DogHead: an international animation factory with an Italian touch

EAJ interviewed Giovanna Bo, COO & Executive Producer at DogHead Animation for the first issue of The European Animation Journal before company’s participation to MIFA in Annecy.

Giovanna Bo: In 2019, Movimenti Production established Doghead Animation with the objective of producing the first season of Topo Gigio entirely in Italy. This initiative aimed to reinvigorate domestic animation production and development.

With the establishment of a robust and structured production pipeline, we began offering our services to third-party clients, immediately garnering the interest of companies such as WildBrain Spark, the American platform Vooks, Warner Bros. and Bento Box Entertainment.

As the number of projects and productions grew, our team of professionals expanded accordingly, from 35 to over 400 professionals currently working on 5 or 6 serial productions simultaneously. The DOGHEAD ANIMATION journey has been challenging, but also highly rewarding. Our studio is now internationally recognised as an Italian excellence.

Moving on to international projects, let’s focus on the productions you have been following. Could you provide us with some further details?

Doghead’s projects have consistently demonstrated an upward trajectory in quality, performance, and international visibility. We are pleased to be working on highly successful IPs such as Mr Bean and Totally Spies!, two flagship brands of the Banijay group, of which Movimenti Production is a part. We are also pleased to have the esteem of major studios such as Warner Bros. confirmed. Following the Bugs Bunny Builder shorts, produced in 2022, Warner Bros. entrusted us with over 24 minutes of animation for the Amazon Prime film Merry Little Batman. Our artists were able to demonstrate their abilities in 2D hand-drawn animation. The collaboration was so successful that Warner Bros. also confirmed us in the production of the Bat-Family series, a spin-off of the film, also for Amazon.

Let’s talk about the latest addition to your portfolio, that is Super Happy Magic Forest.

This is a brand-new IP from the group, based on a book series that has been very successful in the UK. As such, we are taking on a significant responsibility, and we are also involved in the pre-production phase. The department, which we inherited from Movimenti Production, is currently engaged with this IP for the first time. For this series of 52 episodes of 11 minutes each, we are responsible for all aspects of production, including storyboards, design and sets, as well as the entire animation process, from rigging to compositing. We are currently halfway through the project and the team is pleased with the progress we have made. The series is intended for an international audience.

You are also environmentally conscious, and you have created a green space in Florence with a minimal environmental impact. Can you tell usmore?

From the outset, our operations were based in the beautiful Manifattura Tabacchi complex. However, over the past year, we have relocated to a 1.000sqm space furnished with wooden panels and a plethora of greenery, including trees over 5 metres tall. Our team can also make use of two soundproof wooden cottages, allowing them to conduct calls in complete privacy.

Additionally, we have two meeting rooms and a beautiful arena with wooden seating, which we utilise for talks with important guests and training sessions for our collaborators. These include life drawing sessions, 2D animation and rigging workshops, and so forth. The ventilation and lighting systems are also environmentally friendly, including a kitchen with all the necessary facilities and space for recycling. We believe that a healthy and cheerful working environment is conducive to optimal performance.

We are glad to see that our employees, who are predominantly in the 25 to 32 age group, share our concern for the environment and support our commitment to sustainability.