CHRLX

CHRLX is an independent American animation, visual effects and creative production studio based in New York City. Its work spans commercial advertising, broadcast design, music videos and original animated films, combining animation and digital compositing with live-action production. The studio develops projects from concept art and storyboarding through production, visual effects supervision and finishing.

Founded commercially in 1979 by Alex Weil and Charlie Levi, the company originally operated as Charlex, a name combining its founders’ first names. It introduced the vowel-less CHRLX trade name in 1998 and progressively adopted it as its public brand while retaining its original corporate identity. Its early work included optical effects, computer graphics and digital television post-production, establishing a foundation for its later animation and commercial production practice.

Animation and production

The studio’s capabilities include photorealistic CGI, 3D character animation, traditional cel animation, motion graphics and stop-motion. Its production services encompass modeling, texturing, rigging, character animation, brand identity motion packages and full-service animated and live-action commercials. This combination supports both character-led storytelling and design-focused work for advertisers and broadcasters.

CHRLX serves advertising agencies and commercial clients across consumer goods, food and beverage, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, technology and government communications. Its portfolio includes long-running campaigns for Cinnamon Toast Crunch and the National Enquirer, alongside work for brands including Google, Adobe, Dell, Verizon and Häagen-Dazs.

Screen work and original films

The studio’s screen history includes The Cars’ You Might Think music video, opening titles for Saturday Night Live, network identities for Nickelodeon, and the animated “Windmills” sequence in Netflix’s Maniac. Alongside commissioned work, CHRLX has produced original animated shorts including One Rat Short and ShapeShifter. These projects reflect a practice extending from broadcast graphics and commercial imagery to standalone animated storytelling.