Second Home Studios

Second Home Studios is an independent animation production company based in Birmingham’s Digbeth creative quarter. Its work combines handcrafted stop-motion with traditional and digital 2D animation, 3D CGI, puppetry and visual effects. The studio produces television programmes, commercials, branded films, broadcast graphics and theatrical visuals for entertainment, advertising, cultural organisations, corporate clients and charities.

Founded in October 2004, the business initially created onstage visuals, animated backdrops and digital sequences for theatrical productions, including Follow My Leader and The Wizard of Oz. It became a dedicated animation house in 2008, building on its physical production skills while expanding its digital animation capabilities. That theatrical background remains reflected in its projection design and multimedia work.

From concept to finished animation

The studio offers production from scriptwriting, concept art and storyboarding through character design, animation, sound design, grading and delivery. Its physical production capabilities include puppet fabrication, armature rigging, miniature sets, architectural props and model making. Stop-motion techniques encompass clay, puppets, cut-outs, objects and mixed media, alongside digital modelling, texturing, lighting and character animation.

This range supports both fully handcrafted productions and projects combining practical elements with digital imagery. The studio also creates channel idents, title sequences, broadcast promotions and motion graphics, as well as integrating live-action green-screen footage with animation and visual effects. Its development and production services extend to episodic television for preschool, children’s and adult audiences.

Work across screens and stages

Television work includes the preschool stop-motion series Tweedy & Fluff for Channel 5’s Milkshake! and animated shorts for CITV’s Share A Story. Other projects include The Engineering Machine, a kinetic construction film for Bechtel, and broadcast identity work for Da Vinci Learning and Sony Pictures Television.

Beyond television, the studio has produced stop-motion advertising for Pilsner Urquell, animation for WaterAid campaigns, promotional work for Birmingham Royal Ballet and multimedia projections for The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe. These projects span narrative character animation, commissioned design and physical construction.