# Every story has a beginning. Qubic Founder’s StoryBy Justin Leach, CEO, Founder
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1974-1992
## Cinema Paradise
I was raised as the son of a movie lover, something akin to a non-tragic ’80s American version of Cinema Paradiso.
My father once owned a movie theater, and I fondly remember ascending to the projection booth, hearing the noisy sound of film threading through the projector, and seeing the images beamed onto the screen.
He owned 16mm prints of cinematic gems such as Ben Hur in CinemaScope and Star Wars. Star Wars had a huge impact on me and was a very influential force behind my decision to make movies.
### 1980-2008
#### Video to go
My father established one of the first video stores in the Midwest, “Video to Go.” I was exposed to many foreign films, Asian cinema, and anime, which broadened my perspective on filmmaking.
He would take me to local CES shows in both Chicago and Las Vegas, where I gained a different perspective on the movie and game industry. One time, I even had the honor of meeting the legendary Shigeru Miyamoto, the creator of Mario!
1985
## Consoles from Japan
At the same time, after the popularity of the ’70s consoles (Atari 2600, Intellivision, Colecovision) waned, a new crop of Japanese consoles hit the market during the ’80s bubble economy in Japan—Nintendo Entertainment System and Sega Master System. Shortly thereafter, game consoles jumped to 16-bit: Sega Genesis, NEC Turbografx (PC Engine), and Super Nintendo took it to the next level.
I’ll never forget that fateful day when I stumbled upon an NES at Toys “R” Us that had been released that day. I had been playing Super Mario Bros at my local 7-Eleven all summer while slurping Slurpees, and I felt astonished that I could play my favorite game at home.
1991
## Anime Fandom Begins
In addition to the outstanding movies and games that emerged in the ‘80s and ‘90s, the world of anime was experiencing what many consider to be the golden era of anime.
Films such as Akira, Ghost in the Shell, Ninja Scroll, Robot Carnival, Memories, and Neo Tokyo (Manie Manie) grew my interest in Japanese animation.
1980-1992
## Finding Miyazaki
There was one filmmaker who greatly inspired me through a set of seemingly unrelated experiences in the 80’s: An arcade game called “Cliffhanger” (a Laserdisc version of “The Castle of Cagliostro”), The Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind comic book published by Viz Media, and “Warriors of the Wind” feature animated film (the notorious re-edited version of Nausicaa). Then during my first week of college in 1992, I accidently walked into a screening Laputa: Castle in the Sky and I was blown away. After learning more about the film maker, I finally discovered it was the same person who had greatly inspired me when I was growing up—Hayao Miyazaki.
### 1992-1997
#### Art School
Art school opened my eyes to computer animation during a time when Toy Story was ushering in a new era of CG animation. While there, I also got a chance to get a glimpse at live-action film production as a Production Assistant on Alfonso Cuaron’s Great Expectations.
### 1997-2001 & 2008-2016
#### The Blue Sky Years
My time at Blue Sky Studios was very formative. From an eager wide-eyed graduate looking to become a director to a weathered Rigging Supervisor, I learned many valuable lessons here. Initially I started in 1997 as an animator.
The first project at Blue Sky was a short film called Bunny, directed by Chris Wedge that would go on to win an Academy Award.
During my early years, I serendipitously ended up in the Richard Williams’ Animator’s Survival Toolkit video that was shot at Blue Sky.
I spent seven years supervising Blue Sky’s Rigging Department (that I originally helped found so many years ago) working alongside some of the industry’s top talent. Being able to work on so many feature films, gave me great insight into production.
Blue Sky was a special studio, filled with good people and I’m grateful for the time there. I realized though that no matter where your career path takes you, always try to stay close to the things that make you happy.
I also had the chance to visit Production I.G and Dream Pictures (now Polygon Pictures), where I met Michael Arias, who at the time was developing an early version of Tekkonkinkreet. I was so inspired to see a foreigner working in the animation industry of Japan. Inspired by my visit, I began to contemplate the possibility of working in Japan.
### 1998
#### My first trip to Japan
In 1998, after Bunny won an Academy Award, I used that as an opportunity to visit Japan and meet other anime creators. We somehow managed to arrange a visit Studio Ghibli and meet Miyazaki in person. It was a dream come true, and I will forever cherish the memory.
### 2001-2004
#### My Dream Job
Two years after returning from my trip to Japan, I received an unexpected opportunity. Mitsuhisa Ishikawa, the founder of Production I.G, asked me if I would be interested in working as a CG Creator on Innocence: Ghost in the Shell 2. Without hesitation I accepted.
I distinctly remember my first night in Japan after my arrival. I didn’t speak any Japanese, and I was lying on my brand-new futon, staring up at the ceiling and thinking, “I’m so far away from home, what have I just done?”
Those years in Japan were extraordinary. The work was challenging, and I had the chance to learn firsthand about the Japanese system of animation production.
While I was at Production I.G, I also gained more experience with the business side of anime as well.
I participated in meetings with many people from Hollywood who were interested in Japanese animation, such as Guillermo Del Toro, Quentin Tarantino, Joel Silver, and Jeffrey Katzenberg. Ishikawa would ask me to write a blog about living in Japan called “Samurai from NYC.”
© 2004 Shirow Masamune/KODANSHA · IG, ITNDDTD
© 2002 Shirow Masamune ・ Production I.G/KODANSHA
### 2005-2008
#### The Clone Wars: Skywalker Ranch
After returning from Japan and a brief stint at Avid/Softimage, I was initially offered the role of CG Supervisor at Lucasfilm Animation. I was the seventh employee hired at the company that was situated at Skywalker Ranch. I learned many invaluable lessons along the way and got to witness the birth of a new studio and the creation of the most memorable characters from the Clone Wars animated series.
### 2013
#### My first foray into Producing
Shortly after returning to Blue Sky, I began working as a Rigging Supervisor. In 2013, with Blue Sky’s permission, I approached Production I.G about producing a short film called Kick-Heart, directed by Masaaki Yuasa. This would be the first successful crowd-funded anime that ended up raising about $220k on Kickstarter. Kick-Heart would indirectly lead to an unexpected collaboration with Pendleton Ward and Masaaki Yuasa called “Adventure Time: Food Chain” which led to the creation of Science SARU.
### 2018
#### The Chance of a Lifetime
In 2016, I happened to reconnect with an old colleague from Production I.G named Taiki Sakurai. He was hired to head up a new Anime content division at Netflix. He gave me the opportunity to pitch an original idea. After working closely together on the pitch, I ended up selling my original IP to Netflix and formed Qubic Pictures in 2018.
Making Eden was a tremendous learning experience, and I could not have done it without Netflix and the talented team of producers who helped support me along the way. It was literally a dream 20 years in the making.
We finished and delivered Eden which led to other opportunities, like Star Wars: Visions. I had always wanted to combine Japanese Animation and Star Wars so I was thrilled to get the opportunity.
### Our Mission
If you’ve been following Qubic, we greatly appreciate your interest in our journey. The path to realizing a dream is an intricate one, filled with unexpected twists and turns, requiring skill, passion and conviction.
Guided by the traditional craft of Japanese animation, and Western story sensibilities, our mission is to create top tier animation that transcends cultural boundaries, reaching global audiences beyond the core fanbase of anime for all to enjoy
Every Frame Tells a Story.
TYO
NYC
© 2025 Qubic Pictures
## すべてのコマに物語がある
キュービックピクチャーズは
**ニューヨークと東京**を拠点とする制作会社です。
伝統的な日本のアニメーションの技巧と西洋のストーリーの感受性に導かれ、文化の壁を越え、コアなファンのみならず世界中の人々に楽しんでいただけるトップクラスのアニメーションを制作することを使命としています。
## Featured Projects
[Eden
2021
[Star Wars: Visions
[Kick-Heart
2013
 Season 1
## Our Services
### 特集・シリーズ開発
* → ライターズ・ルーム
  → アウトライン＆シナリオ
  → 脚本執筆
  → コンセプト開発
  → ショーランニング
  → エグゼクティブ・サポート
### プロデュース業務
> → 制作管理
>
> → 予算、スケジューリング、財務
> → 法務、商務
> → 人材獲得
> → 制作報告業務
### クライアント・サービス
→ コミュニケーション
→ 翻訳業務
→ コンサルティング
**キュービックピクチャーズ**は日本の著名なアニメーション
スタジオやクリエーターと協働し、オリジナル作品や
ブランデッド・エンターテイメントの制作を専門としています。
## Awards & Nominations
## Past Collaborators
## Past Clients
## Contact Us
© 2025 キュービックピクチャーズ
## Projects
Kick-Heart
Eden
Star Wars: Visions
## Eden
### 概要
人類が地球から姿を消して1000年後、2体の農業ロボットが女の子を発見。彼らは自らの身の危険を顧みず、女の子を育てることにする。それはロボットたちがこれまで信じてきたことすべてを覆す始まりだった。
### エデンについて
キュービックピクチャーズが企画・制作したオリジナル・アニメシリーズ。監督・入江泰浩氏、脚本・うえのきみこ氏といったクリエイターたちと密に協力し合いながら制作。後にNetflixが本作品の権利を取得し、エデンはNetflix初の自社アニメプロジェクトの一つとなりました。 また、台湾、中国、米国、日本間の遠隔制作を円滑に進めるカスタムメイドのパイプラインを構築しました。
### 担当業務
→ ライターズ・ルーム
→ コンセプト開発
→ ショーランニング
→ 制作管理
→ 予算とスケジュール
→ 法務、商務
→ 人材獲得
→ 制作報告業務
### クレジット
監督
入江泰浩
脚本
うえのきみこ
キャラクター・デザイン
川元利浩
コンセプトデザイナー＆カラーデザイナー
クリストフ・フェレイラ
美術監督
クローバー・シェー
作曲
ケビン・ペンキン
音響監督
郷文裕貴
アニメーション制作
CGCG Inc.
エグゼクティブ・プロデューサー
櫻井大樹
プロデューサー
ジャスティン・リーチ
共同プロデューサー
白崎佳奈子、長谷川博美、アイリーン・チュン
© 2021 Netflix, Inc.
## イメージギャラリー
## Star Wars: Visions Season 1
「スター・ウォーズ：ビジョンズ」は、世界有数のアニメ・クリエイターとストーリーテラーのレンズを通し、スター・ウォーズを讃える短編アニメのアンソロジーです。
### スター・ウォーズ：ビジョンズ　シーズン 1 について
アニメへの初の正式な試みである「スター・ウォーズ：ビジョンズ」の短編の各ストーリーには、日本独特の感受性が盛り込まれており、それはまさにスター・ウォーズ・ストーリーテリングのトーンや精神と多くの面で一致しているといえます。
ルーカスフィルムと日本のアニメスタジオの文化的な橋渡し役として、人材発掘や翻訳等のサポート業務を行いつつ、ルーカスフィルムのエグゼクティブ・プロデューサー・チームと密に協力し、本シリーズを製作しました。
プロダクションスタジオ
神風動画、スタジオコロリド（ツインエンジン）、トリガー、キネマシトラス、サイエンスSARU、プロダクション I.G、ジェノスタジオ（ツインエンジン）
ジェイムズ・ウォー、ジョシュ・ライムズ、ジャッキー・ロペス
共同エグゼクティブプロデューサー
白崎佳奈子
© 2021 & TM Lucasfilm Ltd.