Andy Serkis first became interested in "cyber-thespianism" when he worked with Peter Jackson at his Weta Workshop in New Zealand for The Lord of the Rings trilogy and King Kong (2005).[2] Serkis stated, "People come out of film schools not equipped with the skills for doing anything other than shooting kitchen sink drama. We need to change our mindset, cross-fertilise our talent and encourage writers, directors and producers to think on a much larger scale."[2]
Serkis partnered with Jonathan Cavendish in 2009, opening The Imaginarium officially in 2011 after securing a permanent place at Ealing Studios in London.[3] In January 2012 the studio signed an agreement with Vicon, the world's largest supplier of precision motion tracking systems.[4]
In May 2017, The Imaginarium Studios was subject to a management buyout having lost £4.2 million over the preceding two years.[5] The company went into administration on 15 May 2017 facing insolvency due to project delays.[6]
