What Propellers Studio does

Propellers Studio (Студия анимации Propellers) is a full-cycle animation production studio and co-producer, founded in 2008 and operating as a fully remote, distributed team of approximately 25 employees. The studio offers 3D CGI, 2D (both traditional and CGI-assisted), puppet animation, and educational video production, delivered either as end-to-end projects from concept through final render, sound design, and distribution, or as modular services including pipeline integration, workload distribution, and pipeline splitting for clients with existing creative teams. Its underlying technology is built around the open-source Blender 3D creation suite, which the studio positions as delivering roughly 3x the performance of After Effects pipelines at lower licensing cost, complemented by a cloud-based production infrastructure that enables seamless remote collaboration.

The studio serves three principal customer segments: animation studios and production companies needing additional capacity or specialized expertise (clients named include Yarko within the Gazprom-Media holding, AA-Studio, StoryTime, Riki Group, and Pilot Studio); content distributors and broadcasters seeking preschool and children's animation (X-Media Digital, Shayan TV); and brands needing custom animation. Revenue is generated through professional services fees for production work, licensing of owned intellectual property, and content distribution arrangements. Propellers owns and distributes multiple animation brands, most notably Dolly's Stories and the broader Dolly franchise, which together with related properties (Thorny Stories, Grumpy Greg, Flying Delivery, Buds, Turnip, Locomotive Tishka) account for 35+ hours of content and over 10 million YouTube subscribers globally. The company also co-produces with Toy Star Media on the Dolly and Friends franchise and publishes a free Blender training course as a talent pipeline and community-building initiative.

Name

Propellers Studio

Legal name

Студия Пропеллерс

Website

https://propellers.pro

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Propellers Studio is a fully remote animation production studio offering full-cycle 3D and 2D animation services and co-production for other studios, broadcasters, and brands, using a Blender-based pipeline and serving clients such as Yarko (Gazprom-Media), AA-Studio, and StoryTime.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Animation Production Services

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812), Services-Allied To Motion Picture Production (7819)

akta.pro primary industry

Outsourcing Studios (Art/Animation/Audio/Engineering Support) (MPAFAAAN)

akta.pro secondary industry

Animation Pipeline Tools & Technical Direction (Scripts, Plugins, Automation) (MPAHACAL)

Keywords

• 3D animation production
• 2D animation services
• Blender pipeline outsourcing
• Children's animation studio
• Co-production animation

Headquarters

HQ city

Remote

HQ country

Russia

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Animation Production Services: Full-cycle or partial animation production services for external clients. The studio acts as a contractor, providing production capacity for animation series, short films, and educational content. Clients include Yarko, AA-Studio, and StoryTime.
2. Content Ownership and Licensing: The studio develops and co-produces its own animation properties (Dolly's Stories, Greg the Grump, Thorny Stories, etc.) and earns revenue through licensing, broadcasting rights, and merchandise. They also engage in co-production and co-financing arrangements.
3. Content Distribution: Distribution of their own content and partners' content across YouTube, online cinemas, and TV platforms. They manage content delivery, metadata, and platform-specific formatting.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Propellers Studio is a full-cycle animation production studio that provides 3D CGI, 2D, and traditional animation services for other studios, broadcasters, and brands. It produces both original intellectual property (Dolly's Stories, Tikabo, Flying Delivery, Thorny Stories, Turnip, Buds, Grumpy Greg) and contracted production work for clients such as Yarko, AA-Studio, StoryTime, and Pilot Studio. The studio operates a Blender-based cloud pipeline enabling cost-effective production and pipeline integration services.

Product overview

Propellers Studio is a full-cycle animation production studio and co-producer offering a comprehensive suite of animation services spanning 3D CGI, 2D (both traditional and CGI-assisted), and educational video production. Core services include concept development, character design, animation production, VFX, rendering, compositing, music composition, voice-over, and post-production — delivered either as a full end-to-end production or as modular services (pipeline integration, workload distribution, and pipeline splitting) for clients with existing creative teams. The studio produces both original intellectual property (such as Тикабо, Улётная доставка, Истории Долли, Угрюмый Грег, Колючие истории, Репа, Кругляши, and Лапкиленд) and co-productions with partners (including 10 друзей кролика for AA-Studio, Паровозик Тишка for Студия «Пилот», and Долли и её друзья for Toy Star Media). A free Blender course is also offered for community education. Distribution services handle delivery across YouTube and online streaming platforms. The studio operates a Blender-based production pipeline, which it positions as faster and more cost-effective than After Effects or Maya pipelines, leveraging real-time rendering and automated rigging.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• 3D Animation Production Services
• 2D Animation Production Services
• Blender Pipeline Services
• Full-Service Production (End-to-End Animation)
• Project Integration (Pipeline Contractor Services)
• Content Distribution Services
• Tikabo (Тикабо)
• Flying Delivery (Улётная доставка)
• Dolly's Stories (Истории Долли)
• Thorny Stories (Колючие истории)
• Grumpy Greg (Угрюмый Грег)
• Turnip (Репа)
• Buds (Кругляши)
• 10 Friends of the Rabbit (10 друзей кролика)
• Dolly and Her Friends 3D (Долли и её друзья)
• Hedgehog and His Friends (Ёжик и его друзья)
• Educational Video Production (Corporate Training)
• Vlad and Niki Title Sequence

Quantifiable outcome

• 3x faster production compared to After Effects pipeline
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 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

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Yarko (Ярко)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerYarko is an animation hit factory within the Gazprom-Media holding. They commissioned Propellers to develop and produce Tikabo (2023), a musical project for preschoolers. This is a major client relationship for production services.
• Riki GroupminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRiki Group is the leader of the Russian animation market and creator of the popular Smeshariki (Rugrats) franchise. Listed as a partner studio on Propellers' website.
• AA-StudiocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of the largest animation studios in Russia specializing in 3D series and feature films. Propellers provided rendering services for the 10 Friends of Rabbit project, successfully integrating Blender into their Maya pipeline.
• StoryTimecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProduction center creating content for children and parents. Propellers migrated the Kruglyashi project from After Effects to Blender for StoryTime, achieving quality maintenance and productivity improvement.
• Toy Star MediacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOwners of the Dolly and Friends franchise and YouTube promotion experts. Propellers produces content while Toy Star Media owns the franchise and manages YouTube distribution. Joint co-production relationship.
• X-Media DigitalminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLeader of the Russian online media content distribution market. Listed as a partner on Propellers' website.
• Shayan TV (Шаян ТВ)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFirst 24/7 children's TV channel in the Tatar language. Listed as a partner on Propellers' website for content distribution.
• Pilot Studio (Студия Пилот)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLegendary first non-governmental animation studio in Russia, part of the Gora Samotsvetov series. Propellers worked on the Turnip (Repa) short film for this initiative.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• WildBrain: Canadian entertainment company managing large children's IP libraries (Peppa Pig, Teletubbies) and YouTube distribution (WildBrain Spark). Comparable as an operator of multi-channel preschool YouTube distribution at scale, which is the model Propellers is pursuing with Dolly's Stories and related channels.
• Xilam Animation: France-based animation studio producing original and service work across 2D and 3D (Oggy and the Cockroaches, Zig & Sharko). Comparable as an animation studio combining original IP development with significant outsourcing/services capacity, though much larger and publicly listed.
• Riki Group: Russia's largest animation studio and creator of Smeshariki (Rugrats). Listed as a Propellers partner; a much larger incumbent in the same Russian animation ecosystem that both co-produces and competes for IP-driven preschool series commissions.

Direct peers

• Yarko: Russian animation studio within the Gazprom-Media holding producing preschool content. Direct peer; Yarko has commissioned Propellers for Tikabo (2023), and both studios serve the same Russian/CIS preschool broadcaster and YouTube distribution market.
• Pilot Studio: Legendary first non-governmental Russian animation studio, part of the 'Mountain of Gemstones' series. Direct peer in classical and 3D animation production; Propellers produced the 'Turnip' short film for this initiative, indicating direct workflow overlap.
• AA-Studio: One of the largest 3D animation studios in Russia specializing in series and feature films. Direct peer in the Russian animation production space; Propellers has rendered work for AA-Studio's '10 Friends of the Rabbit,' and the two studios operate overlapping client segments and pipeline technologies.
• Parovoz (Locomotive) Animation Studio: Russian animation studio producing preschool 3D content including the Masha and the Bear franchise. Direct peer serving the same YouTube-native preschool audience and Russian broadcaster client base that Propellers targets.

Emerging players

• B-Water Animation Studios: Spanish animation services studio providing outsourced animation production to European broadcasters and platforms. Comparable to Propellers as a mid-sized European outsourcing-focused animation studio with production-service revenue model.

Regional players

• Mondo TV: Italian animation production and distribution group producing children's and family content. Comparable to Propellers in combining original IP creation with third-party distribution and co-production, operating primarily in European/Mediterranean markets.
• Toonbox: Russian-Turkish animation studio co-creating content for international streaming platforms (e.g., co-production with Discovery Kids). Comparable to Propellers as a regional player combining original IP with international co-production, but with stronger Western platform penetration.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCTbj9GGBll0ycmSaBbGgcxQ
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/propellers-pro

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 Propellers Studio