Chocolate Tribe
- Open roles
- 0
- Founded
- 2014
- Employees
- 11-50
- Offices
- 2
About Chocolate Tribe
Chocolate Tribe is an independent South African visual effects and animation studio founded in 2014. It produces photorealistic visual effects, creature and character animation, and immersive content for feature films, episodic television, streaming productions, and advertising. Its production teams work across Johannesburg and Cape Town, serving South African and international projects.
The studio's capabilities span early creative development through final post-production. Concept design, character and creature design, storyboarding, animation direction, and technical direction support the development of productions before and during filming. On-set VFX supervision connects those creative and technical requirements with live-action photography.
Animation and visual effects
Chocolate Tribe creates CG assets, develops creature rigs, and produces character animation alongside fluid, dynamics, and crowd simulations. Lighting, rendering, compositing, and visual effects integration bring these elements into finished sequences. Its work includes realistic digital animals and creatures as well as environments and effects for narrative and commercial productions.
The studio also provides finishing services, including 4K colour grading, stereoscopic finishing, and online post-production. Its immersive work extends to augmented reality, virtual reality, and 360-degree content, complementing its film, television, and advertising production services.
Screen and commercial work
Its screen credits include the “Surf Sangoma” episode of Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire, Silverton Siege, iNumber Number: Jozi Gold, Boy Kills World, Queen Sono, Blood & Water, and Noughts + Crosses. Commercial projects include campaigns for Volkswagen, Chicken Licken, Checkers, KFC, Nedbank, and Allan Gray. The studio has collaborated with organisations including Netflix, Disney, BBC, Voltage Pictures, and Ogilvy.
Chocolate Tribe expanded beyond its original Johannesburg base with a second studio in Cape Town in March 2022. That branch moved into larger dedicated premises in August 2023, extending the company's physical production presence while remaining part of the same integrated VFX and animation business.
More about Chocolate Tribe
Founders and leadership
Co-founders Nosipho Maketo-van den Bragt and Rob Van den Bragt serve as CEO and Chief Creative Officer respectively. Tiaan Franken is Chief Technical Officer. Maketo-van den Bragt brought a background in law and production management; Rob Van den Bragt's prior experience includes The Mill, Cinesite, Passion Pictures, and Glassworks.
Production technology
The pipeline combines DaVinci Resolve, Nuke, Nuke Studio, Unreal Engine, and ftrack Studio with proprietary creature-rigging and fluid-simulation toolsets.
Skills development and community
Chocolate Tribe is a Level 1 B-BBEE Contributor and a QCTO-accredited Skills Development Provider. Accreditation number 07-QCTO/SDP040526174608 authorizes it to offer the Advanced Occupational Certificate: Media/Programme Content Production Manager at NQF Level 6. The report also identifies internships and mentorship programmes.
In 2022, the studio co-founded AVIJOZI with Netflix. The free annual Johannesburg festival focuses on animation, VFX, and interactive gaming technology and skills development across Africa. Nosipho Maketo-van den Bragt serves as Festival Director.
Project recognition
Nedbank's Get Money Fit, a credited studio project, received an IDIDTHAT Craft Award in 2025. Robot & Scarecrow was a Sundance Film Festival official selection; that recognition applies to the film.
Notable credits
30 creditsOffices
Where Chocolate Tribe is based
- 3rd Floor, 1 Bompas Road, Dunkeld West, Johannesburg, Gauteng 2196, South AfricaJohannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa
Johannesburg office
HeadquartersOpened 2014
About this office
Company headquarters and central production hub, with 300 m² of studio space, 30 artist workstations, 50 m² of overflow space, grading and online suites, and client meeting areas.
- Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa
Cape Town offices
About this office
**Office** Status: active Address: 5th Floor, 42 De Smit Hill House (Hill House, De Smidt Street), Green Point, Cape Town 8005, Western Cape, South Africa Office webpage: https://chocolatetribe.co.za/cape-town-office-moved-to-a-new-location/ Opened: 2023 Integrated branch studio operating from dedicated 200 m² premises since August 1, 2023. The Cape Town branch was established on March 1, 2022 and is led locally by Senior Producer Tracy-Lee Portnoi. --- **Office** Status: inactive / historical Address: The Business Exchange, 5 De Smidt Street, Green Point, Cape Town, South Africa Office webpage: https://chocolatetribe.co.za/cape-town-office/ Opened: 2022 Closed: 2023 Original Cape Town branch premises, opened on March 1, 2022. The branch relocated to expanded Hill House premises on August 1, 2023.
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