Cinemator Artworks Company

Cinemator Artworks Company is a Canadian animation studio founded by animator Ethan Gauthier along with businessman Mateo Persopoulos and his wife Marie in 1982. Using funds donated by the Persopoulos family, Gauthier set up the animation studio with the aim to contribute towards Canada's animation industry with products different from American imports (primarily Disney) in regards to tone, expression of themes, writing and aesthetics.

The studio produced PSAs and commercials (for local television stations in Ontario and other parts of Canada) along with short films before they made and released their first theatrical feature, Wolfsbane the Savage, in July 1987. Despite mixed critical reception and commercial underperformance in Canadian theaters, interest from foreign buyers, releases on home video and TV broadcasts helped it find an audience and fund future productions.

Unusually, for an animation studio operating since the early 1980's, their films continue to employ 2D traditional animation, even after the rise of CG animation.

Moreover, after 13 years of releasing films with backing from major Hollywood distributors (between 1994 and 2007), the studio has made films primarily for audiences interested in arthouse and indie films, even investing in simultaneous VOD/cinema releases during the 2010's and onward.

Cinemator's main base of operations is located in Toronto, Ontario with satellite studios in the nearby Ottawa-Gatineau area and Montreal, Quebec. An American studio in New York City followed by an overseas studio in Dublin, Ireland were established in 1991 (to aid with New York Cats using funds from Paramount) and 1996 respectively due to the commercial successes of that film and 9 Lives.