Alliance Atlantis Partners with Score Entertainment and FUNimation to Unleash the Power of the Dragon
- Alliance Atlantis secures North American home entertainment deal and worldwide trading card deal for new CGI animated property Dragon Booster™ · FUNimation Productions, Ltd. secures U.S. home video rights for Dragon Booster™
- SCORE ENTERTAINMENT secures worldwide trading card rights for Dragon Booster™
- Dragon Booster™ is expected to debut on ABC Family’s Jetix block in the US and CBC in Canada in October 2004 with international territories to follow in early 2005
- Alliance Atlantis will be located at the Licensing Show, Stand 1461
TORONTO, CANADA – Tuesday 18 May, 2004 – Jennifer Bennett, Vice President, Merchandising and Licensing, Alliance Atlantis Communications Inc., announced today that ALLIANCE ATLANTIS has signed a worldwide trading card deal with Score Entertainment and a North American home entertainment deal (VHS/DVD) with FUNimation for Alliance Atlantis’ new childrens animated property, Dragon Booster™. Dragon Booster™ is expected to debut in the US on Jetix (ABC Family and Toon Disney's branded block) and on CBC in October 2004, before rolling out around the world in early 2005.
Ms. Bennett commented: “The significant creative and commercial appeal of Dragon Booster continues to attract top notch partners and adding Score Entertainment and Funimation to our growing list of partners builds upon our goal of assembling the most creative, innovative and savvy team possible. The Dragon Booster team is working to create an extremely integrated range of products that will enable boys to experience total immersion into the world of Dragon Booster and will provide retailers with valuable new product invention to drive cross-category sales.”
Score Entertainment has earned widespread industry accolades for previous titles including, Yu Yu Hakusho Trading Card Game and Dragon Ball Z Collectible Card, will work closely with the Dragon Booster™ animators and creative team to produce a unique trading card experience. Score Entertainment's game is expected to launch in February 2005 and will debut previously unseen images from the show at launch!
Mr. Quesenberry, Director Marketing and New Business Development, commented: “The world of Dragon Booster is an amazing place. Its wonder and adventure are rivaled only by the scope of its storytelling, and our game will reflect that. We are driven to create a game that will seamlessly interface into this brave new world, by translating the story elements into the game. By doing this we will bring a gaming experience to the players as unique as Dragon Booster™ itself.”
FUNimation Productions, Ltd., one of the nation's leading independent home video entertainment and brand management companies, is best known for Dragon Ball Z® and Yu Yu Hakusho® and its recently announced brands Case Closed™ and Full Metal Alchemist™. FUNimation also distributes such popular titles as Yu-Gi-Oh, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and anime hits such as Kiddy Grade™, Tenchi Muyo! GXP™, and Fruits Basket®.
"Dragon Booster is a perfect complement to our boys action titles," says Gen Fukunaga, president of FUNimation Productions, Ltd. "It has great characters, a catchy story line and top-notch animation."
Dragon Booster™ (39 x 30) is a mythic good versus evil struggle in a classic, yet timeless world where humans and dragons co-exist. Our hero is Artha Penn, an ordinary teenager who is plunged into an incredible adventure when he is chosen to ride Beaucephalis, the dragon of legend. When teamed with Beau, Artha is transformed into a mythical hero known as the Dragon Boosterä, a hero charged with the task of saving the world from an impending war and uniting humans and dragons for once and for all. Dragon Boosterä is high-octane adventure set against the backdrop of dragon racing where 12-ton reptiles chew up the asphalt at over 200 miles per hour!
Dragon Booster™ has been pre-sold to ABC Family in the US, CBC in Canada, Sky One(Pay TV) and Five (Free TV) in the UK and ABC TV in Australia. Alliance Atlantis previously announced a worldwide master toy licensing agreement with Jakks Pacific, Inc. at the Licensing Show in 2003. ALLIANCE ATLANTIS is currently in the process of finalizing agreements for other key merchandising categories including videogames, apparel and publishing.
Dragon Boosterä was conceived by The Story Hat and the animation of the series is being produced by Nerd Corps Entertainment, a 3D animation facility based in Vancouver, B.C.
About Alliance Atlantis
Alliance Atlantis Communications Inc. is a leading vertically integrated broadcaster, creator and distributor of filmed entertainment. The Company’s common shares are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange – trading symbols AAC.A, AAC.B and on NASDAQ – trading symbol AACB. The Company’s Web site is www.allianceatlantis.com.
About The Story Hat
The Story Hat is an exciting new intellectual property creation and management company built around a revolutionary cross-venue development model. The Story Hat’s principals, Kevin Mowrer and Rob Travalino, have found the place where mythology, emotional empowerment, and commercial culture converge, because stories are far more successful and fulfilling when the audience fully connects with every new story expression.
About Nerd Corps
Nerd Corps Entertainment was founded in early 2003 by veteran computer animation producer, Ace Fipke, focusing on the creation, development and production of television and feature film franchises. Nerd Corps has justd a state-of-the-art computer animation production facility in Vancouver, Canada and established co-founder Chuck Johnson as Nerd Corp’s Head of Computer Generated (CG) Production.
About FUNimation Productions, Ltd.
FUNimation Productions, Ltd. is a full-service brand management company with in-house production, licensing, Internet, marketing, and home video sales and distribution divisions. The company is also one of the largest independent home video entertainment companies in the United States. FUNimation is best known for its work with the international phenomenon Dragon Ball Z®. The company also produces Dragon Ball®; Yu Yu Hakusho® and Dragon Ball GT®, both airing on Cartoon Network; the recently announced mega-hit series Case Closed, known in Japan as Detective Conan, coming to Cartoon Network in May 24; and many other fan favorites. For additional information on FUNimation, or its properties visit www.funimation.com, or contact Jeff Dronen at , ext. 251, or pr.
About Score Entertainment
Score Entertainment, a subsidiary of Donruss Playoff L.P., is a leading producer of premium quality Trading Card Games (TCG). Since its inception in 2000, Score Entertainment has positioned itself as a category innovator that consistently brings consumers a fun and unique gaming experience. Through combining superior game design and sharp business and licensing acumen, Score Entertainment produces such popular TCG hits as Dragon Ball GT Trading Card Game, InuYasha Trading Card Game, Yu Yu Hakusho Trading Card Game, and coming in February 2005 – Dragon Booster Trading Card Game. Score Entertainment is based in Arlington, Texas with product distribution throughout the United States, Canada and Australia. For more information on Score Entertainment visit www.ScoreEnt.com.
