Utopai Studios, DeNA Team on AI-Assisted Animation Projects in Japan

Utopai Studios and DeNA Co., Ltd. have unveiled an AI-assisted animation partnership in Japan.

The Entertainment Development Business Unit of DeNA will begin weaving Utopai’s storytelling AI system, PAI, into its experimental animation workflows.

“Japan is one of the world’s most important and influential animation markets, and DeNA brings a deep understanding of both its creators and audiences,” said Cecilia Shen, CEO and co-founder of Utopai Studios. “By integrating PAI into an animation-production workflow in Japan, we are building a model that combines new production capabilities with the artistry, judgment and authorship that define great animation. This collaboration is an important step for Utopai Studios in Japan and the foundation for a relationship we believe can grow significantly over time.”

PAI is already active elsewhere in the region. Huace Film & TV in China has built the system into its long-form content pipeline and is applying it to the animated series “Journey to the West: The Lost Five Hundred Years.” Utopai says the tool is also running on film and television projects in the U.S. and on international co-productions spanning Europe, North America and Asia.

Under the Japan arrangement, a team of Utopai AI production specialists will sit alongside DeNA’s creative and production staff, contributing to early visual concepts, character and environment design, how scenes are planned and the iterative production process. DeNA’s artists keep authority over story, visual style, performances and tone, with final sign-off on every creative decision.

Minabe Naoki, head of DeNA’s Entertainment Development Business Unit, said animation production demands an especially high degree of creativity, consistency and attention to detail. “Through our collaboration with Utopai Studios, we will explore how AI can help create an environment where creators can focus on their craft while making production workflows more efficient. As an initiative separate from the other animation productions currently underway at our company, we will combine the strengths of both companies and open new paths for Japan’s anime industry to continue competing globally.”

PAI is built to hold a project’s continuity across many shots, scenes and episodes rather than generate isolated clips: once a character, background or design element is approved, its agent-first architecture can carry that asset forward into later scenes instead of rebuilding it each time, spanning everything from early visualization through final edits and asset storage. Use of production materials and creative assets in the DeNA partnership will fall under jointly negotiated rules on permissions, IP and security, with PAI initially confined to this evaluation phase.

DeNA, founded in Tokyo in 1999 and listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, spans mobile games, live-streaming and sports alongside its entertainment business. Utopai Studios, which pairs original IP development with its AI production infrastructure, also operates units in the Asia-Pacific region and in Germany.