Notícias

Guru Studio, the animation studio behind the popular Paw Patrol TV series, is developing Eric Hill’s book series Spot as an animated preschool TV series.

Former Amazon Kids+ exec Sarah Maizes will oversee the adaptation of the the kids books series, which has sold over 65 million copies worldwide. Toronto-based Guru Studio optioned the TV rights to the Spot books, which includes the Where’s Spot? series, with the literary property published by Puffin.

The books center on Spot, a rambunctious and curious puppy, and his adventures with family and friends. “Spot holds a special place in the hearts of millions of families around the world as Eric Hill’s dynamic storytelling and lift-the-flap discovery moments invite children to become part of the story,” Frank Falcone, president and executive creative director of Guru, said in a statement.

“As stewards of this cherished literary legacy, we will inspire that same engaged curiosity,...

As the streaming giants cut back on spending and Hollywood recovers from the strikes of 2023, one sector of the industry has continued to thrive: animation. And nowhere is this more evident than in Canada, which offers a fully established industry and a wealth of talent — all at an affordable price.

Animation insiders north of the border say they’ve seen an uptick in activity thanks to cost-conscious producers looking for more bang for their buck — not to mention other advantages like currency savings (the Canadian dollar is currently 74 cents to the U.S. dollar), speed and efficiency, experienced local talent and cross-border proximity to Los Angeles.

“Now that budgets have come down, we need to go back into our creative approaches of how we achieve a look and a result onscreen that works within a particular budget,” Michael Hefferon, president and COO at Vancouver-based Mainframe Studios, tells THR.

After years...

Guru, the studio behind animated hit Paw Patrol, is teaming with Foundation Media Partners and global cheerleading industry leader Varsity Spirit for a new animated series starring Cheer breakout Morgan Simianer.

The companies are developing Spirits of Ridgeway High, a story about optimist cheerleader Melissa Mayfield, whom Simianer will voice. While on a mission to lead her last-place cheer team to victory, Melissa discovers both cheer and music have secret magical powers. Now, she and her teammates will need to work together to master their powers and keep their school safe.

“I am beyond excited to be a part of this amazing project,” Simianer said in a statement. “As someone who knows firsthand the power of school spirit, I cannot wait for audiences to see the world we have created. This show is going to be a must-watch for anyone who loves animation, cheerleading and magic.”

The former reality star...

Guru Studio, the Toronto-based animation company behind Nick Jr.’s Paw Patrol, Sprout’s Justin Time and Netflix’s True and the Rainbow Kingdom, has promoted Rachel Marcus to VP Creative Development. The move expands her role to include leading the company’s overall development of original IP, as well as oversee creative partnerships, co-productions and features. She will report to Guru’s president and executive creative director Frank Falcone.

Marcus joined Guru in 2015 from Nickelodeon, where she developed short-form content linear content for Nick.com and Nick Jr. At Guru, she co-created the preschool series Pikwik which will air on Disney Junior and Hulu next year, and the underwater adventure series Big Blue which was greenlit by CBC in Canada.

“Over the last few years, I have been seen first-hand Rachel’s strong creative leadership,” Falcone said. “I am confident she will continue to strategically grow our IP, with the same creativity,...

Disney Junior’s viewers in the U.S. and elsewhere will take a trip to “Pikwik,” after the Mouse’s preschool channel picked up a new toon comedy series for the U.S. and several other major territories.

The series hails from Toronto-based kids producer and distributor Guru, which handled the animation for Spin Master-produced “Paw Patrol” and created “Justin Time,” which is now on Netflix. It also boarded the feature film “The Breadwinner.”

Disney Junior has acquired “Pikwik” for the U.S., Australia and New Zealand, India, and South Korea. The 52-episode, 11-minute show follows Suki the hedgehog as she leads her team of Trevor the racoon, Hazel the cat, and Tibor the hippo to help deliver surprise-filled parcels to the colorful residents of Pikwik.

The series was created by Guru’s executive creative director Frank Falcone, development executive Rachel Reade Marcus, and former Evp Mary Bredin.

“This adorable...

The Young and the Restless tallied 23 nominations as honors were announced this morning for the 40th annual Daytime Emmy Awards. Restless’ impressive take helped CBS lead all networks with 50 overall nominations. PBS and ABC followed, with 44 and 38 nods, respectively.

General Hospital, which earned 19 nominations, joined Restless in the race for Outstanding Drama Series, and Sesame Street received 17 nods, including three for Kevin Clash, the voice of Elmo who faces allegations of sexual misconduct.

Good Morning America and Today will bring their ratings rivalry to the Emmys, where they’ll be joined by CBS Sunday Morning in the Outstanding Morning Program category.

The nominations are in! Ellen DeGeneres, The View and General Hospital lead the pack in the 2013 Daytime Emmy nominations.

Sam Champion read the 2013 Daytime Emmy Nominations on Good Morning America on May 1, and it’s a great list! General Hospital and The Young & The Restless were some of the many shows nominated, while Ellen DeGeneres, Katie Couric and the lovely ladies of The View are some of the hosts nominated. Read on for the full list.

Daytime Emmys 2013 — Full List Of Nominations

Outstanding Drama Series

The Bold and the Beautiful, CBS

Bradley P. Bell, Executive Producer

Rhonda Friedman, Edward J. Scott, SupervisingProducers

Ronald W. Weaver, Senior Producer

Mark Pinciotti, Coordinating Producer

Cynthia J. Popp, Colleen Bell, Casey Kasprzyk, Producers

Days of Our Lives, NBC

Ken Corday, Executive Producer

Lisa de Cazotte, Greg Meng, Co-Executive Producers

Janet Drucker, Tim Stevens, Coordinating Producers

Albert Alarr, Producer

General Hospital , ABC

Frank Valentini, Executive Producer

Mary-Kelly Weir,...