Limestone Animation puts Kingston on the big screen with R.L. Stine adaptation

A new Kingston-based animation studio is taking its first steps toward turning the city into a national hub for digital storytelling.

Founded by animation industry veterans Sean Connolly and Donnie MacIntyre, Limestone Animation launched this fall with municipal support and an ambitious debut project: an animated adaptation of R.L. Stine’s Stinetinglers, based on the author’s newest book series.

“Donnie and I both have decades of experience in content development and sales,” Connolly wrote in a statement to The Journal. He explains that the duo hopes to combine knowledge of the animation industry with modern techniques.

“There are so many emerging technologies today, and by embracing those on day one, we feel we can be very competitive in the international marketplace,” Connolly said.

According to Connolly, MacIntyre, who served as Kingston’s film commissioner from 2023-24, was instrumental in identifying the city as a potential base for the studio. “During that time, [he] saw how strong a creative community Kingston already had,” Connolly said. “When we began looking into starting a studio, Kingston was a clear frontrunner.”

The studio’s vision was backed by the City of Kingston and the Kingston Film and Media Office, which provided Limestone with a rent-free space, a property tax exemption, and other start-up support. Beyond content creation, Limestone aims to become a fixture in Kingston’s cultural community by offering workshops, open houses, and training opportunities for local artists and students.

“Once we’re in production, we hope to engage the talent coming from Queen’s and Loyalist, as well as seasoned producers, artists, and writers in the city and surrounding areas,” Connolly wrote.

Launching with Stinetinglers was a deliberate choice, where Connolly said “it was important to launch the studio with a big-name project.” Connolly explained how R.L. Stine’s among the biggest authors in the world. “The fact that no one has ever adapted his works into an animated series before [is] surprising.”

Limestone plans to animate Stinetinglers in a style inspired by Japanese anime and is already in talks with Japanese studios about potential co-production. “We’re interested in finding ways of working with partners in other countries to broaden our scope,” Connolly said. International partnership ties into Limestone’s philosophy as a creative hub that “celebrates the art of animation in all its forms,” he said.

In the future, Limestone’s founders hope to see their work reach audiences around the world. “We want recognizable projects on screens globally,” Connolly said. “Not just hit projects, but a consistency across artistry, writing, and execution that allows viewers to identify a show as specifically a Limestone project.”

With strong city support and a high-profile launch project, Limestone Animation hopes to spark a new era of creative industry in Kingston, proving the city can hold its own among Canada’s established animation centres.