Reel FX

Reel FX is an American computer-animation and visual-effects studio creating feature films, episodic series and virtual-production work. Founded in Fort Worth, Texas, in 1993 as Reel Magic, the company moved to Dallas in 1995 and became Reel FX Creative Studios before adopting its current public name.

The studio combines original entertainment development with animation and visual-effects production for partner studios. Its work spans CG animated features, television and streaming series, stereoscopic compositing, real-time production, themed-entertainment media and special-venue experiences. Reel FX also develops original properties through its Reel FX Originals banner while undertaking service co-productions for global entertainment companies.

Animation, VFX and real-time production

Its capabilities include:

• 3D character animation and modelling
• Feature and episodic animation production
• Look development, surfacing, lighting and compositing
• Concept art, storyboarding, visual development and previsualization
• Motion capture and real-time engine rendering
• Visual effects and stereoscopic 3D production
• Theme-park attractions and special-venue media

Reel FX has developed proprietary production systems including Insight for project, asset and scheduling management, and Reflex, a real-time virtual-production pipeline integrated with Unreal Engine. The studio rendered the 2022 Netflix series Super Giant Robot Brothers! entirely in Unreal Engine.

Screen and entertainment work

Selected credits include The Book of Life, Free Birds, Rumble, SCOOB!, UglyDolls, Back to the Outback, The Monkey King, Super Giant Robot Brothers!, The Chosen Adventures and The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants. Its work also includes visual effects for Cirque du Soleil: Worlds Away, Warner Bros. Looney Tunes 3D theatrical shorts, and themed-entertainment attractions including The Simpsons Ride and Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem.

Reel FX serves film and entertainment, television and streaming, themed entertainment, advertising and interactive-media markets. The active studio operates from Dallas, Montreal and Hollywood.