Minnow Mountain
Minnow Mountain is an Austin, Texas-based rotoscope animation studio founded in 2012 that provides performance capture character animation services to major streamers and prestige producers including Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and PBS, with Emmy-winning work and educational products.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2012
- HeadquartersAustin, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Minnow Mountain does
Minnow Mountain LLC is an Austin, Texas-based rotoscope animation studio founded in 2012 by industry veterans Craig Staggs (CEO and Director) and Steph Swope (President and Producer). The studio specializes in performance capture character animation — a methodology that captures live-action reference footage of actors and translates it into hand-drawn animated characters in order to preserve emotional and physical authenticity. Production is anchored by a proprietary 14-step rotoscoping pipeline (Reference Edit through Animation Edit) and a Performance Capture Laboratory that focuses on pushing production quality through a blend of software and digital approaches; the team is organized around a Character Animation Workshop and a separate Cartoonatorium One unit offering 2D cartoon-style character animation for adult audiences.
The studio operates as a B2B animation services provider on a project basis, partnering with prestige entertainment producers and streaming platforms and booking work 1-2 years in advance via direct outreach to [email protected]. Named enterprise engagements include the Emmy Award-winning documentary Tower for PBS, two seasons of the series Undone for Amazon Prime Video, the feature film Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Age Childhood for Netflix (directed by Richard Linklater), the indie feature Quantum Cowboys, the title sequence for the Critical Role streaming series, and a music video for The Black Angels. Minnow Mountain has consistently produced the highest Rotten Tomatoes scores in the rotoscope animation industry (Tower 99%, Undone 97%, Apollo 10 1/2 91%, Quantum Cowboys 100%), and won an Emmy Award for Best Historical Documentary for Tower.
In 2024 the studio expanded its footprint with the launch of Cartoonatorium One for 2D cartoon-style character animation and the announcement of Minnow Mountain original films to be written and directed by co-founder Craig Staggs. The company has also diversified revenue beyond production services with a "How To Rotoscope with Craig Staggs" video course sold via Gumroad, a "Book on Rotoscoping" blog with an e-book planned for 2026, and a cinematic illustration practice led by Craig Staggs serving clients including The Austin Chronicle, Simon and Schuster, Tornante Television, Detour Filmproductions, Prime Video, and Netflix. The studio is privately held by its two co-founders with no disclosed institutional investors, funding rounds, or M&A activity.
Minnow Mountain firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Minnow Mountain
- Legal name
- Minnow Mountain LLC
- Website
- https://minnowmountain.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2012
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Minnow Mountain is an Austin, Texas-based rotoscope animation studio founded in 2012 that provides performance capture character animation services to major streamers and prestige producers including Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and PBS, with Emmy-winning work and educational products.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Minnow Mountain industry classification
Industry- 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
- 2D Character Animation (MPAHACAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Motion Capture & Performance Capture (Body/Face, Cleanup, Retargeting) (MPADAHAC), Rotoscoping, Cleanup & Paint (Animation Support) (MPAHACAK), Short-Form Animation (Shorts, Web Series) (MPADACAI)
Keywords
Where Minnow Mountain is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Austin
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Minnow Mountain business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Animation Production Services: B2B animation services for film and TV producers, including development and production of feature films, series, shorts, and music videos. Revenue is project-based, working with major streaming platforms and independent producers.
- How To Rotoscope Online Course: Video course sold via Gumroad providing rotoscoping education. Students receive real-time screen captures of full drawing sessions with master rotoscoper Craig Staggs.
- The Book on Rotoscoping: Educational blog content with e-book planned for 2026. Quickstart guides for filmmakers on art and technique of rotoscoping.
- Illustration Services: Cinematic illustration portfolio work by Craig Staggs for clients including Austin Chronicle, Simon and Schuster, Tornante Television, Detour Filmproductions, Prime Video, and Netflix.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
Minnow Mountain product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Minnow Mountain provides performance capture rotoscope character animation production services for film, television, music videos, and short films. The studio translates live-action actor performances into hand-drawn animated characters using a proprietary 14-step pipeline and dedicated Performance Capture Laboratory. In addition to production services, the studio offers 2D cartoon style animation through its Cartoonatorium One unit, cinematic illustration by co-founder Craig Staggs, and rotoscoping education products including a video course and a forthcoming book.
Product overview
Minnow Mountain is an Austin, Texas-based rotoscope animation studio offering performance capture rotoscope character animation for film and television. The company's core offering is its rotoscope animation service, which translates actor performances into animated characters. Beyond production services, Minnow Mountain has expanded into original content creation (Dance First, planned original films) and educational products (How To Rotoscope video course, The Book on Rotoscoping). The studio also offers 2D cartoon style character animation through its Cartoonatorium One unit. Key co-productions include Apollo 10 1/2 for Netflix, Undone for Amazon Prime (two seasons), Tower for PBS, and Quantum Cowboys. The studio also produces music videos and title sequences, and offers cinematic illustration services through co-founder Craig Staggs.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Performance Capture Rotoscope Character Animation Minnow Mountain's primary service offering: rotoscope character animation that captures an actor's emotional and physical presence from video reference footage and translates it into hand-drawn animated characters. Provided to major entertainment producers and streaming platforms for feature films, series, and short-form content.
- Cartoonatorium One (2D Cartoon Style Character Animation) 2D cartoon style character animation production service for adult audiences, including sitcoms and monster-fighting hero content. Launched in 2024 as an expansion of the studio's animation service offerings beyond rotoscope.
- Cinematic Illustration Services Cinematic digital illustration commissions led by co-founder Craig Staggs, providing striking character portraits with emotional depth for editorial, book covers, and promotional materials for clients such as The Austin Chronicle, Simon and Schuster, and Prime Video.
- How To Rotoscope with Craig Staggs (Video Course)
Quantifiable outcome
- Tower received 99% Rotten Tomatoes score
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Minnow Mountain
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Minnow Mountain technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Minnow Mountain partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators3 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Minnow Mountain competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Laika: An Oscar-recognized stop-motion feature animation studio with in-house production at scale; adjacent premium-animation positioning, distinct stop-motion craft but comparable quality reputation and feature pipeline for studio buyers.
- WildBrain: A large Canadian animation production and brand-management company with extensive series production capacity; broad incumbent in the same production-services category for streamers and broadcasters.
- Rough Draft Studios: A long-established animation services studio with global production capacity spanning series and film for major US networks and streamers; comparable service offering in animated television and feature production.
- Titmouse: A larger, multi-office animation studio producing adult-skewing animated series (Big Mouth, Metalocalypse) and film content; competes for the same streamer-driven adult-animation commissions from a much broader portfolio position.
Direct peers
- Shadowmachine: A Los Angeles animation and stop-motion studio producing character-driven adult animation series and films; directly comparable as a boutique studio serving the same prestige TV/film clientele with a similar hybrid live-action/animated methodology.
- Augenblick Studios: A boutique animation studio delivering character-driven 2D animation for adult-skewing series, films and shorts; directly comparable in scale, methodology and target clients.
- Studio Mir: An animation studio producing high-profile series animation (e.g., The Legend of Korra, DOTA: Dragon's Blood) for streamers and networks; overlaps with Minnow Mountain on premium animated series work for global platforms.
- Bent Image Lab: A Portland-based boutique animation and mixed-media studio producing character-driven adult animation and short-form content; similar size and stylistic positioning targeting similar premium clients.
- Floyd County Productions: The animation studio behind FX's Archer and other adult-skewing series; comparably sized boutique producing high-quality animated series for premium networks/platforms.
Regional players
- Powerhouse Animation: An Austin-based animation studio producing premium animated series (e.g., Castlevania, Blood of Zeus) for major streamers; same city and overlapping adult-animation client base with Minnow Mountain.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Minnow Mountain social profiles
Digital presenceMinnow Mountain financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Minnow Mountain leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Minnow Mountain funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Minnow Mountain M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Minnow Mountain
What does Minnow Mountain do?
Minnow Mountain provides performance capture rotoscope character animation production services for film, television, music videos, and short films. The studio translates live-action actor performances into hand-drawn animated characters using a proprietary 14-step pipeline and dedicated Performance Capture Laboratory. In addition to production services, the studio offers 2D cartoon style animation through its Cartoonatorium One unit, cinematic illustration by co-founder Craig Staggs, and rotoscoping education products including a video course and a forthcoming book.
Is Minnow Mountain a public or private company?
Minnow Mountain is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Minnow Mountain founded?
Minnow Mountain was founded in 2012. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Minnow Mountain based?
Minnow Mountain is headquartered in Austin, United States, in the North America region.
How does Minnow Mountain make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Animation Production Services are the primary driver. The others are how To Rotoscope Online Course, the Book on Rotoscoping and illustration Services.
Who are Minnow Mountain's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Laika, WildBrain, Rough Draft Studios and Titmouse. Direct peers are Shadowmachine, Augenblick Studios, Studio Mir, Bent Image Lab and Floyd County Productions. Powerhouse Animation is listed as a regional player.
Does Minnow Mountain have an API?
No public API is recorded for Minnow Mountain.
What industry is Minnow Mountain in?
Minnow Mountain's product category is Animation Production Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAHACAA, 2D Character Animation, with a secondary code of MPADAHAC, Motion Capture & Performance Capture (Body/Face, Cleanup, Retargeting). Its NAICS code is 51211 and its SIC code is 7812.