Guru Studio begins animation production on Cookie Jar’s new half animated, half live-action series MUDPIT in Toronto.
Press Release from Guru Studio
September 16, 2010 (Toronto, Ontario) – Guru Studio begins animation production on Cookie Jar’s new half animated, half live-action series MUDPIT in Toronto. Four teenage friends form a band and hit the virtual road in the online world of Muzika where they compete to win in the world’s wildest rock and roll adventure game. MUDPIT is a TELETOON Original Production scheduled to premiere in 2011.
The 26-half hour series follows the lives of Reese, Geneva, Liam and Mikey and their online personas, Dodge, G, Lamb and Booch, as they sing and play their hearts out, battling other bands for dominance and avoiding the game's nefarious ruler and MC, Slime.
“This is a great opportunity for Guru to step outside our preschool comfort zone and flex our production muscles on an ambitious show that has all the things we love: big action, smart humour and great musical performances,” says Frank Falcone, President and Creative Director at Guru, “it takes our experience on The Backyardigans to the next level!”
Guru Studio Production Manager Lisa Brodie joins the crew with a strong background in both animation and video game production management. Falcone comments, “She is the perfect fit for an animated show taking place inside a video game world – she’s seen both – so she understands the aesthetic considerations.”
Cookie Jar's Jamie Waese, the Head of Current Programming, is pleased to have the opportunity to work with Guru Studio and commented, “Guru has made a name for themselves in the animation world and we are excited to be working on this cutting edge project with them.”
Guru will be looking to hire new talent for this upcoming project, including Leica Editors, Riggers, Modelers, Storyboard Artists and more.
For employment opportunities please visit www.gurustudio.com/employment
About Guru StudioToronto-based Guru Studio celebrates 10 years as an industry leader in animation. Founded in 2000 with a mandate to create the best character-animated entertainment, guru has expanded their services beyond commercial design for broadcast television, advertising, film and new media into content development and creation, full production, financing, marketing and distribution. Guru earned its reputation producing animation on the Emmy and Gemini award-winning pre-school series THE BACKYARDIGANS for Nick Jr. and Corus/Nelvana, THE NEW ADVENTURES OF BABAR, as well as the new hit series GUESS WITH JESS for Corus/Nelvana and Classic Media. Guru is now in production on its first original series, JUSTIN TIME, for Family Channel Canada and retains worldwide distribution rights. With 5 new properties in development, Guru is poised to create an ever increasing impact on the television, new media and film business. To view our work please visit www.gurustudio.com.
About Cookie JarThe Cookie Jar Group of Companies is one of the world's leading independent entertainment, consumer products and educational publishing companies with 16 offices around the globe. Cookie Jar Entertainment is a leader in the creation, production and marketing of animated and live-action programming. Its library of nearly 6,000 half-hour episodes of television features some of the world's most recognizable series including Caillou, Inspector Gadget, Arthur, The Doodlebops and Johnny Test. The company operates Cookie Jar TV, which furnishes the weekend morning block on CBS, and has a one-third interest in international children's television channel KidsCo. Cookie Jar Entertainment's Jaroo.com is the premiere web video destination for kids with the largest independent selection of full-length children's TV series and movies online. Copyright Promotions Licensing Group (CPLG), Cookie Jar’s full-service international licensing agency, represents numerous entertainment, sport and design brands such as Strawberry Shortcake, Richard Scarry, St. Andrews Links, Lucha Libre AAA and Skelanimals. Carson-Dellosa Publishing is one of North America's largest providers of supplemental education materials and reaches nearly 2,000 teachers across the United States. For more information, please visit www.cjar.com.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
