Brain Zoo Studios

Brain Zoo Studios is an animation, visual effects and real-time production studio based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. Its work spans video game cinematics, animated film and television, advertising and original entertainment properties. The business began in 1995 as Dream Theater Animation, a division of Dream Theater, Inc., and became an independent studio under the Brain Zoo Studios name in 2001.

The studio supports projects from initial concepts through finished production. Its pre-production capabilities include character and environment design, storyboarding, look development, pre-visualization and 3D animatics. Production work encompasses character modeling, rigging, keyframe animation, motion capture cleanup and retargeting, facial capture and simulation. Compositing and live-action integration extend its offering into visual effects and post-production.

Game cinematics and real-time production

Brain Zoo produces both pre-rendered and in-engine cinematics, along with game trailers, gameplay animation and real-time assets. Its capabilities include Unreal Engine and Unity workflows, virtual production and final pixel rendering. This combination supports work ranging from marketing sequences to episodic animation and longer-form visual effects.

Its game portfolio includes WWE 2K24, Baldur's Gate 3, LEGO 2K Drive, Mortal Kombat 11, Borderlands 3 and Call of Duty: Black Ops 4. Other credited productions include Star Trek: Resurgence, Tiny Tina's Wonderlands and New World: Brimstone Sands.

Animation and original storytelling

Film and television work includes Marvel's Iron Man & Hulk: Heroes United, Iron Man & Captain America: Heroes United, Guardians of the Galaxy: Black Vortex and Ultimate Spider-Man: Web-Warriors. The studio has also produced animation for toy-related entertainment, including the Sick Bricks webseries.

Alongside commissioned work, Brain Zoo develops original concepts and intellectual property for television, streaming and film. Its development capabilities cover concept creation, writing, visual design and production. Original projects include Pepe & Lucas, Nora and the virtual reality animated series concept Console Marinez, reflecting a practice that combines character animation with work across different entertainment formats.