SANTA MONICA, CA. (Lions Gate/ www.lionsgate-ent.com/ www.lgf.com) - Less than a month after its formation, Lions Gate Family Entertainment has announced its debut feature film project, a major cross-divisional initiative under which Lions Gate will coproduce and has acquired the North American distribution rights to FOODFIGHT!, the eagerly-anticipated 3-D animated film from Larry Kasanoff's (TRUE LIES, MORTAL KOMBAT) Threshold Animation Studios.
FOODFIGHT! is slated for a nationwide Fall 2006 release. The announcement was made by newly-promoted Lions Gate Family Entertainment Executive Vice President Anne Parducci and Lions Gate Films Releasing President Tom Ortenberg.
Currently in production, FOODFIGHT! takes place after hours in a supermarket which comes to life as a city unto itself. Appearing together in the film are the voices of sisters Hilary and Haylie Duff who are recently starring together in the upcoming MATERIAL GIRLS. Sharing a close sisterly bond, Haylie has written several songs for Hilary's "Metamorphosis" album and they sang a duet for the soundtrack of A CINDERELLA STORY with a remake of the Go-Go's "Our Lips Are Sealed."
FOODFIGHT! is directed by Larry Kasanoff from a screenplay by Brent Friedman, Rebecca Swanson and Sean Derek, based on a story by Kasanoff and Joshua Wexler. Kasanoff and George Johnsen are producing; executive producers are Ortenberg and Wexler with Gregory Cascante and Daniel Suh as co-executive producers.
Lions Gate Family Entertainment Executive Vice President Ken Katsumoto is overseeing the film for Lions Gate.
"We're delighted that Lions Gate Family Entertainment is already feeding our pipeline with exciting new product, and we're thrilled to be in partnership with a singular talent and entrepreneur like Larry Kasanoff who is pushing the envelope of large-scale, quality feature film animation," said Ortenberg.
"The new 3-D animation technology used in FOODFIGHT!, powered by Threshold's association with IBM, will create a world unlike anything seen before and give audiences an extraordinary ride in the process," said Katsumoto. "We are very excited that this groundbreaking film is the first big project launched under the new Lions Gate Family Entertainment banner."
"Lions Gate's passion and innovation are what filmmaking is all about," said Kasanoff. "Plus, they love a squashy anvil drop and a good pie in the face. I'm very excited to be working with them on FOODFIGHT! But most of all I am absolutely thrilled to have Hilary and Haylie Duff as part of the cast."
Brand Name Promotional Partners To Be Announced Soon
Utilizing a cast of thousands of characters and myriad CG special effects, the creators acquired the rights to use nearly every consumer packaged goods company's characters in the film about a grocery store coming to life, including Mr. Clean, Charlie The Tuna, Twinkie the Kid and more as supporting background "actors," creating an exceptional range of cross-promotional opportunities.
To fully capitalize on these opportunities, two major brand name promotional partners will be announced soon, along with additional major talent.
Threshold Animation Studios is a groundbreaking digital animation company. Threshold has forged a revolutionary technology alliance with IBM Corporation, giving the company unparalleled access to technology that enables it to make its digitally animated films faster, more cost efficiently and better creatively than others in the digital animation space. Threshold is the first animation studio to be powered by 40,000 remote computers from the IBM On Demand Center.
In addition to FOODFIGHT!, Threshold has produced digital animation or visual effects for Paramount, Disney, Nickelodeon, Dreamworks, Sony, Fox, MGM, NBC, Miramax, Dimension, TNT, Hershey's, General Motors and more.
Lions Gate Entertainment is the premier independent producer and distributor of motion pictures, home entertainment, family entertainment, television programming and video-on-demand content. Its prestigious and prolific library of approximately 8000 titles is one of the largest in the entertainment industry.
The Lions Gate brand name is synonymous with original, daring, quality entertainment in markets around the globe.
