Pegs'n Co was a French software company that developed a traditional animation software package called Pegs, and is now part of Canadian company Toon Boom Animation. It was based in Paris, France. Pegs was used for several animated feature films, shorts, and television series, and it powered the French animation industry until the 2000s as it was used by studios like Millimages, Alphanim, and Animage, but it was also used by studios in other countries, most notably Saerom Animation, CineGroupe, and Mike Young Productions. In total, Pegs was used by over 100 studios worldwide.
History
In 1991, Pixibox, a French animation studio, decided to develop its own ink & paint and compositing tools in order to make one of the first fully digital animated series, Pierre et Isa. The first version of Pegs was released under the name Pixiscan. In 1994, Pixibox began to market the product, and the first Pegs licenses were sold.
In 1997, following the acquisition of the company by Humanoids Group, Mediapegs was set up in order to handle the development and licensing of Pegs. In 1999, a new version of Pegs for Windows NT was launched, which allowed users to animate with both bitmaps and vectors. In September 2003, after two uneasy years for the animation market, Mediapegs was forced to file for bankruptcy.
After Mediapegs closed, four former employees grew increasingly concerned about the demise of Pegs and the future of professionals using the technology. Bolstered by the support of many within the animation industry, they decided to create a new company called Pegs'n Co. In June 2004, a new version of Pegs was released, and Pegs'n Co enjoyed renewed success, taking part in Annecy's festival with a new version every year, and being involved in feature films and numerous international shows.