Toronto-based virtual production studio Dark Slope has signalled its continued focus on the kids animation sector with the promotion of a key exec.

Christine Thompson has been named head of animation production at the studio, which launched in 2018 with a focus on immersive media (VR) and now has its sights set on the metaverse, multi-sensory experiences and high-tech animation projects. Thompson has been with Dark Slope since day one, overseeing CG-animated series, motion capture projects and asset prep for immersive projects in Unreal Engine.

At Dark Slope, her credits include the music-focused Babble Bop! on Peacock and Nickelodeon’s Ready Set Dance 2. Previously, at Brown Bag Films, Elliott Animation and Guru Studio, she worked on series such as Total Drama: Pahkitew Island, Bunsen is a Beast, The Fairly Odd Parents and PAW Patrol.

She has also overseen immersive projects such as Waking Wonderland, an AR experience from Atlanta-based Illuminarium Experiences and Canadian VR studio Secret Location that features animation and interactive technology.

In May, Dark Slope partnered with Insight Productions to develop a slate of unscripted “hyperreality” series, and hired unscripted production exec Marnie Sugarman as the executive producer for its HyperReality content banner.

Dark Slope president Dan Fill recently spoke with Playback sister publication Kidscreen about the company’s metaverse ambitions, describing a strategy of blending gaming, animation and VR to revitalize old formats and create a new, more immersive form of TV. He predicts that the metaverse is about 10 years out, but that in the interim, kids will increasingly expect more interactivity out of their content.

This story originally appeared in Kidscreen

With files from Playback