What Mackinnon & Saunders does

Mackinnon & Saunders is a UK-based animation studio founded in 1992 by Ian Mackinnon and Peter Saunders, specialising in stop motion animation, puppet fabrication, and 2D digital animation for television, feature films, and commercials. The company operates from Altrincham, Greater Manchester, with 11-50 employees, and is structured as a privately held limited company. Its core technical capabilities include puppet design and construction (concept maquettes through mould making, armatures, costumes, hair, and paint), sophisticated facial mechanics, internally lit puppet technology using LEDs, and fur texturing techniques adapted from historical methods dating to King Kong. The studio has produced over 100 productions across 30+ years, including iconic works for Tim Burton (Corpse Bride, Frankenweenie, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, Mars Attacks!), Wes Anderson (Fantastic Mr Fox), and Guillermo del Toro (Pinocchio, which won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature in 2023).

The company operates three interconnected revenue streams delivered as project-based professional services: (1) full production services for stop motion and 2D digital animation from concept to delivery; (2) puppet and character fabrication sold to broadcasters, film studios, and other animation companies; and (3) advertising and commercial production for agencies and brands. Key customer segments include broadcasters and streaming platforms (CBeebies, Channel 5, Netflix, Sky Kids), feature film studios and directors (Warner Bros, Disney, Fox Searchlight, with Tim Burton, Wes Anderson, and Guillermo del Toro as recurring collaborators), advertising agencies (Deutsch LA, M&C Saatchi, AMV BBDO), and other animation studios (Laika, Aardman, Ragdoll). Distribution is direct enterprise sales with global geographic reach. In 2013 the company formed a joint venture with Komixx Entertainment — Mackinnon & Saunders Digital Studios — extending into 2D digital animation.

The company sustains a project-based fee model with custom pricing per engagement; no standard pricing tiers are publicly disclosed. Go-to-market is sales-led, relying on direct relationships with production companies, broadcasters, and director collaborations, supplemented by an industry portfolio website and earned media through award recognition (Academy Awards, BAFTAs, Annie Awards, Ub Iwerks Award for Technical Achievement). Recent production wins through 2024 (Netflix's Wednesday Season 2 stop motion sequence, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Sandworm, Sky Kids' BooSnoo!) and ongoing partner collaborations indicate continued operational momentum with a primarily stable, craft-driven operating model.

Name

Mackinnon & Saunders

Legal name

Mackinnon & Saunders Ltd

Website

https://mackinnonandsaunders.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Mackinnon & Saunders is a UK-based animation studio specialising in stop motion animation, puppet fabrication, and 2D digital animation for broadcasters, streaming platforms, feature film studios, and advertising agencies. The company serves clients including Netflix, Tim Burton, Wes Anderson, and CBeebies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Stop Motion Animation Production

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)

akta.pro primary industry

Stop-Motion Animation Production (MPADACAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Animation Production (2D/3D/Stop-Motion) (MPAAAMAD)

Keywords

• Stop motion animation
• Puppet fabrication
• Character design
• 2D digital animation
• Production services

Headquarters

HQ city

Altrincham

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Animation Production Services: Full production services for stop motion and 2D digital animation from concept to final delivery, including individual production elements such as script development, character design, budgeting, scheduling, talent hire, shooting and post production
2. Puppet and Character Fabrication: Design and construction of characters for TV shows, feature films and commercials - including concept maquettes, mould making, armatures, costumes, hair and paint
3. Advertising and Commercial Production: Production of TV commercials and promotional content for advertising agencies and brands

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Mackinnon & Saunders is a UK-based animation studio that develops and produces animated television shows, feature films, pilots, and commercials. The company specializes in stop motion animation with puppet fabrication, designing and constructing characters from concept maquettes through mould making, armatures, costumes, hair, and paint. They also operate Mackinnon & Saunders Digital Studios, a joint venture producing 2D digital animation content.

Product overview

Mackinnon & Saunders is a UK-based animation studio offering three interconnected service lines: (1) Production services for stop motion and 2D digital animation from concept to delivery, (2) Puppet design and construction for TV, film, and commercials, and (3) Mackinnon & Saunders Digital Studios (a joint venture with Komixx Entertainment) for 2D digital animation. The company operates as a full-service studio producing original content (The Mixmups, The House, Moon and Me) while also providing puppet fabrication and animation services for major franchises including Tim Burton films (Corpse Bride, Frankenweenie, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, Pinocchio), Wes Anderson's Fantastic Mr Fox, and popular children's series (Postman Pat SDS, Bob the Builder, Twirlywoos).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Production Services Full production service for stop motion and 2D digital animation projects from concept to final delivery, including script development, character design, budgeting, scheduling, talent hire, shooting, and post production. Targeted at broadcasters, streaming platforms, and feature film studios.
• Puppet Making Services Design and construction of puppets and characters for TV, feature films, and commercials, from concept maquettes through mould making, armatures, costume, hair, and paint. Targeted at animation studios, film studios, and advertising agencies.
• Mackinnon & Saunders Digital Studios Joint venture with Komixx Entertainment producing high quality 2D digital animation, including children's TV series such as Wanda and the Alien. Targeted at broadcasters seeking 2D digital animation content.
• Commercials Production

Quantifiable outcome

• Academy Award nomination for The Sandman (1993), multiple Oscar nominations for Corpse Bride (2006), Fantastic Mr Fox (2010), Pinocchio (2023)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Komixx EntertainmentcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013Joint venture partner in Mackinnon & Saunders Digital Studios launched in 2013. First production was Wanda and the Alien (Channel 5), a 2D digital animation series. Also collaborated on Toby's Travelling Circus for Channel 5.
• Ragdoll ProductionscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProduction partner for Twirlywoos for CBeebies (2015, 2016, 2017). Ragdoll is the production company behind Teletubbies, In the Night Garden, created by Anne Wood.
• DreamWorks Classics/NBCUniversalcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorProduced Raa Raa the Noisy Lion (2016-2017) and Postman Pat SDS for CBeebies under DreamWorks Classics/NBCUniversal. Studio production team produces stop motion animation for these properties.
• Cosgrove Hall Film Archive/Waterside SaleminorOthersArchive preservation partnership. The Cosgrove Hall Film Archive, celebrating the legacy of one of the UK's most beloved animation studios, is now based in Sale, Greater Manchester. Since 2017, Waterside has been custodian of original production materials.
• Foundling Bird/SutikkicoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on Moon and Me (2019) for CBeebies. M&S provided stop motion elements combining live action puppetry with animation.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• DNEG (Double Negative): Global visual effects and animation company with feature animation and VFX divisions serving Hollywood studios. While primarily a CGI/VFX leader, DNEG competes with M&S for the same studio budgets on tentpole projects and represents the broader competitive context (CGI substitution) facing stop-motion studios.
• Cosgrove Hall Films: The historic Manchester-based stop-motion studio where founders Mackinnon and Saunders began their careers in the 1980s. Although no longer operating as a production entity, Cosgrove Hall defined the UK stop-motion craft tradition that M&S now carries forward, making it a foundational peer in lineage and style.
• Passion Pictures: Established UK animation production company known for Gorillaz music videos and multiple Oscar-winning shorts. Functions as a broader incumbent in UK animation production, competing for the same director relationships, brand budgets and broadcaster commissions, though with more diverse styles than stop-motion only.

Regional players

• Triggerfish Animation Studios: South Africa-based animation studio producing feature films and series (Kizazi Moto, Seal Team). Functions as a comparable privately-held animation production house serving global streamers, with overlapping capabilities in craft-driven animation though geographically distinct from M&S's UK base.

Direct peers

• Lupus Films: UK stop-motion studio known for The Snowman and the Snowdog and Ethel & Ernest. Operates in the same UK stop-motion segment with similar children's/family broadcaster customers (Channel 4, Channel 5, BBC) and competes for commissioning slots on stop-motion TV specials.
• Aardman Animations: UK-based stop-motion animation studio famous for Wallace & Gromit and Shaun the Sheep. Aardman competes in the same UK stop-motion market and has used M&S for puppet support on productions such as Chicken Run; both serve broadcasters and feature-film studios from the same craft ecosystem.
• Shadow Machine: US stop-motion/animation studio that co-produced Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio with Netflix. Direct co-production partner with M&S on Pinocchio, with both contributing puppet fabrication and animation—making Shadow Machine a directly comparable stop-motion peer in the US feature-film market.
• Ragdoll Productions: UK children's TV production company behind Teletubbies and In the Night Garden, which co-produced Twirlywoos with M&S. Operates in the same preschool stop-motion commissioning space, addressing the same broadcasters (CBeebies) with complementary capabilities.
• Laika Studios: US-based stop-motion animation feature-film studio (Coraline, ParaNorman, The Boxtrolls, Missing Link). Laika is the closest direct peer to Mackinnon & Saunders in stop-motion, and M&S has actually provided puppet-fabrication support services to Laika on multiple productions, demonstrating direct operational comparability.

Emerging players

• Studio Liddel: UK animation studio collaborating with M&S on BooSnoo! for Sky Kids. A smaller, emerging player in the UK children's animation space with comparable style and customer overlap (Sky, CBeebies), making it a partial-overlap peer in the same commissioning ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/mackandsaund
• Facebookfacebook.com/mackinnonandsaunders
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mackinnon-and-saunders-ltd-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Mackinnon & Saunders