The DNEG Group, or DNEG (formerly known as Double Negative and stylized as D N E G), is a British-Indian

visual effects Visual effects (sometimes abbreviated as VFX) is the process by which imagery is created or manipulated outside the context of a live-action shot in filmmaking and video production. The integration of live-action footage and other live-action fo ...

computer animation Computer animation is the process used for digitally generating Film, moving images. The more general term computer-generated imagery (CGI) encompasses both still images and moving images, while computer animation refers to moving images. Virtu ...

and stereo conversion studio that was founded in 1998 in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, and rebranded as DNEG in 2014 after a merger with

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

n visual effects company Prime Focus. The company has won eight

Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

s for its work on the films '' Inception'', '' Interstellar'', '' Ex Machina'', ''

Blade Runner 2049 ''Blade Runner 2049'' is a 2017 American Epic film, epic neo-noir science fiction film directed by Denis Villeneuve from a screenplay by Hampton Fancher and Michael Green (writer), Michael Green, based on a story by Fancher. A sequel to ''Blade ...

'', '' First Man'', '' Tenet'' and ''

Dune A dune is a landform composed of wind- or water-driven sand. It typically takes the form of a mound, ridge, or hill. An area with dunes is called a dune system or a dune complex. A large dune complex is called a dune field, while broad, flat ...

''. In addition, DNEG has also won BAFTA awards for ''Inception'', ''

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 Harry may refer to: Television * ''Harry'' (American TV series), 1987 comedy series starring Alan Arkin * ''Harry'' (British TV series), 1993 BBC drama that ran for two seasons * ''Harry'' (New Zealand TV series), 2013 crime drama starring Oscar K ...

'', ''Interstellar'', ''Blade Runner 2049'', ''Tenet'', ''Dune'' and ''

Black Mirror ''Black Mirror'' is a British anthology series, anthology television series created by Charlie Brooker. Most episodes are set in near-future dystopias containing Science fiction, sci-fi technology—a type of speculative fiction. The series i ...

''s " Metalhead", and Visual Effects Society awards for its work on films such as ''

The Dark Knight Rises ''The Dark Knight Rises'' is a 2012 superhero film directed by Christopher Nolan, who co-wrote the screenplay with his brother Jonathan Nolan, and the story with David S. Goyer. Based on the DC Comics character Batman, it is the final instal ...

'', ''

Sherlock Holmes Sherlock Holmes () is a Detective fiction, fictional detective created by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a "Private investigator, consulting detective" in his stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with obser ...

'', ''Inception'', ''Interstellar'', ''

Dunkirk Dunkirk ( ; ; ; Picard language, Picard: ''Dunkèke''; ; or ) is a major port city in the Departments of France, department of Nord (French department), Nord in northern France. It lies from the Belgium, Belgian border. It has the third-larg ...

'', ''Blade Runner 2049'', '' Altered Carbon'', ''First Man'', '' Chernobyl'', '' Last Night In Soho'', '' Foundation'' and ''Dune''. It has also received

Primetime Emmy Awards The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Owned and operated by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the P ...

for its work on '' Dreamkeeper'', ''Chernobyl'' and season 3 of '' Star Trek: Discovery''. DNEG is headquartered in

Fitzrovia Fitzrovia ( ) is a district of central London, England, near the West End. Its eastern part is in the London Borough of Camden, and the western in the City of Westminster. It has its roots in the Manor of Tottenham Court, and was urbanised in ...

with additional locations in

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

Chennai Chennai, also known as Madras (List of renamed places in India#Tamil Nadu, its official name until 1996), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Tamil Nadu by population, largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost states and ...

Montréal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

Mohali Mohali, officially Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar or Ajitgarh, is a planned city in the Mohali district in Punjab, India, Punjab, India, which is an administrative and a commercial hub lying south-west of Chandigarh. It is the headquarters of the M ...

Bangalore Bengaluru, also known as Bangalore (List of renamed places in India#Karnataka, its official name until 1 November 2014), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the southern States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kar ...

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

, and

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

History

Double Negative first opened its doors in 1998 in

. Founded by a small group of industry professionals, including Peter Chiang (Senior VFX Supervisor), Matt Holben (Joint MD), Alex Hope (Joint MD) and Paul Franklin (Senior VFX Supervisor), it has grown from a small team to 9,000 members of staff worldwide. Over the years, DNEG has worked on over 200 movies and developed working relationships with a number of leading directors. Its first project was '' Pitch Black'', released in 2000. Since then, DNEG's work can be seen in recurring franchises like ''

Harry Potter ''Harry Potter'' is a series of seven Fantasy literature, fantasy novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. The novels chronicle the lives of a young Magician (fantasy), wizard, Harry Potter (character), Harry Potter, and his friends ...

'', ''

Fantastic Beasts ''Fantastic Beasts'' is a film series directed by David Yates and a spin-off prequel to the ''Harry Potter'' novel and film series. The series is distributed by Warner Bros and consists of three fantasy films, beginning with '' Fantastic Bea ...

'', the

Marvel Cinematic Universe The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on List of Marvel Cinematic Universe films, a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appe ...

, ''

James Bond The ''James Bond'' franchise focuses on James Bond (literary character), the titular character, a fictional Secret Intelligence Service, British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels ...

'', '' Jason Bourne'',

Fast and Furious ''Fast & Furious'', also known as ''The Fast and the Furious'', is an American action media franchise centered on a series of films revolving around street racing, heists, and spies. The franchise also includes short films, a television se ...

, '' Mission: Impossible'' and the

DC Extended Universe The DC Extended Universe (DCEU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on a series of superhero films distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. It is based on characters that appear in American comic books published by DC Comic ...

. DNEG has worked on award-winning projects such as '' Inception'', '' Interstellar'', '' Ex Machina'', ''

'', ''

'', '' Black Mirror – Metalhead'', '' Altered Carbon'', '' First Man'', '' Chernobyl'', '' Tenet'', ''Star Trek: Discovery'' (Season 3), and ''

''. DNEG's visual effects work has been honoured with eight Academy Awards, eight BAFTAs, twenty-six Visual Effects Society Awards and four Primetime Emmy Awards.

Ownership

In July 2014, Indian visual effects company Prime Focus World merged with Double Negative; the merged company was rebranded as DNEG. In August 2021, UK-based firm Novator Capital Advisors invested $250 million in Prime Focus Limited, DNEG's parent company. This deal boosted CEO and Prime Focus founder Namit Malhotra's stake in the parent to 70% from 35%, and as the owner of Novator, Icelandic billionaire Thor Björgólfsson received a 15% stake in DNEG. On January 25, 2022, DNEG announced its entry into a definitive business combination agreement with Sports Ventures Acquisition Corp. (Nasdaq: AKIC). Subject to customary closing conditions, which were expected in the first half of 2022, the combined public company would be named DNEG. DNEG called off the merger and public listing in June 2022, with CEO Malhotra vowing to expand further.

International expansion

In 2009, Double Negative opened its Singapore office, and closed it in March 2016. Following the 2014 merger with Prime Focus World, DNEG announced the upcoming opening of a

branch. Since 2014, DNEG has opened new facilities in

and

. In November 2022, DNEG announced plans to open a location in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

, where its

VFX Visual effects (sometimes abbreviated as VFX) is the process by which imagery is created or manipulated outside the context of a live-action shot in filmmaking and video production. The integration of live-action footage and other live-action fo ...

and animation divisions will work. The new studio was scheduled to open in 2023 in Pyrmont and would be headed by VFX supervisor

Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before Presidency of Andrew Jackson, his presidency, he rose to fame as a general in the U.S. Army and served in both houses ...

. It lead the visual effects for George Miller's '' Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga''. On January 29, 2024, DNEG updated its logo and branding.

Services and divisions

Visual effects

DNEG started as a visual effects (VFX) studio specialised in VFX for

feature film A feature film or feature-length film (often abbreviated to feature), also called a theatrical film, is a film (Film, motion picture, "movie" or simply “picture”) with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole present ...

s. Over the years its offering expanded to include VFX and

animation Animation is a filmmaking technique whereby still images are manipulated to create moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Animati ...

for feature film and television, and stereo conversion. In 2013 the company launched its Episodic VFX team dedicated to the creation of VFX for

television Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

, OTT and

streaming Streaming media refers to multimedia delivered through a network for playback using a media player. Media is transferred in a ''stream'' of packets from a server to a client and is rendered in real-time; this contrasts with file downl ...

providers and designed to allow content producers and networks access to DNEG's team and infrastructure for non-theatrical projects.

Animation

DNEG Animation (formerly known as DNEG Feature Animation) was founded in April 2014 as DNEG Feature Animation after DNEG formed a deal with Locksmith Animation, with Tom Jacomb leading the studio. It provides animation services alongside IP creators and filmmakers for both feature and episodic animated projects. Early in its development in 2018, it produced a series of shorts featuring a

Queen's Guard The King's Guard are Picket (military), sentry postings at Buckingham Palace and St James's Palace, organised by the British Army's Household Division. The Household Division also guard mounting, mounts sentry postings at Horse Guards (buildi ...

soldier with a giant pencil. Its first animated feature film, released in 2021, was '' Ron's Gone Wrong'', a co-production with Locksmith Animation,

20th Century Animation 20th Century Animation, Inc. (previously known as Fox Family Films, Fox Animation Studios, and 20th Century Fox Animation and sometimes referred to as Fox Animation) is an American animation studio located in Century City, Los Angeles. Formed ...

and

TSG Entertainment TSG Entertainment (also known as TSG) is an American film finance company which was established in 2013, founded by Chip Seelig and based in New York City. TSG was established after the American theatrical release of '' Parental Guidance'' to rep ...

for

20th Century Studios 20th Century Studios, Inc., formerly 20th Century Fox, is an American film studio, film production and Film distributor, distribution company owned by the Walt Disney Studios (division), Walt Disney Studios, the film studios division of the ...

. The film won a British Animation Award for "Best Long Form" in 2022. It also released the short film ''Mr. Spam Gets A New Hat'' in 2022, directed by Academy Award-winning filmmaker

William Joyce William Brooke Joyce (24 April 1906 – 3 January 1946), nicknamed Lord Haw-Haw, was an American-born Fascism, fascist and Propaganda of Nazi Germany, Nazi propaganda broadcaster during the World War II, Second World War. After moving from ...

. The short film won "Best Animation" at the New York Shorts International Film Festival, "Best Animated Short" at the Cleveland International Film Festival, "Best Animation" at the LA Shorts Festival, "Best Animated Short" at the Cordillera International Film Festival and "Best 3D Narrative Short" at the SPARK Animation Festival. With the trailer release of ''Mr. Spam Gets A New Hat'' in October 2021 and by early 2022, the studio was renamed to DNEG Animation. The studio then worked on the

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

television special '' Entergalactic'', created by Scott “Kid Cudi” Mescudi and Kenya Barris and released in September 2022. DNEG Animation current color logo

The studio's next feature film released was '' Nimona'', an adaptation of the webcomic of the same name by ND Stevenson for

and Annapurna Pictures, released in June 2023; in the production of ''Nimona'', DNEG would take over animation from

Blue Sky Studios Blue Sky Studios, Inc. was an American visual effects and computer animation animation studio, studio, which was active from 1987 to 2021. It was based in Greenwich, Connecticut, and was founded on February 22, 1987, by Chris Wedge, Michael F ...

after the company was shut down by then-owner

The Walt Disney Company The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was founded on October 16 ...

before their production was completed. It was followed by '' Under the Boardwalk'' for

Paramount Animation Paramount Animation is an American animation studio, serving as the animation division and label of Paramount Pictures, a subsidiary of Paramount Global. The division was founded on July 6, 2011, following the critical and commerical success of P ...

, which was released in October of that year. '' The Garfield Movie'', for which DNEG is a producer alongside

Alcon Entertainment Alcon Entertainment, LLC is an American indie film and television production company, founded in 1997 by film producers Andrew Kosove and Broderick Johnson. Since its establishment, Alcon Entertainment has developed and financed films that ar ...

for

Sony Pictures Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. is an American diversified multinational mass media and entertainment studio conglomerate that produces, acquires, and distributes filmed entertainment (theatrical motion pictures, television programs, and rec ...

, was released in May 2024. It was followed by '' That Christmas'', a co-production with Netflix Animation and Locksmith Animation for Netflix, released in December of the same year. Projects currently in production include an adaptation of ''

The Cat in the Hat ''The Cat in the Hat'' is a 1957 children's book written and illustrated by American author Dr. Seuss. The story centers on a tall anthropomorphic cat who wears a red and white-striped top hat and a red bow tie. The Cat shows up at the house ...

'' (2026) with Warner Bros. Pictures Animation, ''Bad Fairies'' (2027) with Locksmith Animation, Sketchshark Productions and WBPA, '' The Angry Birds Movie 3'' with Rovio Entertainment and Sega Sammy Group, an adaptation of ''

The Great Gatsby ''The Great Gatsby'' () is a 1925 novel by American writer F. Scott Fitzgerald. Set in the Jazz Age on Long Island, near New York City, the novel depicts first-person narrator Nick Carraway's interactions with Jay Gatsby, a mysterious mi ...

'', and a ''

Cocomelon Cocomelon (, stylized as CoComelon) is a children's YouTube channel operated by Candle Media-owned Moonbug Entertainment. The channel specializes in 3D animation videos of traditional nursery rhymes and original children's songs. As of June 2 ...

'' movie with

DreamWorks Animation DreamWorks Animation LLC (DWA, also known as DreamWorks Animation Studios or simply DreamWorks) is an American animation studio, owned by Comcast's NBCUniversal as part of Universal Pictures, a division of Universal Studios, Inc, Universal Stud ...

, Moonbug Entertainment, and Flywheel Media.

ReDefine

DNEG ReDefine was launched in 2019 to provide creative visual effects and animation services both to expanding international markets and to filmmakers and streaming companies.

Stereo

DNEG Stereo (formerly known as Prime Focus World) was the first in the world to convert a full Hollywood film from 2D to 3D and has since become one of the largest stereo conversion companies in the motion picture industry.

Virtual Production

DNEG Virtual Production is a global, end-to-end virtual production service. It offers filmmakers and content creators access to a full range of real-time production services – from script breakdown, through development / pre-production, production and post-production, to final picture delivery. DNEG Virtual Production has delivered virtual production services for

Andy Serkis Andrew Clement Serkis (born 20 April 1964) is an English actor and filmmaker. He is best known for his motion capture roles comprising motion capture acting, animation and voice work for computer-generated characters such as Gollum in ''The Lo ...

' '' Venom: Let There Be Carnage,'' Keneth Branagh's ''

Death on the Nile ''Death on the Nile'' is a work of detective fiction by British writer Agatha Christie, published in the UK by the Collins Crime Club on 1 November 1937 and in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company the following year. The UK edition retailed at ...

'' and David Leitch's '' Bullet Train''.

Filmography

DNEG Visual Effects

Films

=1990s and 2000s

=2010s

=2020s

=Upcoming

TV series and miniseries

DNEG Animation

Films

=2020s

=Upcoming

Short films

TV specials

References

External links

* {{Animation industry in the United States 1998 establishments in England British companies established in 1998 Mass media companies established in 1998 Companies based in the City of Westminster Television and film post-production companies Film production companies of the United Kingdom Mass media companies based in London Visual effects companies Film production companies based in Mumbai Mass media companies based in Mumbai Indian companies established in 2014