The Soulcage Department

What The Soulcage Department does

The Soulcage Department is a privately held German 3D animation studio headquartered in Bremen that designs and animates cartoon characters, with a production focus on the advertising industry. Founded in 2002 by Elmar Keweloh and Wilhelm Landt as a Gesellschaft bürgerlichen Rechts (GbR) partnership, the studio operates an end-to-end CGI workflow that covers design, animatic, modeling, texturing, skeletal rigging, animation, VFX, lighting, rendering, and compositing. Its proprietary pipeline emphasizes character animation — human figures, animals, vehicles and other movable assets — alongside custom visual-effects work (smoke, snow, water, explosions) and photorealistic rendering integrated with live-action footage.

The business is a B2B professional-services model. Projects are commissioned through advertising agencies — BBDO, Brickbeach and others — and through direct engagement with brand clients across the DACH region (Germany, Austria, Switzerland). The studio's customer roster spans broadcast networks (ZDF, ORF, RTL, NDR), FMCG and confectionery brands (Lindt, Ferrero, Dr. Oetker, Storck, Knoppers), beverage advertisers (Coca-Cola, PepsiCo/Punica, Gerolsteiner), retailers (Saturn, MediaMarkt Austria, Hofer/Aldi International, BILLA), automotive (Mercedes Benz Bremen), banking (DAB BNP Paribas, Barclaycard, Raiffeisen Bankengruppe Österreich), mobile gaming (Wooga's June's Journey), consumer electronics (Vivo Mobile), food delivery (Lieferheld/Delivery Hero), and software (Jimdo). Pricing is project-based and not publicly disclosed.

Monetization is driven by animation service fees from TV commercials, digital content, product packshots, cinematic sequences, and — increasingly — gaming episodic content. The studio markets primarily through its professional showreel website and industry awards (Animago, CCA Venus, Effie, SABRE, ADC). It has no external investors, no app or software product, no public revenue disclosure, and an estimated 11–50 employees. The company is operationally active in 2025, evidenced by fresh June's Journey episodes and updated portfolio entries on its website.

Name

The Soulcage Department

Legal name

The Soulcage Department GbR

Website

https://soulcage-department.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Soulcage Department is a Bremen-based 3D animation studio that designs and animates cartoon characters, VFX and CGI primarily for advertising agencies and direct brand clients across the DACH region. It runs a full in-house production pipeline from character design through compositing for TV, digital and gaming content.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Animation Production Services

NAICS

Motion Picture and Video Production (51211), Postproduction Services and Other Motion Picture and Video Industries (51219)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)

akta.pro primary industry

3D Character Animation (MPAHACAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Character & Creature Animation (MPADACAE), Animation Pipeline, Asset & Render Services (MPADACAM), Outsourced Art/Audio Production Services (2D/3D, Animation, VFX, Audio/VO) (MPAFAKAM), Content Studio & Creative Resourcing (In-house/Embedded Teams) (BPAFAIAJ)

Keywords

• 3D animation services
• Character animation studio
• Visual effects production
• Advertising content creation
• CGI post-production

Headquarters

HQ city

Bremen

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Animation Services: Project-based animation service revenue from creating 3D character animations, VFX, and CGI content for advertising campaigns, TV commercials, and digital media. Clients include advertising agencies and direct brand clients.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

The Soulcage Department is a specialized 3D animation studio that designs, rigs, and animates cartoon characters and produces visual effects for advertising campaigns. The studio runs a complete in-house production pipeline covering design, animatic, modeling, texturing, rigging, animation, VFX, lighting, rendering, and compositing. It delivers TV commercials, digital content, character mascots, cinematic sequences, and CGI stills for advertising agencies and brand clients primarily in the DACH region.

Product overview

The Soulcage Department is a specialized 3D animation studio (Animationsstudio) offering a unified production service for high-quality visual content. Their core offering centers on 3D Character Animation combined with VFX and Post-Production services. The workflow encompasses ten stages: Design, Animatic, Modeling, Texturing, Rigging, Animation, VFX, Lighting, Rendering, and Compositing. Additional offerings include CGI Stills and Cinematics for games. The company operates as a service provider rather than a software product platform, producing bespoke animated content for advertising clients rather than licensing software products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• 3D Character Animation Services Full-service 3D character animation production including design, modeling, rigging, animation, VFX, rendering, and compositing for advertising and entertainment applications, delivered to advertising agencies and brand clients.
• VFX & Post-Production Visual effects integration into live-action footage and post-production services including compositing, color grading, masking, and final output preparation for advertising campaigns and broadcast content.
• CGI Stills

Named customers28 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

One partnership is on record.

• Brickbeach / Power to the Artists GmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing production partnership. Brickbeach acts as agency on multiple projects including Wooga June's Journey episodes, Storck Fan Fieber, and Ferrero Kinderino projects.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• The Mill: Global VFX and creative content studio producing CGI, animation, and live-action for major brand advertisers and entertainment. Overlapping capabilities in advertising CGI/animation but much larger scale and integrated production.
• Buck: Los Angeles-based creative studio producing animation, motion design, and CG content for advertising and entertainment clients. Comparable in creative service offering and brand client focus, but operates at materially larger scale and broader global reach.
• Psyop: Globally recognized animation and VFX studio with offices in New York and Los Angeles, producing high-end character animation and CG for advertising and entertainment. Comparable creative output but materially larger scale and broader geographic reach.

Direct peers

• Sehsucht: Hamburg-based 3D animation and motion design studio serving major brand advertisers with character animation, VFX, and CGI for commercial campaigns. Highly comparable in service offering, geography (Germany), and target client base (agencies and brands).
• Unit Image: French 3D animation studio specializing in character animation and CGI for advertising, film, and music videos. Comparable in technical pipeline and creative focus on character-driven content.
• NEUESUPER: Berlin-based animation and motion design studio creating character animation, motion graphics, and CGI content for advertising and brand storytelling. Comparable in service mix and DACH positioning.
• Golden Section: German 3D animation and VFX studio producing CGI content for advertising, film, and broadcast. Direct peer in size, geography, and creative service offering.
• Foam Studio: Amsterdam-based animation and motion design studio producing character animation, VFX, and CG content for advertising clients including Nike, Google, and Heineken. Direct peer in service offering and brand-focused creative output.
• Mackevision: Stuttgart-based CGI, VFX, and 3D animation studio (now part of Accenture Song) producing high-end automotive, product visualization, and advertising content. Direct competitor in the DACH advertising CGI space, with larger scale and corporate backing.
• Film Deluxe: Berlin-based animation and VFX studio producing character-driven CGI for commercials, branded content, and music videos. Comparable in service offering and DACH-region focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks2 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

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 The Soulcage Department