House Of Cool

Name

House Of Cool

Legal name

House of Cool Studios Inc.

Website

https://houseofcool.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Toronto

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Animation Pre-Production Services: Service studio providing pre-production services for animated series and feature films. Revenue generated through contracted service work with major entertainment companies including Netflix, DreamWorks, Disney, and others.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

House of Cool is an animation pre-production service studio that develops stories, creates digital storyboards, designs characters and environments, and provides art direction and editorial services for animated feature films and television series on a contracted project basis. Its work spans feature pre-production for titles such as Ferdinand, Paw Patrol: The Movie, Night of the Zoopocalypse, and series such as Maya and the Three, Trollhunters, and He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. The studio has also begun producing original feature properties, beginning with Night of the Zoopocalypse.

Product overview

House of Cool is an animation studio specializing in pre-production services for animated series and feature films. Founded in 2004 and acquired by WildBrain in 2023, the company offers a comprehensive suite of pre-production services including story development, digital storyboarding, direction, editorial, production management, conceptual and visual development, character design, environment and prop design, and art direction. The core product is their pre-production service offering, which they provide to major entertainment studios including Netflix, DreamWorks, Disney, Apple, Mattel, Sony, Paramount, and others. They have worked on over 30 feature films and numerous television series, and have recently produced their first original feature film, Night of the Zoopocalypse.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Animation Pre-Production Services Comprehensive pre-production services for animated series and feature films, covering story development, digital storyboarding, direction, editorial, production management, conceptual and visual development, character design, environment and prop design, and art direction, delivered to major entertainment studios on a contracted project basis.
• Feature Film Pre-Production Pre-production services tailored to animated feature films, including storyboarding, head of story, design, art direction, and editorial work on titles such as Night of the Zoopocalypse, Paw Patrol: The Movie, Spies in Disguise, Next Gen, Ferdinand, and The Book of Life.
• Animated Series Pre-Production Pre-production services for animated television series, including episodic direction, storyboards, design, editorial, and development services for shows such as Maya and the Three, Curses, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, and Trollhunters.
• Night of the Zoopocalypse House of Cool's first original animated feature film, produced in partnership with Copperheart Entertainment, with House of Cool providing production, direction, design, art direction, story, and editorial services, released theatrically on March 7, 2025.

Named customers17 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core, strategic and co-production.

• WildBraincoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2023WildBrain completed acquisition of House of Cool in July 2023, significantly expanding and enhancing its pre-production capabilities. Wes and Ricardo sold House of Cool to WildBrain in 2023. This acquisition expanded WildBrain's animation service offerings.
• Apple Original FilmscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Apple Original Films is bringing 'Little Santa' animated feature to screens, with House of Cool providing pre-production services.
• TeamTOstrategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021House of Cool partnered with France's TeamTO through the ECAS program to support the thriving animation industry. Drew Ng was integral to development and execution of House of Cool's 6-week Storyboard Workshop classes at Ecole Cartoucherie Animation Solidaire (ECAS) in France.
• Copperheart Entertainmentco-productionStrategic or Co-development PartnerHouse of Cool partnered with Copperheart Entertainment as co-producer on Night of the Zoopocalypse film project.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Bardel Entertainment: Canadian animation services studio offering pre-production, production, and 2D/3D animation for series and features. Directly comparable to House of Cool as a service studio serving major North American entertainment clients.
• Mercury Filmworks: Ottawa-based animation studio with 2D animation and pre-production capabilities serving Netflix, Disney, and other major buyers. Closely matches House of Cool in service offerings, client profile, and Canadian animation cluster.
• Guru Studio: Toronto-based animation studio and fellow WildBrain subsidiary producing original IP (Paw Patrol, True and the Rainbow Kingdom) and providing animation services. Most directly comparable peer given shared parent company and overlapping service model.
• 9 Story Media Group: Toronto-based animation production and distribution company with service-studio capabilities and a large original IP portfolio. Comparable in scale, location, and customer base to House of Cool.
• Atomic Cartoons: Vancouver-based animation studio (Thunderbird Entertainment subsidiary) providing 2D/3D animation services and original production for major studios. Directly comparable service-studio model serving Netflix and other streamers.
• Powerhouse Animation: Austin-based animation studio providing pre-production, production, and original content for major studios and streamers (Castlevania, Blood of Zeus). Comparable in service model and client roster to House of Cool.

Broad incumbents

• DNEG: Global VFX and animation services company (now part of Prime Focus) with significant animation and pre-visualization capabilities. Much larger and broader than House of Cool but operates in overlapping service categories for major entertainment clients.
• DreamWorks Animation: Major animation studio owned by NBCUniversal that is both a House of Cool client and a comparator in pre-production capabilities. Operates at much greater scale with owned IP and full production pipeline.
• Illumination Entertainment: Universal-owned animation studio (Despicable Me, Sing, The Secret Life of Pets) and a House of Cool client. Comparable as a large-scale animation incumbent rather than a direct service-studio competitor.

Emerging players

• Tonko House: Independent animation studio producing original features (Oni: Thunder God's Tale) and providing animation services. Smaller and more IP-focused than House of Cool but represents a similar hybrid model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/house-of-cool-studios-inc
• Instagraminstagram.com/houseofcoolinc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about House Of Cool