Netflix to Buy ‘Happy Feet’ Animation Studio Animal Logic

Streaming giant Netflix announced Tuesday (July 19) that it has acquired Sydney, Australia-based animation studio Animal Logic, which has previously worked on titles like “Happy Feet.”

This will bolster Netflix’s efforts to build out end-to-end animation production capabilities, per a Reuters report. According to the company’s announcement, Netflix wants to place a greater focus on animated films, building off of titles such as “Over the Moon,” “Klaus” and “The Sea Beast.”

The blog noted that Animal Logic has been around for more than three decades. While it was headquartered in Sydney, it also has a second studio in Vancouver since 2015, where it’s done work on various blockbuster films.

Additionally, Netflix said this will strengthen the existing partnership between the two companies as Animal Logic conducts work on titles like “The Magician’s Elephant,” directed by Wendy Rogers, and “The Shrinking of the Treehorns,” directed by Ron Howard.

“Netflix has been investing in animation over the past few years and this furthers our commitment to building a world-class animation studio,” said Amy Reinhard, Netflix vice president of studio operations. “Animal Logic is a leading animation studio with innovative technology that will strengthen our existing business and increase our long-term capacity in the animation space, so that we can better entertain our members around the world.”

Netflix has made other changes to its model as of late, including doing a test run for a new anti-password-sharing model in five Latin American countries.

Read more: Netflix Tests New Password Sharing Fee Model in LatAm

PYMNTS wrote that there will be tests in Argentina, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and the Dominican Republic. Netflix will be asking customers in those countries to pay a fee to use their accounts in homes that are not their own.

Customers will have to pay to use an account for two weeks or more outside their primary residence. This won’t be done for using the service on mobile devices like tablets, laptops or smartphones, and it won’t be applied to users on vacation.