AI startup Cartwheel secures $10M for character animation tools

Cartwheel AI has released its first public tools for 3D character animation after securing $10 million in new funding led by Craft Ventures. The startup, founded in 2023 by OpenAI alum Andrew Carr and Google Creative Lab veteran Jonathan Jarvis, aims to revolutionize animation production by dramatically accelerating workflows while maintaining creative control. The technology’s emergence from a year-long beta test with 8,000 professional animators signals a potentially significant shift in how animation is created across entertainment and digital media.

The big picture: Animation startup Cartwheel has launched AI-driven 3D character animation tools to the public after raising $10 million in a funding round led by Craft Ventures, with participation from Jeffrey Katzenberg’s WndrCo, Tirta Ventures, and Runway.

• The funding also saw participation from existing investors Accel, Khosla and Human Ventures, bringing Cartwheel’s total funding to $15.6 million since its 2023 founding.
• The company’s tools aim to significantly accelerate the animation process by converting video, text and motion libraries into production-ready 3D character animation.

Key details: Cartwheel’s technology was tested for a year in closed beta by 8,000 individual artists from major studios including Pixar and DreamWorks Animation.

• The company’s leadership includes OpenAI alum Andrew Carr as chief scientist and Google Creative Lab founding member Jonathan Jarvis as CEO.
• The team is further strengthened by Pixar veterans Catherine Hicks as head of animation innovation and Neil Helm as animation lead.

What they’re saying: “We’ve developed a new way to simplify the animation process, putting creatives in the drivers’ seat as they dramatically accelerate their workflows, eliminate tedious tasks and save money, while enhancing control over their final products,” Jarvis and Carr said in a joint statement.

Industry applications: The tools are designed for multiple animation sectors including feature films, games, and social media content.

• According to Carr, Cartwheel’s technology can complement existing 3D animation software and integrates with established animation pipelines.
• The system appears designed to eliminate time-consuming technical aspects of animation while preserving creative control for artists.