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STUDIOCANAL and Universal Music Group (UMG) Announce Partnership For 3D Animated Feature 'Around the World in 50 Years'

Posted on: Saturday, 16 May 2009, 04:00 CDT

UMG Acquires North American Film Distribution Rights to the Highly-Anticipated Animated Release

STUDIOCANAL, the European mini-major is handling worldwide rights for 'Around the World in 50 Years' and will distribute the movie in its own three territories (France, Germany and the UK)

CANNES, France, May 16 /PRNewswire/ -- STUDIOCANAL and Universal Music Group (UMG), the world's leading music company, announced today a partnership for the upcoming and highly-anticipated 3D animated feature, "Around the World in 50 Years."

As part of this agreement, UMG will handle all North American theatrical, DVD, television and non-theatrical rights to the movie which has all the hallmarks of classic family film. Moreover, UMG will also handle the soundtrack album on a global basis.

The film, "a buddy movie with turtles for the 21st century," is directed by Ben Stassen ('Fly Me to the Moon') and is being produced at nWave's Brussels studio.

The announcement of the deal follows straight after the film's presentation to an exclusive, invitation-only audience at Cannes, as part of the international sales rollout. The presentation - which included almost 15 minutes of spectacular "immersion" 3D footage - was crafted and presented by former Dreamworks marketing executive, Peter Dunne who has signed on as an animation consultant for Studio Canal.

Olivier Courson, CEO of STUDIOCANAL, said, "I am delighted about this partnership. We first approached our sister company Universal Music Group about the soundtrack which is so critical for an animated film, but Doug Morris (Chairman & CEO) was so enthusiastic that he decided not only to come on board for the music but also to become our partner for US distribution. We never even took the film to the market. This movie is another important step in our international production: 3D animation. We are happy to have partners within the Vivendi group who can bring together such a strong and diverse team of creative and marketing talent which this project deserves."

Doug Morris commented, "When Jolene Cherry (Senior Vice President of A&R, Universal Records) first brought the film to my attention, I realized what a true gem it is. It combines the most innovative technology available today with great story-telling to convey an important environmental message. We are thrilled to be working with Olivier and his team on this important project."

The soundtrack album to the movie will be created by Ms. Cherry and Vincent Herbert.

Rodolphe Buet, EVP International Distribution for STUDIOCANAL, stated, "We are thrilled to have secured such a great home for 'Around the World in 50 Years'. We have long recognized that international success in family entertainment relies on a great US release, and this deal allows us to begin work right away with our partners in putting together a first-class marketing, licensing and promotional campaign for the film."

Harold Van Lier, STUDIOCANAL's EVP, International Sales added, "With such a strong commitment from our US partner, and our own distribution in the major part of Europe, our sales campaign has got off to a really strong start, and I'm confident that we will secure our other distribution partners very quickly."

'Around the World in 50 Years' will be released in North America and internationally in Q4 2010.

About STUDIOCANAL

STUDIOCANAL is a European leader in co-production, acquisition and distribution of motion pictures, and the only studio in Europe distributing all media at the source in the three largest markets: France, Great Britain and Germany.

STUDIOCANAL owns one of the most comprehensive film libraries in Europe with more than 5,000 French, UK and US movies, including Terminator 2, Basic Instinct and The Pianist. With its production and international sales operations, STUDIOCANAL provides a unique alternative for producers and directors worldwide. STUDIOCANAL is a subsidiary of CANAL+ Group.

About Universal Music Group

Universal Music Group is the world's leading music company with wholly owned record operations or licensees in 77 countries. Its businesses also include Universal Music Publishing Group, the industry's leading global music publishing operation.

Universal Music Group's record labels include A&M/Octone, Decca, Deutsche Grammophon, Disa, Emarcy, Fonovisa, Interscope Geffen A&M Records, Island Def Jam Music Group, Lost Highway Records, Machete Music, MCA Nashville, Mercury Nashville, Mercury Records, Philips, Polydor Records, Universal Motown Republic Group, Universal Music Latino, Universal Records South and Verve Music Group as well as a multitude of record labels owned or distributed by its record company subsidiaries around the world. The Universal Music Group owns the most extensive catalog of music in the industry, which includes the last 100 years of the world's most popular artists and their recordings. UMG's catalog is marketed through two distinct divisions, Universal Music Enterprises (in the U.S.) and Universal Strategic Marketing (outside the U.S.). Universal Music Group also includes eLabs, its new media and technologies division; Bravado, its merchandising company; Twenty-First Artists, its full service management division; and Helter Skelter, its live music agency.

SOURCE Universal Music Group

Source: PR Newswire

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