Simpals

Simpals is a Moldovan technology and digital media company with an integrated animation production division. Based in Chișinău, it combines software platforms, digital publishing, product development and filmmaking within one operating company. Its creative department works under the brands Simpals Animation Studio and Simpals Studio, producing original animated films alongside commercial animation and visual effects.

The business traces its origins to digital experiments and web design begun by Dmitri Voloshin in a one-room apartment in 1997. Its classifieds platform launched in 2001, and the company was formally incorporated in 2002. Animation developed alongside its broader internet business, with a move into character animation and 3D filmmaking in 2008 and the release of its debut CGI short, Gypsy and Death, in 2009.

Animation and immersive storytelling

The animation team works across 3D character animation, 2D production, visual effects and virtual reality. Its production services cover pre-production, storyboarding, character design, modeling, rigging, layout, animation, lighting, rendering and compositing. Audio capabilities include sound design, post-production and multilingual dubbing and subtitling.

Original productions include the comic misadventures of the grim reaper Dji in Dji. Death Fails and Dji. Death Sails. The studio subsequently explored immersive storytelling through Aripi, a 2019 VR animated short about an astronaut revisiting childhood memories. Its output also includes experimental minimalist animation and environmentally themed 2D shorts, reflecting a range of formats beyond conventional CGI filmmaking.

Digital platforms and products

Alongside animation, Simpals develops and maintains platforms for online classifieds, news aggregation, mapping, education and electronic public procurement. Its digital ecosystem includes services used by consumers, schools and public-sector organizations in Moldova. The company also develops sports technology and aquatic hardware, including wearable products and underwater communication devices.

This combination of creative production, software engineering and hardware development gives Simpals a broader operating scope than its animation brand alone.