In Detroit, two motion design studios were making waves in the animation world: Gunner, known for its bold illustration and character animation, and Hobbes, a leader in product-driven animation. The companies earned reputations for creativity and emotional intelligence, collaborating with high-profile clients for years. However, everything changed when Duolingo—the world’s leading language-learning app — recognized their potential. Duolingo’s acquisition of Gunner in 2022 and Hobbes in 2024 marked a new chapter, bringing Detroit’s creative energy into Duolingo’s mission to make learning fun and accessible.
The Power of Animation at Duolingo
For Duolingo, animation is more than just a visual element—it’s core to the user experience. Animated characters appear throughout the app, users are shown animated videos for language learning lessons, and nearly every part of the interface moves delightfully. Ryan Sims, Duolingo’s Chief Design Officer, reflects on the role of design and animation at the company: “Design is a critical part of Duolingo’s success, particularly our use of character illustration and animation. We believe that a more animated product experience is more fun and delightful, and it leads to better learning outcomes.” This commitment to an animated product prompted Duolingo to consider acquiring its own animation studio.
Gunner: Crafting Illustrative Animation
Before Duolingo, Gunner worked with tech giants like Google, Facebook, and Amazon, creating dynamic illustrations and character animations. Yet something was missing. “We loved working on bold, creative projects for big companies,” says Ben Dresser, co-founder of Gunner. “But compared to our other clients, Duolingo’s mission stood out—it felt truly meaningful.”
Duolingo’s dedication to accessible education deeply resonated with Gunner’s team. “We feel great about our work with Duolingo because, ultimately, we were helping people learn,” Ben explains. “When you make learning fun and enjoyable, people naturally engage more. It creates a positive learning cycle.” This shared sense of purpose energized Gunner and cemented its fit within Duolingo’s creative culture.
Hobbes: Innovating Animation in Product
Two years after acquiring Gunner, Duolingo turned to Hobbes for its expertise in product-driven animation. “Hobbes was known for bringing animation to life in product interfaces,” says Ian Sigmon, co-founder of Hobbes. “Our focus was making experiences intuitive and emotionally engaging.
”For Hobbes, joining Duolingo was an opportunity to leverage animation as a critical tool for learning retention. “Animation is a universal language,” Ian notes. “Whether you want to convey, ‘This part is fun’ or ‘This is supposed to be a challenge,’ animation can tell that story instantly.” Hobbes’ work integrated seamlessly with Duolingo’s playful yet instructional tone, using humor and subtle nudges to keep users engaged and learning better.
Animation’s Impact on Language Learning
Both studios quickly found their strengths aligned with Duolingo’s creative strategy and began finding ways to use animation to teach language better. “One challenge with learning a language is you have to practice a lot,” says Ian, “which can get boring. We use animation to make the app fun so users will be more motivated to practice.
”Animated characters throughout the app demonstrate Duolingo’s unique approach to motivating its users. “Our characters allow us to be playful and use humor to motivate,” Ian continues. “We can even be a little passive-aggressive and send reminders like, ‘Why didn’t you do your lesson today?’ and users laugh instead of getting annoyed because we’re prompting them to do something good. It’s a powerful tool. ”Ben agrees that the approach is unorthodox but effective: “You’d never get a message from Instagram saying, ‘You didn’t consume enough content today.’ But in Duolingo’s world, it’s funny—and works.”
Expanding Beyond Language
Duolingo’s evolution hasn’t stopped with language learning. With Gunner and Hobbes in its fold, Duolingo is expanding its educational reach with Duolingo Music and Math. “We’re aiming to help people learn instruments and math concepts, too,” Ben explains. “These are still very new products, but we’re investing heavily in their development.” Both Gunner and Hobbes teams are currently hard at work bringing animation to math and music education.
This expansion is part of Duolingo’s larger vision to build a universal educational platform. “Language was just the first step. We hope we can apply our unique approach to many other subjects,” Ben explains.
Bringing Detroit Creativity to the World
For both studios, being based in Detroit has always been a source of pride. Now, thanks to Duolingo, the world is seeing what Detroit’s creative talent can achieve. “Now we’re combining motion designers and character animators on the same projects, blending both mediums into a seamless experience,” Ian explains.
Ben reflects on how joining Duolingo has transformed their work: “At the end of the day, we feel good about what we’re doing. We’re helping people learn, and that’s a mission worth all the effort.
”Hobbes’ and Gunner’s acquisitions infused Duolingo with fresh creativity while cementing Detroit as a hub for innovation in animation and design. “What’s exciting is that we’re doing this from Detroit,” Ben adds. “This city has a rich history of creativity, and we’re proud to be part of its next chapter.”
Looking Ahead
Now fully integrated into Duolingo, Gunner and Hobbes are helping shape the future of education. “We spent years keeping Gunner and Hobbes separate, but now that they’ve come together under Duolingo, it’s exciting to see these worlds collide and collaborate together,” Ian remarks.
As Duolingo continues to innovate and expand into new educational fields, its Detroit-based animation and motion design teams will remain at the core, ensuring that learning stays fun, engaging, and, most importantly, accessible.
“Animation has a unique power to convey emotions and make you feel something.”
