Stim Studio
Stim Studio is a Lyon-headquartered B2B animation and VFX service studio delivering specialized character rigging, grooming, and full 3D/2D production for major film studios, TV producers, and advertising clients worldwide.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2019
- HeadquartersLyon, France
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Stim Studio does
Stim Studio SAS is a privately held B2B animation and visual effects service studio headquartered in Lyon, France, with additional operations in Angoulême (France), Liège (Belgium), Canada, and a forthcoming office in Santa Cruz de Tenerife (Spain). Founded in 2019 by Félix Ferrand (CEO), Jordan Soler, and Benoit Gielly (CTO) — three veterans of high-end international VFX and animation companies — the studio delivers 3D animation, visual effects, and 2D content for feature films, television series, and advertising campaigns. Its 70-person team works out of a 400m² headquarters equipped with 80 workstations, secure servers, and a confidential production pipeline, with a stated plan to scale to 200 employees.
The studio's core offering is specialized character-focused production services: facial rigging, character body rigging, grooming and fur simulation, look development, lighting, compositing, and full-project delivery. Domain specializations include facial rig systems deployed on tier-1 productions such as DreamWorks' The Wild Robot, DNEG's Garfield, and Framestore's Tom & Jerry, alongside animal fur/groom work, and a technical capability to adapt 2D graphic styles into 3D (demonstrated on A Mouse Called Julian using Arnold toon shader). The studio's proprietary technology is essentially its craft pipeline built on industry-standard software — Maya, Houdini, Arnold, Unreal Engine, Nuke, Zbrush, Substance Painter, Yeti, Xgen, Redshift, Fusion, and Mush3D — combined with internally developed rig systems and groom techniques.
Stim Studio generates revenue through professional-services contracts negotiated directly with major film and animation studios, VFX houses, broadcasters, and advertising agencies. Pricing is project-based and non-public. The customer base spans enterprise clients (DreamWorks, DNEG, Framestore, BBC, Amazon Prime, Warner Bros) and a long tail of production partners (Mercury Filmworks, Sinking Ship Entertainment, Atomic Cartoons, Supamonks, Sehsucht, Method Studios). The studio has begun extending beyond pure service work into owned-IP animation — including Les Aventures de Lou (26×22 min), the in-production preschool series Karters, and original feature film La Fille dans les Nuages (July 2026 theatrical release with Brio Films) — and is bootstrapped with no disclosed venture capital or private equity backing.
Stim Studio firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Stim Studio
- Legal name
- Stim Studio SAS
- Website
- https://stimstudio.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2019
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Stim Studio is a Lyon-headquartered B2B animation and VFX service studio delivering specialized character rigging, grooming, and full 3D/2D production for major film studios, TV producers, and advertising clients worldwide.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Stim Studio industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Animation and visual effects 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
- Animation Services for VFX (Creature/Character, Crowd, Simulation Support) (MPADAHAF)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Outsourcing Studios (Art/Animation/Audio/Engineering Support) (MPAFAAAN), Post-Production Facilities & Suites (Edit/Color/Sound Stages) (MPADAGAI)
Keywords
Where Stim Studio is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Lyon
- HQ country
- France
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices5 records
Markets served
Stim Studio business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Animation and VFX Production Services: B2B contract work providing 3D animation, visual effects, character rigging, grooming, lighting, and compositing services to film studios, TV production companies, and advertising agencies. Projects range from feature films to commercials to TV series.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
Stim Studio product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Stim Studio is a B2B creative production studio that creates and produces 3D animation, visual effects (VFX), and 2D content for the film, television, and advertising industries. The studio delivers end-to-end production services — from pre-production through compositing — with particular specialization in character-focused work including facial rigging, body rigging, grooming and fur simulation, look development, lighting, and compositing. It serves major animation studios (DreamWorks, DNEG, Framestore, Mercury Filmworks), broadcasters (BBC, Amazon Prime), and advertising agencies under per-project contracts.
Product overview
Stim Studio is a service-based creative studio specializing in 3D animation, visual effects (VFX), and 2D animation for the film, television, and advertising industries. The studio operates as a production services company rather than a software product company, offering end-to-end animation and VFX services including facial rigging, character rigging, grooming, look development, lighting, compositing, and full project delivery. Their core service offerings include specialized facial rigging services and character look development/groom services, which are delivered using industry-standard software including Maya, Arnold, Houdini, Nuke, and Unreal Engine. The studio also produces its own content, including Les Aventures de Lou, a proprietary educational animated series for children. Founded in 2019 and based in France with operations in Belgium and Canada, the company has worked on numerous high-profile international productions.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- 3D Animation and VFX Production Services Full-service 3D animation and visual effects production for feature films, TV series, and commercials, including pre-production, character rigging, grooming, look development, lighting, compositing, and final delivery for B2B clients such as DreamWorks, DNEG, and Framestore.
- Facial Rigging Services Specialized facial rigging services for characters, including the development of bespoke facial rig systems for major productions such as Garfield, Tom & Jerry, The Wild Robot, and The Amazing Maurice.
- Groom and Character Look Development Character grooming services including fur/feather simulation and character look development, covering modeling, lookdev, texturing, and surfacing for characters and environments.
- 2D Animation Services 2D animation services complementing the studio's 3D capabilities, used in commercial and film productions.
- Les Aventures de Lou (Lou's Adventures) Stim Studio's proprietary animated TV series — a 3D French-language production with 26 episodes of 22 minutes each, combining education and adventure for children aged 6-10.
Quantifiable outcome
- Delivered facial rigging for multiple major studio productions including DreamWorks, DNEG, and Framestore projects
Companies that use Stim Studio
Customer profileNamed customers17 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Stim Studio technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Stim Studio partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
19 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- FramestorecoreMajor UK-based VFX and animation studio. Stim Studio worked with Framestore on Tom & Jerry feature film, handling facial rigging for main characters.
- DNEGcoreLeading global VFX and animation studio. Stim collaborated with DNEG on Garfield feature film, developing facial rig system for main characters including Garfield, Baby Garfield, and John.
- DreamWorkscoreMajor Hollywood animation studio. Stim worked with DreamWorks on The Wild Robot, providing facial and body rigging for multiple characters.
- Mercury FilmworkscoreCanadian animation studio. Long-term collaboration including A Mouse Called Julian short film where Stim handled complete production from development to compositing.
- Sinking Ship EntertainmentcoreCanadian production company specializing in kids and family content. Stim provided facial rig and groom services for Builder Brothers series.
- SupamonksminorSpanish animation studio. Collaboration on Clash Royale Golden Knight commercial where Stim handled facial rigging of the golden knight character.
- Atomic CartoonsminorVancouver-based animation studio. Stim contributed character grooming services for Princess Power and My Little Pony series.
- SehsuchtminorGerman animation studio. Collaboration on Al Kass HUNTERS commercial for FIFA World Cup, creating realistic wolf and tiger characters.
- Method StudiosminorGlobal VFX and animation studio. Stim provided grooming services for 6 main characters in Shogūn series.
- Milk (animation studio)minorListed as partner/studio collaborator on website.
- PlatigeminorListed as partner/studio collaborator on website.
- JunglerminorListed as partner/studio collaborator on website.
- MoondogminorListed as partner/studio collaborator on website.
- SqueezeminorListed as partner/studio collaborator on website.
- Singing Frog StudiominorListed as partner/studio collaborator on website.
- MediawanminorListed as partner/studio collaborator on website. French media company specializing in animation.
- SEHSUCHTminorListed as partner/studio collaborator on website. German animation and motion design studio.
- Atomic ComicsminorListed as partner/studio collaborator on website.
- Red StarminorListed as partner/studio collaborator on website.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Stim Studio competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Mikros Animation: Large French animation studio (Technicolor/Mikros) headquartered in Paris and Liège providing full-service 3D animation for features and series including Paw Patrol and SpongeBob — operates in the same French animation ecosystem and geographic region as Stim but at materially larger scale.
- Illumination Mac Guff: Paris-based animation studio behind Despicable Me and Minions, part of Universal/Illumination — operates in the same French animation market and offers full-service 3D production but as a major IP creator rather than a service vendor.
- Sparx* (part of Keywords Studios): Keywords Studios' Sparx brand and related entities deliver outsourced art, animation, and VFX services to the games and entertainment industry — comparable outsourced creative services model but with broader scope across games, film, and interactive media.
Direct peers
- Rodeo FX: Independent Canadian VFX and animation service studio with offices in Montreal, Toronto, and Paris — directly comparable offering of outsourced CG, character, and VFX services to film and episodic clients, similar size tier to Stim.
- Trixter: Mid-sized German 3D animation and VFX service studio based in Munich with ~150 employees, offering character animation, VFX, and full-service production for film, TV, and games — directly comparable business model, scale, and craft focus to Stim Studio.
- Jellyfish Pictures: UK-based VFX and animation service studio delivering CG character work, facial animation, and virtual production for feature films and streaming series — similar B2B service studio model with comparable client base (major Hollywood productions).
- ReDefine: European VFX and animation service studio (DNEG-owned) with offices in Denmark and Bulgaria providing outsourced 3D services for feature films — same outsourced animation services model with a global Hollywood client roster.
- Blue Zoo Animation Studio: UK-based independent animation studio producing CG animated series and films for kids' broadcasters — comparable mid-sized European animation production services business targeting similar broadcasters and feature co-productions.
Regional players
- A Productions: Spanish animation studio based in Barcelona producing animated series and feature films with similar service capabilities — geographically proximate to Stim's planned Tenerife office and operating in the Iberian animation ecosystem.
Emerging players
- Cosmo Blue Media: Independent European VFX and animation service studio operating in UK and Spain providing CG and VFX services for feature films and streaming series — emerging direct competitor in similar outsourcing niche.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Stim Studio social profiles
Digital presenceStim Studio financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Stim Studio leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Stim Studio funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Stim Studio 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 Stim Studio
What does Stim Studio do?
Stim Studio is a B2B creative production studio that creates and produces 3D animation, visual effects (VFX), and 2D content for the film, television, and advertising industries. The studio delivers end-to-end production services — from pre-production through compositing — with particular specialization in character-focused work including facial rigging, body rigging, grooming and fur simulation, look development, lighting, and compositing. It serves major animation studios (DreamWorks, DNEG, Framestore, Mercury Filmworks), broadcasters (BBC, Amazon Prime), and advertising agencies under per-project contracts.
Is Stim Studio a public or private company?
Stim Studio is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Stim Studio founded?
Stim Studio was founded in 2019. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Stim Studio based?
Stim Studio is headquartered in Lyon, France, in the Europe region.
How does Stim Studio make money?
One revenue line is on record: animation and VFX Production Services.
Who are Stim Studio's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Mikros Animation, Illumination Mac Guff and Sparx* (part of Keywords Studios). Direct peers are Rodeo FX, Trixter, Jellyfish Pictures, ReDefine and Blue Zoo Animation Studio. A Productions is listed as a regional player. Cosmo Blue Media is listed as an emerging player.
Does Stim Studio have an API?
No public API is recorded for Stim Studio.
What industry is Stim Studio in?
Stim Studio's product category is Animation and visual effects production services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPADAHAF, Animation Services for VFX (Creature/Character, Crowd, Simulation Support), with a secondary code of MPAFAAAN, Outsourcing Studios (Art/Animation/Audio/Engineering Support). Its NAICS code is 51211 and its SIC code is 7812.