House of Cool
Canadian animation and visual development studio specializing in storyboarding, design, and pre-production for films, television, and commercials.
Last updated August 24, 2026
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Overview
House of Cool is a Canadian animation and visual development studio based in Toronto, Ontario. The company was established in 1994 by animation professional Ricardo Curtis and finance specialist Wes Lui, initially operating as a pre-production business rather than as a conventional full-service animation house. Its core work has centered on visual development, storyboarding, character and environment design, and other creative services used in the development of animated films, television series, commercials, and related screen projects. The studio’s role is often positioned between concept creation and final production. By helping filmmakers and animation producers establish visual language, staging, sequences, and story structure before or during production, House of Cool has contributed to projects made by major entertainment companies and animation producers. Its credited work spans feature animation, television, shorts, commercials, and selected development or test-footage assignments. The company has been associated with prominent titles including Horton Hears a Who!, Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, Despicable Me, Rio, Hugo, Epic, The Peanuts Movie, The Angry Birds Movie, Ferdinand, Next Gen, Spies in Disguise, and several animated television properties. House of Cool also expanded its capabilities through the acquisition of Red Rover Studios in July 2008. Red Rover had been founded in London in 1994 by Andy and Linzi Knight and later relocated to Toronto. It operated as a production studio focused on two-dimensional and computer-generated animation. The acquisition followed the death of Andy Knight earlier in 2008 and brought Red Rover’s production history and capabilities into the House of Cool organization. Red Rover’s earlier credits included All Dogs Go to Heaven 2, Broken Sword: Circle of Blood, Broken Sword: The Shadow of the Templars, Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas, Bob and Margaret, Joseph: King of Dreams, Get Ed, and Gnomeo & Juliet. House of Cool’s business model has historically emphasized specialist creative services rather than consumer-facing products. Its value lies in experienced artists, directors, storyboard teams, and visual-development personnel who help shape projects for external studios, distributors, broadcasters, and production partners. The studio’s credits reflect the project-based nature of the animation industry: involvement may cover a complete visual-development assignment, selected sequences, early development, story work, or other production support rather than ownership of the finished intellectual property. On March 29, 2023, Canadian media company WildBrain announced an agreement to acquire House of Cool for approximately CA$18.3 million. The transaction was completed on July 19, 2023. Following the acquisition, House of Cool became part of WildBrain’s broader entertainment and production portfolio. The deal connected the Toronto studio with a larger company active in children’s and family entertainment, while preserving House of Cool as a specialized animation and visual-development operation. Public reference material does not establish a separate consumer product line, stock listing, or standalone financial reporting profile for House of Cool.
History
House of Cool was founded in Toronto in 1994 by Ricardo Curtis and Wes Lui. Curtis brought animation experience, while Lui contributed financial and business expertise. The company began as a pre-production studio, concentrating on the visual and narrative work that precedes or supports animation production. This included storyboarding, visual development, design, and the preparation of sequences and concepts for films, television programs, and commercials. The studio developed within an animation industry increasingly organized around specialized production stages. Rather than functioning solely as a creator of an owned franchise or as a traditional end-to-end animation producer, House of Cool supplied creative expertise to larger productions and outside clients. Its work could involve early concept development, story structure, character and environment design, storyboard sequences, or other forms of production support. This model allowed the studio to participate in a wide range of projects made for different studios, distributors, and broadcasters. A significant expansion occurred in July 2008, when House of Cool acquired Red Rover Studios. Red Rover had been established in London in 1994 by Andy and Linzi Knight and subsequently moved to Toronto. It was described as a full-production studio with experience in both 2D and computer-generated animation. Andy Knight died in 2008, three months before the acquisition. Red Rover’s production history included film, television, video-game, and commercial work, with credits such as All Dogs Go to Heaven 2, the Broken Sword games, Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas, Bob and Margaret, Joseph: King of Dreams, Get Ed, and Gnomeo & Juliet. The transaction expanded House of Cool’s relationship with production-oriented animation and incorporated Red Rover’s personnel, capabilities, and historical work into the House of Cool organization. During the late 2000s and 2010s, House of Cool accumulated credits across feature animation, television, shorts, and development projects. Its listed feature-related work includes Horton Hears a Who!, Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, 9, Despicable Me, Jonah Hex, Rio, Hugo, Ice Age: Continental Drift, Escape from Planet Earth, Epic, Free Birds, Rio 2, The Book of Life, The Peanuts Movie, The Angry Birds Movie, Ice Age: Collision Course, Ferdinand, Next Gen, The Angry Birds Movie 2, and Spies in Disguise. Its television and series-related credits include Ninjamaica, The LeBrons, DreamWorks Dragons, Trollhunters, 3Below: Tales of Arcadia, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, and Pretzel and the Puppies. The studio has also been associated with shorts, commercials, early development work, and other limited-scope assignments. These credits illustrate the studio’s function as a specialist creative partner. A listing does not necessarily mean that House of Cool owned, financed, or produced an entire project; its participation could be confined to storyboards, visual development, sequence work, test footage, or other production services. The company’s profile has consequently been defined more by its professional expertise and relationships with larger entertainment productions than by a standalone consumer franchise. In 2023, WildBrain announced plans to acquire House of Cool for approximately CA$18.3 million. The announcement was made on March 29, and the transaction closed on July 19. House of Cool thereby became part of WildBrain, a Canadian media and entertainment group with activities in children’s and family content. The acquisition gave WildBrain access to an established Toronto-based animation and visual-development studio, while House of Cool continued to represent a distinct specialist capability within the larger group. Publicly available reference material does not provide a separate current executive roster, detailed revenue history, or independently reported operating results for the studio.
- 2023
WildBrain announces acquisition agreement
[1]WildBrain announces its intention to purchase House of Cool for approximately CA$18.3 million.
- 2023
Acquisition by WildBrain is completed
[1]The transaction announced earlier in the year closes on July 19, making House of Cool part of WildBrain.
- 2008
Acquisition of Red Rover Studios
[1]House of Cool acquires Red Rover Studios, a production studio with roots in London and later operations in Toronto, adding experience in 2D and CGI animation.
- 1994
House of Cool is founded in Toronto
[1]Ricardo Curtis and Wes Lui establish House of Cool as a pre-production animation studio specializing in visual development and storyboarding.
Products and positioning
A boutique, artist-led animation studio focused on visual development, storyboarding, and creative production services for international film, television, commercial, and family-entertainment projects.
Animation pre-production · 1994
Visual development
House of Cool develops the visual foundations of animated projects, including concepts for characters, environments, settings, visual tone, and sequences. This work helps production partners define the look and storytelling approach of a film or series before final animation is completed.
Animation production service · 1994
Storyboarding
Storyboarding is a central House of Cool capability. The studio translates scripts and creative ideas into visual sequences that establish staging, camera choices, timing, action, and narrative flow. The service can support feature films, television episodes, shorts, commercials, and development presentations.
Animation production
Feature and television animation services
The studio provides specialist creative and production support for animated features and television projects. Its credited work includes projects connected with Ice Age, Despicable Me, Rio, The Peanuts Movie, The Angry Birds Movie, Trollhunters, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, and other international productions.
Advertising and short-form animation
Commercial and short-form animation
House of Cool has also worked on commercials, shorts, test footage, and other short-form assignments. These projects use the studio’s design, storyboard, and animation expertise in formats that may require rapid visual development or focused sequence production.
Brand decisions
2023
WildBrain acquisitionM&ABackground
WildBrain sought to expand its capabilities in children’s and family entertainment by acquiring an established Canadian animation and visual-development studio.
Action taken
WildBrain announced the proposed acquisition on March 29, 2023, for approximately CA$18.3 million, and completed the transaction on July 19, 2023.
Aftermath
House of Cool became part of the WildBrain group while retaining its identity as a specialized Toronto animation studio.
Acquisition consideration. CA$18.3 million (Announced March 29, 2023; completed July 19, 2023)
2008
Acquisition of Red Rover StudiosM&ABackground
Red Rover Studios had been founded in London and later relocated to Toronto. It operated as a full-production animation studio working in 2D and CGI.
Action taken
House of Cool acquired Red Rover Studios in July 2008, following the death of Red Rover co-founder Andy Knight earlier that year.
Aftermath
The acquisition broadened House of Cool’s production background and connected its pre-production specialization with Red Rover’s broader animation-production history.
Recent events
WildBrain and EightyEight Pictures form strategic production partnership[2]
Reported:
WildBrain and EightyEight Pictures formed a long-term strategic partnership to strengthen premium CG animation production across WildBrain’s content slate, using shared workflows and integrated production pipelines.
Sources3 sources
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