India’s animation Toonz Entertainment

Indian animation firm Toonz said it has set up a new distribution division in the United States as part of plans to make inroads into world film markets.

Toonz Animation India Pvt. Ltd has opened its new distribution division based in Los Angeles under the registered name of Toonz Entertainment, USA. Toonz Entertainment will specialize in the world-wide sales and distribution of, animated feature films, direct to video content and television series. Toonz initial distribution slate will consist of Wolverine and X-Men Season 1 and 2, Speed Racer 2, Speed Racer Classic, Mostly Ghostly 2 and 3, Freefonix apart from other well known properties.

Chief executive of the Singapore-based Toonz Entertainment parent company P. Jayakumar said the new distribution arm would allow the firm "to grow as a full fledged media house."

Toonz, a major provider of animation to the top US and European producers, is South Asia's most admired animation studio and part of the international business conglomerate, Comcraft Group, based out of Geneva. Founded in 1999, Toonz's client list includes the biggest names in media and entertainment like Marvel, Hallmark, Paramount, Disney, BBC and Cartoon Network. Toonz Animation offers its world-wide clientele end-to-end animation services including 3D animation, 2D animation (digital and traditional), Flash, Stop Motion and VFX on a full spectrum of media platforms. The Animation Magazine has heralded the company as one of the top-ten multimedia studios in the world.

Animation and special effects are a growth market in India as the domestic film sector, including the popular Bollywood Hindi-language movie industry, turns to more modern production methods.

Specialist companies are being increasingly used by Hollywood and other foreign studios because of their lower costs.

India's animation and special effects industry is expected to be worth 23.3 billion rupees (505 million dollars) this year and is expected to grow to 39.4 billion rupees by 2013, consultants KPMG said last year.

The animation sector is projected to grow by almost 22 percent in the five years to 2013, it added in a report on the media and entertainment industry for the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry.