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April 4th, 2011 11:11 AM by Aaron H. Bynum
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Tired of preschool cartoons spending an inordinate amount of time on boring matching games, talking down its audience, or afraid of going out on a creative limb? If so, then meet Justin Time, the first original intellectual property from Guru Studio (Toronto, ON). Justin Time is a preschool animation that eschews your typically faultless problem solver in favor of a kid who isn't afraid to go out of his comfort zone every once in a while. Guru Studio debuted the new series at industry events last autumn to quality reviews, and so looks to wrap up production on the first season in time for a local television premiere in autumn 2011.

In short, Justin Time is about a boy who goes on imaginary adventures. At length, the new series is about reminding kids that the world is as big, wide, and full of adventure as you make it. The series is about trust and teamwork -- whether nestled deep in the jungle or perched high on top of a snowcapped mountain -- and the many other elements of friendship most conducive to having a great time (and learning a thing or two along the way). Justin Time encourages a kind of freewheeling imagination that hopes to leave the didactic and lazy storytelling of yester-animation in the dust.

Justin has been to these jungles, mountains, ancient temples, and desert islands. Traveling through time and adventuring to all sorts of places, Justin and his two pals Olive and Squidgy engage bite-sized historical events while learning the necessities of social interaction and cognition.

Justin's two friends are imaginary: Olive, a girl who serves as navigator/ guide/ consult from journey to journey, and Squidgy, an animated and shapeshifting piece of clay.

Justin Time comes from the mind of artist and designer Brandon Scott, who enlists nicely rounded character designs and exotic color schemes that are perfect for such flights of fancy. The cartoon's visual energy is palpable, featuring spirited and intricate production design as a complement to Justin's entertaining exploits. If all goes well, Guru Studio's Justin Time will possess equal amounts of feverish devotion to cool storytelling and exciting artwork. Scott also serves as the art director for the new series; additional key staff includes Harold Harris (director) and Alan Gregg (story editor), who recently accepted a post over at TELETOON Canada as Director of Original Content.

Guru Studio recently celebrated its tenth anniversary. The studio's experience in commercial design for advertising, television, and film is well documented, but their foray into original program development has been gestating for a while.

Justin Time is currently scheduled to begin airing on Disney Junior (Canada) and Family Channel (Canada) in autumn 2011, with other networks in Finland, Latin America, and Israel to follow in 2012. Season Two of Justin Time will be entering development soon.

Guru has some other titles currently in development as well, including Little Movers, a preschool cartoon about a girl who loves transportation; Agency 13, an action cartoon about a kid who is the only member of high-tech monkey hero group; and Spaceface, which follows Heston, a kid whose parents are evil overlords, but still manage to stick him with a stupid summer job.

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