Guru Studio Founder Frank Falcone Reflects on the Toronto Toon Powerhouse’s 25 Years

This article was written for the May-June ’25 issue of Animation Magazine (No. 350).

It’s been 25 years since animation veteran Frank Falcone opened the doors of his prolific Toronto-based Guru Studio. Best known for children’s properties such as PAW Patrol, True and the Rainbow Kingdom, Justin Time, Abby Hatcher, Mecha Builders and Big Blue, the studio has been a consistent player in the ever-changing world of 2D and CG animation for the past two decades. Falcone, the studio’s founder, president and creative director, and a good friend of Animation Magazine throughout the years, was kind enough to answer a few of our questions about his company on this special occasion.

Animation Magazine: What were your original goals for starting Guru and how have they changed and evolved through the years?

Frank Falcone: Truth be told, I did not have a burning desire to run my own shop. Back in the late 1990s, I had offers to go work at all the major studios in the U.S.A. But after the interviews, none of the projects or the shops felt compelling.

In addition, the prospect of immigrating to the U.S. felt daunting, after my parents had journeyed from their home in Italy to Australia for 15 years and then to Canada. I thought I’d see if I could make a go of it by staying put here in Toronto and hoping that my reputation as an award-winning broadcast commercial director focused on character animation and storytelling would be enough to sustain a small business with a unique focus at a time when shops did flying logos, VFX, title graphics and anything else to keep their businesses alive.

People told me the focus on character animation would not be enough, but 25 years later it seems to have been a good bet.

‘Every time our creative team chose to walk out into that fog, to step out onto that long uncertain precipice, we’ve always found ourselves in a more rewarding place.’

— Guru Studio’s Founder & President Frank Falcone

What would you say defines a great Guru show?

Intent. We always like to say, “Intent before content.” What are we trying to make here and why? When we can answer those questions and not just see eye to eye but be inspired at the possibilities, then we know we have something with legs. This allows Guru to have a consistent sensibility in our work that people who pay close attention recognize. We care deeply about the characters we put on screen — as if they are real — because to us, they are! Some may be more flawed than others, and some are born into the animated universe with less noble intentions, but the thing to watch for in all the animation that comes out of Guru is how lovable the characters are. That’s something we do better than anyone. And when you truly love the soul of a character, it doesn’t fade away. Love is forever!

In fact, our logo is highly influenced by the Robert Indiana “LOVE” sculptures that you see in New York and other major centers. Its letters are imperfect, and you see the various characters leaning on each other to keep the integrity of the square shape. To us, that’s what love is. It’s messy and imperfect.

We consciously deny the formation of a house style. Style can be fleeting. It can fade as quickly as fashions fade. Worst of all, we’re seeing now with AI that style can’t be truly owned and can be easily mimicked. But I challenge AI to mimic a sensibility or a soulfulness.

What are some of the projects you and the team are working on?

PAW Patrol, of course, is our animated gift to the world that just keeps giving back to us, to kids, to parents and to everyone who’s been lucky enough to work on this multiarmed global franchise. We’re creating new seasons and many exciting new specials.

We were blessed with the opportunity to help create PAW Patrol, right at the ground floor back in 2011-2013, when there was just a rough bible and no scripts. The brilliant recipe that Keith Chapman and Spin Master had created for Paramount and Nick Jr. was great, but the ingredients needed a lot of love and our full attention. We all worked really closely that first year to help develop the look and feel and, most importantly, the good-natured, lovable and immutable heart that all the pups share and [the] spirit of kindness and well-intentioned humor and adventure that infuses the show and every part of the franchise to this day. It’s something that no one, even some of the most talented humans with some of the biggest budgets on the planet, has been able to replicate, try though they may. So we feel very bullish against AI’s sly thievery! We’ve already been through a decade of shows trying to copy what we’ve made — they all suffered from one fatal flaw: bad intentions.

We’re also continuing our work with Sesame Workshop on Mecha Builders — with new shorts lighting up the vertical video spaces on the internet and breaking viewing records.

A few months ago, we also began production on Julián, a feature film co-production between Cartoon Saloon, Aircraft Pictures, Sun Creature, Melusine and Wychwood Media.

When you look back at the studio’s 25-year history, what are some of the memories that make you smile?

I think three key moments are the launch of Justin Time, the surprise breakout success of PAW Patrol and the streamer hit True and the Rainbow Kingdom — all of which continue to entertain audiences around the world.

Our very first original series, Justin Time, really put us on the map as a studio capable of creating a truly original type of kids’ show that had all the elements we’ve become known for: unique design, adorable characters and big comedy adventure storytelling with clever nuance.

PAW came in the door looking like an unlikely success (dogs in cars with jobs?) and surprised us and the world. This is a testament to our team’s ability, to nurture an idea and to really blow it up on screen in an exciting way!

True and the Rainbow Kingdom also came to our doorstep, having been rejected everywhere it had been pitched. FriendsWithYou, the artists behind the concept, had such good intentions, with animism at the heart of the entire universe: the belief that everything has a soul including trees, rocks and buses! The simple premise inspired us to build out the characters and the Rainbow Kingdom so that kids could look at the world as a wonderful place where people care about everything they come in contact with!

Where do you see the studio going in the next 25 years?

There are so many exciting new places to create new characters. We’re doing lots of shorts these days and developing features and longer stories as well. The quality of what you put out there matters more than ever, and so we want to be constantly experimenting with format.

We were born into animation making 15- and 30-second commercials that had years of positive impact on brands, through deceptively simple pantomime acting, and in many ways, we seem to be returning to that very distilled way of creating new characters that you can instantly fall in love with and stay in love with for years.

I would hope that there will always be a need to create characters that can stand the test of time. I want to always be at the center of creating exciting characters that connect to as many people as possible, and that model good behavior and good relationships — I would hope that has a knock-on effect to our real relationships too!

What is your take on the current Canadian and global animation scene?

Canada is a powerhouse that punches far above its weight class in animation, but lately, it’s become a lonely little ice floe adrift on the sea. We can’t share fully in the benefits of the E.U.’s protective dome, and we increasingly find ourselves being targeted as the reason why creative investments into animation have slowed in the U.S. That’s unfair. I think it’s quite the opposite. Canadian talent has a very clear understanding of the types of stories we tell in this part of the world, and we have a very diverse population of immigrants who are more aware of regional storytelling styles from around the world. We have a respect for global culture that is unmatched and very inclusive. This has allowed U.S. creators to really focus on the highest values in their storytelling. Canadians are animation creators in their own right, and we understand the process and have always been here to help get it up on screen, no matter where the concept or the budget may originate.

Any advice you would give your younger self if you could go back in time, knowing what you know now?

That’s something I don’t do too often. I try not to live a “shoulda, woulda, coulda” life.

But if I was magically given an opportunity to advise a younger me, I would say, “Trust your instincts even more!” Dig deeper. Look further ahead. Don’t be afraid to take more and bigger risks.

When I look back across 25 years at the studio, and 37 years in animation, I see that the highlights of my own personal career, and of our studio’s success, are directly aligned with the risks we chose to take. Every time our creative team chose to walk out into that fog, to step out onto that long uncertain precipice, we’ve always found ourselves in a more rewarding place. I think I can hear my older self telling me that now!

Learn more about Guru Studio and its many animated hits and upcoming projects at gurustudio.com.