Cheehoo, a Los Angeles-based technology and entertainment company incubated by the production company behind hits like “The LEGO Movie” and “Avatar: The Last Airbender,” has secured $10 million in funding to build next-gen AI-powered tools for the 3D animation industry, Forbes reports.
With the industry pacesetters from Hollywood and Silicon Valley, such as producer and former President of DreamWorks Animation Chris deFaria, ex-Apple scientists and AI/Machine Learning experts Dr. Hubert Tsai and Dr. Wei-Cheng Kuo, and Rideback Co-CEOs Michael LoFaso and Jonathan Eirich Cheehoo’s on the team, the company has every chance of removing any barriers in animated storytelling.
The platform has launched in beta, aiming to take the creative process to unprecedented levels for animators and artists by providing AI-enhanced workflows. The investment round was spearheaded by Point72 Ventures, with participation from several other businesses – with the initial focus on professional studios, IP holders, and a select group of artists participating in a closed pilot program.
Cheehoo is developing a modular platform designed to streamline animated content production by slashing time, complexity, and costs. This system will be fully compatible with the existing industry-standard software, such as Maya and Unreal Engine, with integrated AI accelerating conventionally time-consuming parts of production.
Something that makes Cheehoo truly stand out is its approach to data, generating proprietary 3D assets internally and ensuring clients retain ownership of their contributions. The platform’s metadata system will also enhance the searchability and reusability of assets across different projects, creating an increasingly efficient production pipeline over time. We guess it all sounds like a good moment for: “Can we get a Chee Hoo?“
