#76 Magnus Møller: How Tumblehead Mastered Houdini for Animation & Built Their Studio

In this episode, we talk with Magnus Møller, animator, 3D artist, and creative director of Tumblehead Animation Studio — an award-winning production company based in Viborg, Denmark, which he runs with his partner Peter Smith.

Magnus shares how he built Tumblehead from the ground up and what it takes to run a successful animation studio. He offers practical advice on getting clients, maintaining creative freedom, and why he believes making original short films under your studio’s name is more effective than any showreel — helping attract the kind of projects and collaborators you actually want.

The conversation also explores Tumblehead’s short film “Turbulence,” created with Christopher Rutledge in collaboration with SideFX to test the new Houdini animation tools. Known mainly for its VFX power, Houdini has rarely been used for character animation — until now. Magnus explains how the team built a custom Houdini animation pipeline, executed the film from start to finish inside the software, and ultimately switched their entire studio pipeline to Houdini. As he puts it, “having every department in the same software feels like living in the future.”

➡️ How to start and grow a creative animation studio

➡️ Why short films can replace traditional showreels

➡️ Insights into Tumblehead’s Houdini pipeline

➡️ Behind the scenes of the short film “Turbulence”

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