.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Animation Production Services

NAICS

Motion Picture and Video Production (512110)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)

akta.pro primary industry

Animated Series Production (TV/Streaming) (MPADACAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

VFX Production & Shot Work (CG Integration, Matte Painting, FX) (MPAHABAB)

Keywords

• Stop-motion animation
• Animation production services
• Preschool animated content
• Commercial animation production
• Puppet fabrication services

Headquarters

HQ city

Burbank

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Animation Production Services: Producing stop-motion animation content for external clients including broadcast networks, streaming platforms, and corporate brands. Work includes TV specials, commercial spots, digital content, and feature film development.
2. Original Content Licensing: Original productions such as Tumble Leaf and Shape Island that are licensed to streaming platforms like Apple TV+ and Amazon Prime.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Bix Pix Entertainment is a hand-made stop-motion animation studio producing both original animated series and commissioned animation content for broadcast networks, streaming platforms, and corporate brands. The studio offers full-service production capabilities including puppet fabrication, costume design, set construction, animation, and post-production VFX. Original productions such as Tumble Leaf and Shape Island are developed in-house and licensed to streaming platforms like Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV+.

Product overview

Bix Pix Entertainment is a hand-made stop-motion animation studio founded in 1998, based in Burbank, CA. The company operates as a single unified creative studio producing both original animated series and client-based commercial/creative projects. Their original productions include Shape Island (Apple TV+), Tumble Leaf (Amazon Prime), Roadents, and various holiday specials. Their client work spans major brands including NBC, Warner Bros (MAD TV), Mattel, Cartoon Network (Adventure Time), and Saturday Night Live. The studio is led by Founder Kelli Bixler and Creator/Director Drew Hodges, and is recognized for its hand-crafted stop-motion animation technique, having won multiple Emmy, Annie, BAFTA, and Annecy awards for productions like Tumble Leaf.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Shape Island: Annecy International Animation Film Festival Winner, EMMY Winner, EMMY Nominated and ANNIE Nominated series on Apple TV+.
• Tumble Leaf

Products and services

• Shape Island An EMMY-winning, Annie-nominated stop-motion animated series broadcast on Apple TV+, winner of the Annecy International Animation Film Festival Award. Targeted at children's streaming audiences.
• Tumble Leaf A Bix Pix Original Emmy-winning animated preschool series featuring Fig the fox, distributed on Amazon Prime Video, with multiple award wins including BAFTA and Peabody recognition.
• Roadents An animated comedy series about two neurotic guinea pigs traveling across the country in a 1982 Winnebago, featuring improvised comedy by actors Kevin McShane and David Harris.
• Holidaze A Television Christmas Special featuring Rudolph's brother, Rusty the Reindeer, on a Big City adventure.
• Stop-Motion Animation Production Services Full-service commissioned stop-motion animation production from concept to final delivery, including puppet fabrication, costume design, set construction, animation shooting, and post-production VFX. Serves broadcast networks, streaming platforms, and corporate brand clients.

Named customers13 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Amazon Prime VideocoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAmazon Prime Video distributes Tumble Leaf content across all four seasons. The partnership represents a significant distribution channel for Bix Pix's original preschool animated series.
• Apple TV+coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorApple TV+ streams Shape Island, an EMMY-winning series that has also won Annecy International Animation Film Festival Award and ANNIE nominations.
• Houghton Mifflin Harcourt PublishingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCreative collaboration with Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing produced Moonlight Storytime, a children's interstitial series in puppet and paper stop animation.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Aardman Animations: UK-based stop-motion studio behind Wallace & Gromit and Shaun the Sheep. Closest international peer in craft and IP strategy, with comparable preschool/TV portfolio and award profile.
• ShadowMachine: Independent animation production company known for stop-motion work on BoJack Horseman and Anomalisa. Directly comparable as a US stop-motion service studio with mixed original/commissioned work.
• Mercury Filmworks: Canadian 2D/hand-drawn animation studio with adjacent craft focus (Hilda, The Dragon Prince). Comparable as a mid-sized independent studio serving major streamers with premium hand-crafted animation.
• Laika: Oregon-based feature-film stop-motion studio (Coraline, Kubo) and the most direct US peer in hand-made stop-motion production. Operates at significantly larger scale but shares the same craft and talent pool.
• Powerhouse Animation: Independent animation studio producing Castlevania and Blood of Zeus for Netflix. Comparable as a US animation studio producing premium content for major streamers, though primarily CGI rather than stop-motion.
• Stoopid Buddy Stoodios: Producer of Robot Chicken and other stop-motion content. Comparable as a US stop-motion studio with both original IP and commissioned work, including holiday specials and shorts.

Emerging players

• Tonko House: Independent animation studio producing preschool content (Oni: Thunder God's Tale) with similar hand-crafted aesthetic. Comparable target segment (preschool/Apple TV+) but smaller scale and emerging.

Broad incumbents

• Warner Bros. Animation: Major animation division of Warner Bros. Discovery. Existing client (MAD TV shorts) and broader incumbent producing animation at scale across TV and streaming, representing both partnership opportunity and competitive threat.
• Netflix Animation: Major streaming platform's in-house animation division. Relevant as both a commissioning client for premium animation and a broad incumbent that could in-source stop-motion production over time.
• Jim Henson Studios: Legendary puppet/creature and animation studio. Past collaboration partner on Stringdom of Yarnia and adjacent in the hand-crafted puppet/animation space; broader incumbent with IP ownership advantages.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/bix_pix
• Facebookfacebook.com/bixpixentertainment
• Instagraminstagram.com/bixpix_entertainment
• TikToktiktok.com/@tumbletales
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bix-pix-entertainment

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Bix Pix Entertainment