CBS' 'Tracker,' starring Justin Hartley, has been mostly filmed in Vancouver and British Columbia. Darko Sikman/CBS In late 2024, British Columbia increased its tax credits for foreign and local film production as just one building block to set the stage for a rebound in Hollywood activity in Vancouver. The local tax rebate for foreign projects shot locally jumped from 28 percent to 36 percent. It appears to be working.
For the latest season, 5 broadcast series from U.S. networks — including CBS’ Tracker and Fire Country, Fox’s Animal Control and Murder in a Small Town along with ABC’s Scrubs revival — are filming in Vancouver, per The Hollywood Reporter‘s own tally.
Netflix in early April opened Netflix Animation Studios in Vancouver, a 110,600 sq. ft. facility to develop and produce animated feature films. The first feature from the new studio is Steps, a reimagining of the story of Cinderella’s sisters with a voice cast that includes Ali Wong, Stephanie Tsu and Amanda Seyfried.
And Cinesite is on a hiring drive for its Vancouver studio as its starts production along with a sister studio in Montreal on a new, untitled animated feature for Skydance Animation and Netflix. “Having held on to our talent and rebuilt the business through two difficult years for the industry, we are now seeing the result in the work, in the projects coming through, and in how the business is moving again,” Antony Hunt, Cinesite Group CEO, told THR.
That follows Cinesite completing work on the animated feature Spellbound for Netflix and Skydance in Vancouver and Montreal. Count as well The Incredibles director Brad Bird’s Ray Gunn, which is also part of the Skydance and Netflix slate.
Katharine Pavoni, deputy director of the British Columbia Film Commission, tells THR that Vancouver’s decades-long track record as Hollywood’s backlot has served it well as the major studios and streamers return in strength to produce locally.
“The animation and visual effect segments of the industry continue to be a huge component here in British Columbia. Certainly, Netflix Animation in Vancouver just opened its doors, which was very exciting. KPop Demon Hunters from Sony Pictures Imageworks was widely acclaimed and came from here. And our post production houses are hugely integral,” Pavoni said.
“We like to be that one-stop shop where we can service all the needs. So, our VFX talent and our animation talent and those crews being a labor-based tax credit are really great jobs that are contributing,” she added.
The current rebound in Hollywood activity in Vancouver falls short of the go-go post-COVID years, but continues a pick up in production by major studios and streamers after the bruising impact of the 2023 dual actors and writers strikes in Los Angeles.
“Vancouver is still a hub and a center for film, television and video games production and that’s not going to fade or disappear,” says Jonathan Bell, managing director of the Vancouver Film School (VFS), about B.C. production bouncing back to keep pace with other U.S. states and countries having also beefed up their tax incentive programs.
VFS graduates have long worked on Hollywood films and TV series for Netflix, Sony Pictures Image Works, Hulu, Apple, A24 and 20th Century Fox, but like the rest of the local industry they faced the industry gloom that followed the end of the streaming and Peak TV era booms as the major studios and streamers pulled back on production spending and timelines for originals.
As a hedge against industry uncertainty for foreign students, including Americans, sparked by the introduction of AI tools and other tech innovations, VFS has now launched a new hybrid production model for new students looking to break into 3D animation and visual effect, screenwriting, or video games and digital design.
“Our hybrid program says, look, there’s certain things you can do from home, if relocation (to Vancouver) is a challenge for you. But when you come here, we will have those irreplaceable training experiences, that production environment and collaboration across disciplines,” Bell explained.
Rather than a traditional full year of hands-on classroom and production studio instruction at VFS, the hybrid alternative allows a mix of online remote learning and on-campus work in downtown Vancouver to build a professional portfolio ahead of graduation.
Rick Porter contributed reporting.
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