Hydralab

Hydralab is an independent Danish creative production studio founded in 2006 by animator, director and VFX supervisor Sunit Parekh-Gaihede. Working across animation, visual effects, commercial direction and creative engineering, the studio combines screen craft with in-house mechanical and software development.

Its work spans feature films, episodic projects, commercials, public-service campaigns and international co-productions. Hydralab offers concept development, directing, creative supervision, visual development and look development alongside CGI character animation, digital compositing, CG environments, lighting, colour grading and VFX supervision.

Craft and engineering

A defining part of Hydralab’s practice is the integration of physical and digital production methods. Its capabilities include:

• 2D and 3D character animation, feature-animation production and previsualisation
• Digital compositing, visual effects and animation-pipeline development
• Custom production software, GUI tools and pipeline engineering
• Motion-control engineering, robotics and fast prototyping
• Miniature construction, model making and live-action integration

The studio developed LOCO, a modular, high-precision motion-control rig designed for miniature-set work. Hydralab also contributed motion-control engineering and custom rig development to Studio Soi’s Oscar-nominated The Gruffalo.

Screen and commercial work

Hydralab’s credits include the hybrid feature Krølle Bølle, Ghost House, Majas løfte, Familien Jul og Nissehotellet, Buster, Dreambuilders, Psykosia, Out Stealing Horses, Border, Thelma and The Neon Demon. On Dreambuilders, it contributed animation-pipeline and software development, colour grading and co-production work.

Its commercial output includes work for LEGO, DSB, TV2’s X-Factor, Interflora, Saxo Bank, Vestas Wind Systems and the Danish Cancer Society. The studio remains active, staffing animation and supervisory talent for upcoming international animated-feature productions through 2027.