Toronto-based animation and commercial house Red Rover Studios has been acquired by House of Cool Studios, combining the two company's creative talent.
"We are very excited about the melding of the two creative teams," says House of Cool Co-owner Ricardo Curtis. "The majority of the artists who made Red Rover one of the leading CG commercial houses in the country, have joined forces with the designers, story artists, and directors from House of Cool, to make a Canadian animation studio, capable of everything from high end 3D commercials, to full length feature film."
Heading up production at Red Rover will be veteran commercial Exec Producer Danielle Araiche who has been part of the Red Rover team since 2004. "We are very pleased that the two creative teams have already started to successfully collaborate," Araiche said. "We've hit the ground running and are currently in production for four new spots."
Leading the creative charge for the new company is Cal Brunker, House of Cool's Animation Director. Brunker will ensure that his fresh and innovative directing style will set the tone for future commercial productions. "The Rover guys are like mad scientists, everything they do looks amazing," Brunker said. "They keep one foot in the art world, and one in the technical. Now that House of Cool has added our pre-production chops to the mix, we're doing things that neither of us could have done independently."
House of Cool's buyout of Red Rover will give the Studio the opportunity to continue to build on its character animation niche but also move the company toward producing live action commercials and other content with a wider range of design styles. "Both House of Cool and Red Rover Studios have a strong commitment to quality and creativity. Our combined staff of vibrant and talented artists will ensure cool, memorable characters, designs and story concepts for our clients," added House of Cool Director of Operations and Co-owner Wesley Lui.
Red Rover was founded in 1994 by the late Andy Knight and his partner Linzi. Knight helped build a studio that has been known for its creative and original designs. Commercial clients have included Toyota, Pepsi, Sasktel, Nissan and Ford.
House of Cool is a preproduction company headed by former Pixar veteran Ricardo Curtis and CFO/Manager of Operations Wes Lui. Along with original content, such as BETTY BANNER PARTY PLANNER, (created by Brunker) House of Cool has a client list that reads like a who's who in animation features including Universal Studios, Blue Sky (of which Curtis was Head of Story on DR. SEUSS' HORTON HEARS A WHO!), The Weinstein Company and Disney.
