Cheehoo Gets $10 Million to Make Animation Easier with AI
Cheehoo, a new company that mixes animation with artificial intelligence (AI), just got a big boost. It raised $10 million from investors to help grow its work. The main investor is a company called Greycroft. Other big names like Point72 Ventures, Basis Set, Headline Asia, Powerhouse Capital, Playground Productions, and Rideback2 also put in money.
This is a big moment for Cheehoo and could change how animations and cartoons are made. The company wants to make animation easier, faster, and cheaper not just for big studios, but also for smaller creators.
Making Animation Simple with AI
Right now, making a cartoon or animation is a long and expensive process. You have to draw every scene, fix the lighting, build the background, and move characters one frame at a time. It takes weeks or even months to finish just a short video. That’s where Cheehoo wants to help.
Cheehoo is building smart tools using AI that can help with a lot of this work. Their goal is to save time and cut costs. With Cheehoo, artists can make changes quickly, test new ideas, and not worry about starting over every time. Instead of doing everything by hand, the AI can help speed things up like helping animate a walking character or setting the mood with the right lighting.
Even better, these AI tools work smoothly with popular software that people already use like Maya and Unreal Engine. Artists don’t need to learn a whole new system. They can just plug Cheehoo into their current tools and start working.
One nice thing about Cheehoo is that artists can turn the AI features on or off at any time. So, if they want to do something by hand, they can. But if they want to use AI to save time, that’s possible too. Cheehoo gives creators the freedom to choose how they want to work.
The company also uses its own AI models to build characters and items from scratch. Plus, it works with other AI tools like OpenAI and Runway to help with movement and setting up scenes. In short, Cheehoo is like a smart helper that speeds up the hard parts of making animation.
The Team Behind Cheehoo
Cheehoo was started by a group of people who know a lot about movies and technology. The main founders are Michael LoFaso and Jonathan Eirich, who are co-CEOs of Rideback a company that works in film and TV. Dan Lin, another big name in Hollywood and co-founder of Rideback, also helped start Cheehoo.
They are joined by Chris deFaria, who used to be the president at DreamWorks Animation. He knows the animation world very well. Also on the team are Hubert Tsai and Wei-Cheng Kuo, who both worked on AI at Apple.
This strong group has years of experience in storytelling, animation, and AI. Their goal is simple: make animation tools that help creators do more and stress less. As LoFaso said, Cheehoo is here to remove the “friction points” the parts of the animation process that slow artists down.
How It Helps the Animation World
Cheehoo’s tools can be a big help to not only large studios but also smaller teams or even solo artists. Right now, high-quality animation costs a lot, so only companies with big budgets can afford it. But Cheehoo wants to change that. With its AI tools, anyone with a good story and basic skills can try their hand at animation.
This could open the door for more creators from small YouTubers to indie game developers to make their own animated videos, games, or even short films without needing a huge team.
The animation world has always had a problem: it’s very creative, but also very slow and costly. There’s often a fight between saving time and keeping artistic quality. Cheehoo is trying to solve that problem. Its tools don’t take away the creative part; instead, they help artists finish faster without losing their style or vision.
It’s a way to give power back to the creators and make the animation process less stressful.
What’s Coming Next for Cheehoo
Right now, Cheehoo is mainly working with big companies and studios to test and improve its tools. But in the future, it plans to launch products for everyday people hobbyists, students, and small creators.
This move could help Cheehoo stand out from other startups like Cartwheel and Cinamon, which are also trying to use AI in animation. By offering tools for both pros and casual users, Cheehoo can reach more people and grow faster.
Also, as AI tools become more common in schools and workspaces, Cheehoo’s easy-to-use system could be perfect for teaching animation in classrooms or helping small businesses make marketing videos.
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Cheehoo getting $10 million in funding shows that people believe in what the company is building. Big investors think it has the power to shake up the animation world and they’re willing to bet money on it.
With smart tools, a strong team, and a clear plan, Cheehoo could change how animations are made forever. It could make things easier for professionals and open the door for new voices who never had a chance before.
