AI Company Pigeon Shrine Launches AiMation Studios With Slate Of Film & TV Projects

EXCLUSIVE: UK-based AI entertainment company Pigeon Shrine is launching AiMation Studios, which it says is dedicated to a new process it calls “aiMation”, and a slate of AI-driven film and TV projects.

The company says its “synth-assisted production” method uses AI tools and other technologies to streamline workflows, while “also working with human artists to ensure human creativity remains the key driver”.

The company says its visualization period is coupled with AI-powered virtual production which speeds up the production process and means actors come in towards the end of the process. VFX work is carried out earlier in the process than is traditional, the company says, meaning less of a scramble and squeeze at the end of the production process. The “healthier and more equitable” working process means staff at the company only work four days per week, leaders tell Deadline.

“We don’t see AiMation as a cost saving pipeline, its purpose is to allow creatives more time to do the part they love – create, and allow technology to help them achieve that vision in way that would have previously been impossible for them without major studio backing,” the company told us.

The first project from this pipeline, Where The Robots Grow, is now complete. The project is set in a future where Earth’s last survivors send robots to farm a new world they call Oracle. The latest model of robot, Cru, finds his purpose in life redefined by a pod carrying the last human baby.

The movie was written and directed by Pigeon Shrine CEO Tom Paton, and is a passion project inspired by the birth of his son. Vocal performances come from Nicole Bartlett and Taylor Clarke-Hill, with more to be announced.

“We use human talent at every stage of production, AI is always a co-pilot,” the company told us. “Where The Robots Grow is voiced by human actors, but we use a technique called VoCap, which can wrap new voices around their performances, allowing them to play a broader spectrum of characters. The film is human-written and directed, but we use an entirely different process to reach our end result, allowing for a much more collaborative and creative process for the entire team to be heard.”

Producers are Charley McDougall, Tom Paton, Jamie McLeod-Ross, Nicole Bartlett and Max Sweiry. Exec producer is Steve Mosley. Production companies are Pigeon Shrine, AiMation, Empire Studios and Mosley Studios.

The project is being shown to a handful of distributors now, while Pigeon Shrine has also completed production on a live-action feature made in a similar vein.

A slate of features and TV shows are due to begin production this summer, and the company is hopeful that the results will shake up the business “in a way similar to how CGI changed family entertainment in the mid to late 90s”.

Tom Paton, CEO of Pigeon Shrine, said: “We are thrilled to introduce AiMation Studios to the world. Two years ago, when I founded this company, I could see that this particular technology was only going to grow in its capability. Instead of debating its containment, I wanted to start a place where human creativity could remain the driving force behind storytelling, while allowing our team to experiment with a brand new cutting-edge pipeline to achieve what had previously felt out of reach. ‘How do we cultivate new jobs and ensure a future where creatives from all backgrounds can thrive?’ is the driving question behind our ethos.”

He continued: “We chose to label our pipeline AiMation deliberately because it’s a distinct product, and I believe in consumer transparency—this is a new entertainment form and should be labeled as such, allowing audiences to judge for themselves. Where the Robots Grow marks our first step toward telling compelling stories using this methodology. Contrary to popular belief, there’s no magic button; just a hard-working team using technology and creative expertise, but within a 10-hour, four-day workweek, Monday to Thursday— something mostly unheard of in the entertainment industry. Pigeon Shrine champions a future where human creativity doesn’t mean sacrificing your home and family life in pursuit of your goals. I strongly believe that a pipeline allowing people to go home and tuck their kids into bed on time is something to be embraced.”