Moon Birds Studios OÜ

What Moon Birds Studios OÜ does

Moon Birds Studios OÜ is an Estonian private limited company (OÜ) based in Tallinn that produces auteur stop-motion animated films using handcrafted porcelain and silicone puppets filmed outdoors with 16mm cameras under natural light. Founded in 2019 and creatively led by director, scenographer, cinematographer and producer Anu-Laura Tuttelberg, the studio is currently executing a long-form trilogy of seasonal films — "Winter In The Rainforest" (2019, Annecy premiere), "On Weary Wings Go By" (2024, Locarno premiere), and a planned third installment — shot across Estonia, Mexico, Peru, Lithuania and Norway. The studio also produces and sells porcelain sculptures based on the films' characters, exhibited at galleries in Mexico and the United States.

The studio operates a co-production model with a recurring international partner network that includes Nukufilm Studio (Estonia), Fork Film (Estonia), Estudio Carbás (Mexico) and Art Shot (Lithuania), and secures funding and distribution via international animation festival circuits (Annecy, Locarno, Dok Leipzig, Bucheon, Tehran) and broadcast licensing (including ARTE Court-circuit). Revenue is generated from production fees and grants shared across co-producers, festival prize awards, broadcast/streaming licensing, and direct porcelain sculpture sales via inquiry. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and the company does not have an investor-disclosed funding history, headcount or revenue; the entity appears to be independently and artisan-led rather than venture- or institutionally backed.

Name

Moon Birds Studios OÜ

Legal name

Moon Birds Studios OÜ

Website

https://anulaura.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Moon Birds Studios OÜ is an Estonian stop-motion animation studio in Tallinn producing auteur short films with handcrafted porcelain puppets filmed outdoors on 16mm, led by director Anu-Laura Tuttelberg and co-produced with partners in Estonia, Mexico and Lithuania.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Independent Animation Production

NAICS

Independent Artists, Writers, and Performers (7115)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)

akta.pro primary industry

Character & Creature Animation (MPADACAE)

Keywords

• Stop-motion animation
• Animated film production
• Co-production services
• Porcelain sculpture art
• Short film production

Headquarters

HQ city

Tallinn

HQ country

Estonia

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Film Production and Co-production: Moon Birds Studios serves as a production studio for stop-motion animated films, participating as co-producer with international partners. Revenue derived from production fees, grants, and co-production arrangements with studios across Estonia, Mexico, Lithuania.
2. Film Licensing and Distribution: Revenue from film licensing, festival distribution, and broadcast rights for completed stop-motion productions
3. Porcelain Sculpture Sales: Sale of porcelain sculptures based on animated film characters, exhibited in galleries and available for purchase directly from the artist

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Moon Birds Studios OÜ is a stop-motion animation production studio that produces auteur animated short films featuring handcrafted porcelain puppets filmed outdoors in natural environments using 16mm cameras and natural light. The studio functions primarily as a co-producer alongside international animation partners (Nukufilm, Fork Film, Art Shot, Estudio Carbás), and also creates and sells porcelain sculptures inspired by its film characters through galleries and direct inquiries.

Product overview

Moon Birds Studios OÜ is an Estonian stop-motion animation production company specializing in outdoor puppet films featuring porcelain characters. The studio's primary offering is the production of stop-motion animated films as part of a long-term trilogy project. The first film, "Winter In The Rainforest" (2019), features porcelain animals shot in rainforests of Mexico and Peru. The second film, "On Weary Wings Go By" (2024), was shot in Estonia and Norway. A third film in the trilogy is planned. The studio also produces porcelain sculpture artworks inspired by film characters, and provides animation production services as co-production partner alongside other studios like Nukufilm and Fork Film.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Winter In The Rainforest A surreal stop-motion animated short film featuring porcelain animals, birds, insects, and plants living in the tropical rainforest. Shot outdoors using a 16mm film camera with natural light only. The first installment in the studio's outdoor stop-motion trilogy depicting different seasons across global locations.
• On Weary Wings Go By The second film in the outdoor stop-motion trilogy, shot at a snowy beach in winter in Estonia and Norway. Premiered at the Locarno Film Festival in August 2024.
• On The Other Side Of The Woods A poetic stop-motion fairytale about a clay doll that awakens her surroundings creating a surreal world in constant flow of change. Shot with natural light emphasizing the passing of time. Premiered at Annecy International Animation Festival.
• Fly Mill A 7.5-minute stop-motion graduation film featuring a Miller living in a watermill who bakes bread and raises ducklings. Inspired by historical dolls and photography series. Took two years to complete and screened at more than 100 festivals worldwide.
• Porcelain Sculptures Handcrafted porcelain sculptures based on characters from the studio's animated films. Created using porcelain fired at 1250°C, assembled with wire, with bases of semiporcelain, glazes, and natural objects like tree branches, roots, bird egg shells, and feathers. Exhibited at galleries in Mexico, USA, and Estonia.

Quantifiable outcome

• Winter In The Rainforest won 3 Grand Prix awards and 8 special prizes at international festivals
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 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

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Fork Film (Estonia)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Estonian co-production partner for On Weary Wings Go By (2024), the second film in the stop-motion trilogy.
• Stuudio Nukufilm (Estonia)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Primary co-production partner for Winter In The Rainforest and multiple other stop-motion films. Nukufilm is one of Estonia's most prominent animation studios, providing production infrastructure and expertise for stop-motion projects.
• Estudio Carabás (Mexico)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Mexican co-production partner for Winter In The Rainforest, handling local production including shooting location arrangements in Chiapas, Mexico, and local crew coordination.
• Art Shot (Lithuania)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Lithuanian co-production partner for Winter In The Rainforest. Continues partnership on subsequent projects including On Weary Wings Go By.
• Sachaqa Centro de Arte (Peru)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Artist residency provider in San Roque de Cumbaza, Peru, where Anu-Laura Tuttelberg spent two months gathering inspiration and shooting animation tests for Winter In The Rainforest in the Amazon forest.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Fork Film: Estonian animation production company and co-production partner for On Weary Wings Go By (2024). Direct peer operating in the same Estonian animation co-production ecosystem and festival circuit.
• Art Shot: Lithuanian animation production company and co-production partner of Moon Birds on multiple films. Direct peer operating in the same Baltic stop-motion co-production ecosystem with similar project scale and funding profiles.
• Nukufilm Studio: Estonian stop-motion animation studio and primary co-production partner of Moon Birds across multiple films. Direct peer because it operates in the same Estonian stop-motion ecosystem, with overlapping talent, festival positioning, and co-production economics.
• Cart Saloon: Irish stop-motion animation studio specializing in auteur short films with distinctive craft techniques. Direct peer because it operates at similar boutique scale, targets the same international festival circuit, and produces handcrafted short-form animated content.
• Estudio Carabás: Mexican animation studio and co-production partner for Winter In The Rainforest, providing location production in Chiapas. Direct peer in the international stop-motion co-production ecosystem.

Broad incumbents

• Laika: US-based stop-motion feature-film studio (Coraline, Kubo). Broad incumbent in the same stop-motion category at much larger scale, with comparable award recognition and craft specialization in puppet fabrication.
• Aardman Animations: UK-based stop-motion animation studio (Wallace & Gromit). Broad incumbent because it works in the same stop-motion craft category at vastly greater scale, with overlapping talent pipelines and festival/awards positioning.

Emerging players

• Tonko House: US-based independent animation studio producing auteur-driven animated features and shorts. Emerging player with comparable artistic sensibility, festival positioning, and craft-forward storytelling approach.
• SEKANI Studio: Canadian stop-motion studio specializing in handcrafted puppet animation. Emerging player in the same craft category with overlapping festival and broadcast distribution channels.

Others

• Pictoplasma: Berlin-based platform and conference focused on contemporary character design and illustration. Adjacent ecosystem participant connecting Moon Birds-style character creators with galleries, broadcasters, and commercial IP partners.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 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 Moon Birds Studios OÜ