US animation company to open £28m Glasgow studio
Halon has worked on films such as the Batman which starred Robert Pattinson and Zoe Kravitz
- Published
A US company which has worked on The Batman and the Planet of the Apes franchise is to open a new animation studio in Glasgow.
Los Angeles-based Halon Entertainment said the £28m facility will create up to 250 jobs in the next three years.
The firm has also worked on television series including The Mandalorian and hit video game Fortnite.
Halon said it was attracted to the city due to the "skilled workforce" and "world-renowned academic institutions".
President Chris Ferriter said: "With production happening across the globe, expanding our full-service studios on both sides of the Atlantic allows us to better support our clients with world-class services and top-tier talent, no matter where projects take them.
"Our new Scotland studio strengthens our ability to collaborate seamlessly across time zones and deliver exceptional work to even more productions worldwide."
The company said LA would remain the home of Halon's headquarters, with the Glasgow studio "complementing and strengthening" services for its global clients.
Halon, which was founded in 2003, creates animation for game cinematics, real-time visualisation and virtual production for films, programmes and adverts.
The culture secretary Angus Robertson met Halon bosses to welcome the announcement
Scotland's screen industry generated £366m in 2023 and employed 4,500 people, according to a report commissioned by Screen Scotland.
Culture Secretary Angus Robertson welcomed the investment and said it was a "huge endorsement of the skills, talent and experience that Glasgow offers".
He added: "It marks a major boost for the digital tech, film, TV, and games industries, reinforcing Scotland's position as a global hub for creative technology.
"Inward investment like this is a key driver of that growth and the cultural and economic opportunities that come with that, including hundreds of good, well-paying jobs."
Scotland's national economic development agency, Scottish Enterprise, is providing Halon with advisory services and £3.9m of funding towards the overall project cost.