Animation studio Flying Bark is spreading its wings in a new direction. The company has teamed up with creator-driven entertainment outfit Lightfold for an original, yet-to-be-announced project that aims to blend animation, comics and gaming into a fan-powered storytelling ecosystem.
While details remain under wraps, the newly released teaser hints at a transmedia adventure spanning a television series, comic book and video game. More importantly, the partnership signals a growing push towards creator-owned intellectual property and alternative models for financing and distributing animated content.
The alliance brings together two companies betting on a future where creators retain greater control over their stories and audiences become more than passive viewers. Instead, fans are invited into the creative journey from the outset.
“We are so excited to be collaborating with the Lightfold team who so obviously share our creative philosophy and passion,” Flying Bark CEO and president Barbara Stephen stated. “Together, our partnership will help us deliver new ways to support creators and bring premium animation directly to the fans who love them.”
“I’ve always wanted to build something with passionate storytellers who are genuinely good people, and that’s exactly what we found in Flying Bark,” Lightfold creative director and co-founder Olan Rogers said. “They’re my kind of people and the ideal partner for what we’re building with Lightfold. Together, we’re giving creators a path to bring original shows directly to fans, so studios like Flying Bark can keep doing what they do best: making killer animation.”
The move comes at a busy time for Flying Bark, which has become one of the animation industry’s most sought-after production houses. Operating from studios in Sydney, Los Angeles and Madrid, the company employs nearly 700 artists and production staff across 2D, CG and hybrid animation pipelines. Its growing slate includes Stranger Things: Tales From ’85, Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender, Ghostbusters: Night Shift, a Minecraft series and an animated adaptation of Clash of Clans.
For Lightfold, the collaboration represents another step in its mission to reshape independent animation. Founded by producer Forrester Kane and creator Rogers, the company has championed a model that combines community support, creator ownership and multi-platform storytelling. Its breakout project, Godspeed, demonstrated the potential of that approach after attracting more than 2.2 million YouTube views, earning festival recognition and securing a multi-million-dollar distribution deal.
The partnership arrives as the animation industry increasingly explores alternatives to traditional studio commissioning models. With rising production costs and a growing creator economy, companies are searching for new ways to connect artists directly with audiences while maintaining ownership of original ideas.
For now, the mystery project remains exactly that a mystery. But if the teaser is anything to go by, Flying Bark and Lightfold are not simply building a new show. They are attempting to build a new way of telling stories.
And in an industry hungry for fresh ideas, that may be the biggest plot twist of all.
