After 25 years as a 2D animation studio, Canada’s Mercury Filmworks is expanding into CG in a bid to meet demand from clients, energize its talent and create content with an appealing aesthetic.

The studio is kicking off this growth with A Mouse Called Julian. Targeting preschoolers, this 52 x 11-minute series and 26-minute special are about a shy mouse who strikes up an unlikely friendship with a fox. Eventually, Julian learns that he doesn’t need to be popular with everyone, but only needs a few good friends. The series is at the scriptwriting stage, with designs and an animation test available, and Mercury is currently seeking co-producers and distributors.

A story about coming out of one’s shell is a fitting metaphor for the company, which is breaking new ground by adding a CG animation pipeline to its operations. Mercury has been seeing more clients in the market for CG animation because of its high-end appearance, says chief content officer Heath Kenny, who adds that the Ottawa-based studio wants to use CG to differentiate the look of its own productions, while also offering more creative scope in order to attract and keep in-house talent on board.

Mercury already had a bit of CG experience under its belt after using the animation style to produce vehicles and larger objects on its popular 2D-animated series Hilda. During recent animation tests, the studio also discovered that it can create the tactile aesthetic today’s sophisticated audiences have come to expect by blending CG into its 2D shows, and Kenny says there is interest from clients who want that look for their own projects.

With reboots abounding, Mercury needs the tools to tell original stories in original ways, Kenny adds. Working with CG will help the studio swing for the creative fences when designing a show’s look, which in turn will help its projects stand out with buyers. And beyond appealing to buyers, moving into CG should also help the company find and retain talent interested in learning new skills, experimenting and trying different techniques.

The studio will be using CG to produce two more upcoming series, Pangors of Puddle Peak and Octicorn & Friends. After initially doing a 2D test for Octicorn, Mercury partnered with France’s Stim Studio to recreate the test in CG in order to learn the process. This led to co-producing the series with Stim—a partnership that wouldn’t have happened if Mercury hadn’t stepped out of its creative comfort zone, says Kenny.

Ultimately, it all comes down to what moves the company forward. “It’s a hard time for businesses, and being able to attract partnerships, give our storytellers a large toolbox and encourage creatives to think outside the box is how we create characters and stories that resonate.”

This story originally appeared in Kidscreen‘s October/November 2023 magazine issue.