The Animation Expo is this weekend in Salt Lake City and we’re so excited to announce that we have 4 Films screening at the Animation Theater! That’s right, 4 Films! BackSpace, The Umbrella Factory, Jack the Ripper, and Around the World in 80 Days will all be screening at the Animation Expo!

The Animation Expo takes place Friday - Sunday (March 22 - 24) with speakers from Disney, Pixar, Dreamworks, Sony, Laika, Universal, and so many more! They also have the geniuses behind Across the Spiderverse, Corpse Bride, Avatar, Hogwarts Legacy, The Iron Giant, Pan’s Labyrinth, and so many more!

Here’s the schedule.

Animation Theater: Friday, March 22

Jack the Ripper and Around the World in 80 Days

Animation Theater: Saturday, March 23

BackSpace and The Umbrella Factory

For more information and tickets make sure to check out the official site:

Check out the Trailer for the upcoming BackSpace Forever! This is the final film in our BackSpace Trilogy and we’re so excited to reveal just a glimpse of what’s to come!

For Posters, Stills, a First Look and more, make sure to check out the Official Site below:

As we begin to wrap up BackSpace Forever, the final film in the BackSpace Trilogy, we wanted to show off a second batch of stills. 

The third film in a trilogy is always the biggest one yet and BackSpace Forever is no exception. It’s almost three times the length of the first film and the amount of locations, characters, and props are bigger than the first two films combined. 

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The final film in the BackSpace Trilogy is wrapping up and we’re thrilled to announce the cast! We’ve worked with each of these super talented actors on multiple projects, from feature films to shorts, and of course the previous installments of BackSpace.

Returning as Hunter is Paul Haapaniemi for our sixth collaboration! We worked with Paul on the previous two BackSpace films as well as on the feature films The West and The Ruthless, and Danger! Danger! as well as an episode of Tales from Black Manor.

It’s also great to have James Brinkley returning as Mono. This marks our thirteenth collaboration with James! He previously played Mono in both BackSpace and BackSpace Returns. We’ve also worked with him on seven episodes of Tales from Black Manor and several of our award winning short films including The Umbrella Factory, Jack the Ripper, and Around the World in 80 Days. 

Holly Standbrook returns to voice Jet, the head of Command. This is our fifth project working with Holly as she voiced Jet in the first two installments of the BackSpace Trilogy. We also worked with her on two episodes of Tales from Black Manor! 

Playing Rival in BackSpace Returns and again in BackSpace Forever is Benedict Mazurek. This marks our fifth collaboration with Benedict! Along with the previous installment of BackSpace, Benedict was in our feature films The West and the Ruthless and Danger! Danger! as well as our television pilot.

And finally, Chris Harris-Beechey will return to voice the fan favorite “B-Team!” We’ve heard he was a favorite from BackSpace Returns and we’re really excited to have him back as the super polite robot. 

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BackSpace Forever is wrapping up and we have the first look ready to go!

Since this is the end of the trilogy - we want to make every shot look its absolute best! As with the previous two films we’re using Epic’s amazing Unreal Engine and can’t believe how great it is to work with. 

Check out the first look below!

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Super excited to share that BackSpace will be heading to the International Space Film Festival! 

This is the fifth year for the International Space Film Festival and takes place April 12-16. The festival features documentaries, shorts, animation, and feature films as well as Full Dome films being projected at the planetarium. How cool is that?

BackSpace has now screened around the world at multiple film festivals and racked up some awesome awards. The series, BackSpace and BackSpace Returns, will be joined by the final film in the trilogy later this year - BackSpace Forever.

Make sure to check out the official festival site here:

The final episode of Tales From Black Manor, Series 2 is out now!

Official Synopsis:

Guided by one of the books of Death, Suzie Black's family trades a stranger's life for her immortality. As she discovers the rules of her eternal existence, the world transforms around her while she remains the same.

All Episodes of Series 1 and Series 2 are out now! You can even watch them here on the site!

Check out the First Look for Tales From Black Manor, Episode 9: “Mommy’s Little Star.”

Horror Films of the 70s

If some of the earlier episodes lean into modern day Dark Fantasy films, Mommy’s Little Star leans more towards the horror films of the 70s. Part of that is the story. The family becoming more and more cult like - whether or not they’re still following the Book of Death, or beginning to embellish their rituals was really fun to play with. The footage we found and then the coloring, lean towards those films of the 70s, while still remaining rooted in the look and feel of Black Manor.

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We grew up with trilogies. 

There was the Star Wars Trilogy, The Indiana Jones Trilogy, and the Back to the Future Trilogy that really meant a lot to us. We were trained to think in threes. What followed were even more trilogies such as Alien, Jurassic Park, the Matrix, and the Lord of the Rings. Many of these have even more sequels now - but early on there were always three.

This seemed like an escapable rule for films. It didn’t matter if it was action, sci-fi, or fantasy. It seemed like the rule even applied to heist movies (Oceans 11, 12, 13) and even the Dollars Trilogy (A Fistful of Dollars, A Few Dollars More, The Good the Bad and the Ugly). The list goes on and we loved it.

When we began work on the first sequel, BackSpace Returns, we began to envision a possible trilogy of adventures for Hunter and Mono exploring the far ends of the universe and the distant reaches of BackSpace.

There’s something that seemed to strike a nerve about these two characters and we couldn’t wait to find out what happened to them next, whether that was meeting Rival and B-Team or taking on Jet and Command.

With a third film, we began to think about a conclusion. If BackSpace is the first act, and BackSpace Returns is the second act, then this is the one that needs to function as the final act. It needed to tie up the story that makes the trilogy feel cohesive while still being its own film.

Watch Episode 7 of Tales From Black Manor now! The latest episode, “Welcome to the 80s” is one of our favorites!

Official Synopsis:

Rumor has it that Little Ivy Black still stalks the halls of Black Manor. When curiosity turns into a dare, two friends venture into the eerie manor, unaware of the nightmarish horrors they'll encounter.

Step into the Opening Titles of 'ICONS,' a captivating series that unravels the tales of exceptional women who defied societal norms, shattered barriers, and played pivotal roles in shaping history. From groundbreaking scientists to fearless leaders, visionary artists, and trailblazers in various fields.

STILLS

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Check out the First Look for Tales From Black Manor, Episode 7: “Welcome to the 80s!”

Black Manor, Inspirations

One of the funnest things to do is mix references and inspiration. For “Welcome to the 80s” we were obviously inspired by that 80s Amblin vibe that Stranger Things has done such an amazing job with. This was mixed with just a touch of The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror and “The Ring.” Finally for the dream sequence, we were inspired by the “Dust Covers” by Dave McKean from “The Sandman.”

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Check out this 2024 Update to our Design & Animation Reel!

It features work from some of our favorite clients, agencies, collaborators, and brands such as Apple, The Oscars, NFL, Harper Collins & HarperOne, Reflective Democracy, Expedia, Facebook, Meta, Amalgamated Foundation, Airbnb, Expanesthetics, Mission, Imaginary Forces, Mocean, and Amazon Studios to name a few.

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BackSpace Forever, Synopsis

In this thrilling conclusion to the BackSpace Trilogy, we find Hunter and Rival must team up to survive the outer reaches of BackSpace. After breaking their contracts, they’ll be sent on a suicide mission as their only way to survive. 

BackSpace Forever is the third short film in the BackSpace Trilogy. Following the award winning short film that received 100K plays in just 24 hours, went on to screen at film festivals around the world, and receive distribution from Gunpowder and Sky’s sci-fi brand Dust. 

BackSpace Returns, the second short film was viewed in over 100 countries in its first 24 hours of release and was also received distribution by Dust. The series has been viewed over 1 Million times and is currently screening at film festivals around the world. 

Happy Holidays! The latest episode of Tales From Black Manor can be watched right now! 

The Land of Death and Dreams, Official Synopsis:

When one of the Seven Deaths crosses paths with Jones, a brave young soldier fighting for his life in WWII, the two fall for one another. But when Jones is killed in the line of duty, she brings him to the Land of Death and Dreams.

The Expanding Lore of Black Manor

Black Manor is so fun for us because we get to discover it as we create each episode since the sandbox is an ever evolving one. This is part of the experimental nature of the project. So far we’ve learned that other families have inhabited Black Manor, such as the Winters, but we’re also about to find out about The Seven Deaths, as well as The Land of Death and Dreams. 

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Check out this brand new article on RAINDANCE! We discuss some of the behind the scenes and inspirations for Tales From Black Manor. 

Here’s an excerpt:

Early on in our filmmaking journey an interview with Alfred Hitchcock made a big impression. He was talking about the context between two different shots. The first was the close-up of an actor and the second was what he was looking at. When editing these two shots together, context is created. The edit decides what the actor is looking at, which then informs the audience’s opinion about the character. 

This has been one of the main guiding principles as Tales from Black Manor has come together. How to create context from shots that at one point, had nothing to do with one another. Then from there, how do you create an entire world of fables, folklore and myth? 

You can read the Full Article on the Official Site:

We’re really excited to have Tales from Black Manor featured on Horror Fuel once again! An amazing destination for all things dark and scary, Horror Fuel is a leading website for horror news, interviews, and behind the scenes. Previous features included Tales from Black Manor Series 1, as well as Danger! Danger!

You can check it out right here:

The latest episode of Tales From Black Manor can be watched right now! 

Mister Winter, Official Synopsis:

During World War II, German soldier Adolphus Winter becomes consumed by the legend of Black Manor. He’s heard whispers that Death resides there with his ability to grant eternal life. As his obsession drives him deeper into darkness, Adolphus abandons his morals, willingly sacrificing everyone in his way.

BackSpace will be making its Spain Premiere November 23! BackSpace will be featured at the ROS Film Festival as part of their fifth year celebration or V Edition.

Here’s the official Festival mission:

Since the early days of cinema robots have been an inspiration for great directors: Fritz Lang, Ridley Scott, James Cameron, Steven Spielberg, etc. starring in an endless list of films.

In recent years, film production with robotics theme has experimented a special boom, mainly due to the technological evolution of robots themselves, but also because the relationship between humans and machines is getting closer and closer and is increasingly becoming part of the social imaginary.

We’re thrilled that BackSpace will be screened again as the film makes its way around the world! If you haven’t already seen BackSpace, you can watch it here on the site along with the sequel BackSpace Returns! BackSpace Forever, the third film in the trilogy is currently in production.

And you can check out the Official ROS Festival Site here:

The Different Eras of Black Manor

As we continued to explore the different aspects of Black Manor, one of our favorite discussions has been about the different time periods that surround the manor itself. Looking back at Series 1, the tale of Ivy and the tale of Anastasia are certainly different time periods. The second episode also has two very different time periods connected by characters and their immortality over the course of decades if not centuries. 

For this second series we began to look at Medieval settings, World Wars, and the 80s. These were some of the ideas that really excited us since each tale could have such a different tone. For Mister Winter, we settled on World War II. We also thought it would be interesting if the manor had changed hands throughout the ages and brought in another family - The Winters.

Check out the First Look stills below for the upcoming tale: “Mister Winter.”

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