Lost Marble Acquires Moho 2D Animation Software

Company founded by the software program’s original creator and Cartoon Saloon’s supervisor of Moho animation will continue developing the technology used on films like ‘Wolfwalkers’ and ‘The Breadwinner.’

Moho 2D animation software, used to produce films like Wolfwalkers and The Breadwinner, has been acquired from Smith Micro by Lost Marble LLC, the company founded by Mike Clifton, the original creator of Moho, and Victor Paredes, supervisor of Moho animation at Cartoon Saloon and former Moho Product Manager.

“We are thrilled to continue developing Moho’s unique approach to 2D animation, pushing the limits in which technology can help artists”, says Paredes. “Having Mike back working on his creation is a dream come true. We have received a lot of feedback from animators worldwide and already have many ideas we want to implement to the software.”

Lost Marble has the support of multiple Academy Award-nominated studio Cartoon Saloon, which has used the software in many of their productions, including the just released Wolfwalkers. According to Tomm Moore, co-director of Wolfwalkers and Secret of Kells, and director of Song of the Sea, “We always call Moho ‘our secret weapon.’ We have been using it for years now and it’s really amazing. At the beginning I was a purist, thinking that whatever we did had to be hand-drawn, but after seeing Moho in action, I just wanted to use it more and more.”

Nora Twomey, co-director of Secret of Kells and director of The Breadwinner, adds, “Moho has been a crucial creative tool for our key Cartoon Saloon productions. The Breadwinner, our Golden Globe and Academy Award-nominated animated feature film, heavily relied on Moho to seamlessly sit alongside hand-drawn animation. It's such a versatile tool and it has been the software choice of many of our key artists over the years.”

Cartoon Saloon is also working on Puffin Rock the Movie, which is fully animated in Moho. According to its director, Jeremy Purcell, “Having worked with Moho on both TV series and feature films over the last 10 years and seeing it grow in capabilities and features over that time, I am very excited about what the future holds for the program.”

"I am thankful that we have an opportunity to continue developing this amazing software, that's allowed so many people to tell their animated stories," says Clifton. "Thank you as well to all of the Moho community on the forum, in social media, in the studios and wherever else they may be for all of your patience and support over the years. I am looking forward to a bright future with you all, our new users and the rest of the Lost Marble team."