Forrest + Schlage
- Open roles
- 0
- Founded
- 2018
- Employees
- 1-10
- Offices
- 1
About Forrest + Schlage
Forrest + Schlage is an independent animation studio and directing partnership based in Tokyo, founded in 2018 by Canadian technical director and filmmaker Brent Forrest and German character animator and 3D generalist Tobias Schlage. Its work brings together character-driven storytelling, visual humor and stylized computer animation, combining Western cartoon principles with Japanese animation aesthetics.
The duo’s visual approach pairs the lighting, depth and fluid movement of 3D animation with the design appeal of hand-drawn work. Strong silhouettes, expressive timing and cartoony characters underpin its short films and commercial animation. The partnership develops independent concepts alongside commissioned directing assignments, with capabilities spanning creative development, scriptwriting, storyboarding, modeling, rigging, character animation and visual effects.
Independent films and commercial work
The studio’s debut short, Like and Follow, was completed in 2019. Its satirical story follows a young boy whose relationship with an anthropomorphic smartphone becomes a literal leash, turning digital dependence into a physical character dynamic. The film established a recurring interest in technology, behavior and comedy within the duo’s work.
Crack followed in 2021, returning to digital addiction themes through the smartphone character Phoney. Commercial work includes CM – AMICUS. The studio’s portfolio also includes individually directed shorts by its founders, reflecting the partnership’s combination of shared projects and distinct filmmaking contributions.
Animation and artist tools
Alongside filmmaking, Forrest + Schlage develops proprietary graphics tools and production pipelines. Its technical work includes procedural mesh generation, stylized effects and workflows connecting drawn animation with 3D production and real-time engines. Maya, Unity and Unreal Engine feature in the reported pipeline, supporting an approach that connects visual experimentation with practical asset development.
The studio operates as a small creative partnership supported by project-based collaborators. Its production activity spans independent animation, advertising and digital entertainment, while its tool development also reaches animation and visual-effects asset marketplaces.
More about Forrest + Schlage
Production methods
ShapeMeshing translates hand-drawn 2D frames into lightweight 3D Maya/Alembic asset rigs for real-time engines. This gives the partnership a specific technical route from drawn designs to reusable 3D assets.
Independent production and collaboration
The founders first met while working at Animation Cafe in Tokyo in 2017. They produced Like and Follow without an outside budget, working nights and weekends with critical rendering assistance from Mohammed Hamid. David Arcus composed the film's score.
Festival recognition
Like and Follow screened at more than 160 international festivals, including Annecy, SIGGRAPH Asia, Fantoche, Giffoni and LA CineFest. The film received more than 30 international honors, including the Golden Lotus Award at Japan's Kadoma Film Festival, and was recognized at the 2019 Asian Digital Art Award Fukuoka.
External professional role
The report identifies Brent Forrest as Technical/Creative Director at Marza Animation Planet. That external role is separate from the partnership's operations.
Notable credits
8 creditsOffices
Where Forrest + Schlage is based
- Tokyo, Japan
Tokyo, Japan
HeadquartersHeadquarters and operating base of the independent directing partnership. No street-level facility address is publicly published.
Open roles
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