animated feature

Media Decoder: Equestria Girls, a My Little Pony Offshoot, in Its Movie Debut

The ponies, a Hasbro staple for 30 years, have experienced a resurgence of popularity lately, thanks in part to the TV series “My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic.” Hoping to build on that interest, Hasbro recently revealed plans for brand extension called Equestria Girls.

The new property will get the red-carpet treatment when it premieres as a full-length animated feature at the Los Angeles Film Festival in June. The movie, created by Hasbro Studios, the company’s production division, will then be released in more than 200 theaters nationwide; its trailer will start appearing in theaters on Wednesday.

“We are responding to the desire by our fans to experience the brand in more ways,” said John A. Frascotti, Hasbro’s chief marketing officer. “They imagined themselves as which pony they would be or which pony they identified with the most.”

So Hasbro created Equestria Girls, a parallel world in which the My Little Pony characters were reconceived as teenage girls in high school. To maintain continuity, Hasbro retained the same creative talent, animation style and message of friendship.

“Our goal is to stay true to who those characters are,” said Meghan McCarthy, the head writer for the movie, adding that the high school setting allowed for new storytelling possibilities. “It’s new but still an extension of our mythology.”

The movie — titled “My Little Pony: Equestria Girls” — will be released on DVD later in the United States and other markets worldwide, followed by a television debut on the Hub network in the fall.

“It is a major strategic initiative for us,” Mr. Frascotti said, one that will feature toys, apparel, publishing and accessories. Multimedia components include an interactive Web site, content on YouTube and a partnership with Stardoll.com, a fashion Web site for girls.

Hasbro does not break out revenue for My Little Pony, but in its earnings statement in April, the company said its girls’ category rose 23 percent in the first quarter compared with the same period last year, growth that was helped in part by the My Little Pony brand.

Equestria Girls offers an opportunity to build on that growth, said Michael Vogel, vice president for development at Hasbro Studios. “This is a bold new direction,” he said.

Article source: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/13/business/equestria-girls-a-my-little-pony-offshoot-in-its-movie-debut.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

Paramount Starts Cartoon Unit, Feeding DreamWorks Rivalry

Paramount Pictures, a division of Viacom, said it planned to release one animated feature a year starting in 2014. The films will cost up to $100 million each, it said.

Paramount’s move, which follows the release of “Rango,” its first fully owned animated film, puts it on a collision course with DreamWorks. A seven-year deal for Paramount to distribute DreamWorks’s films, including “Kung Fu Panda 2,” will expire at the end of 2012.

Spokesmen for each company declined to comment on whether DreamWorks needed to find a new partner. But the relationship between the two is clearly fraying. Paramount offered to extend the DreamWorks pact for only one year, said a person with knowledge of the negotiations who requested anonymity because of the delicacy of the talks.

Moreover, Paramount is said to have told DreamWorks that it was not interested in working together beyond then unless DreamWorks agreed to pay a higher distribution fee. DreamWorks pays Paramount about 8 percent of box-office revenue.

Paramount’s animation endeavor is aimed at taking advantage of Viacom’s Nickelodeon brand and merchandising machine. An improved record in filmmaking has emboldened the studio. Over the last few years Paramount has delivered such hits as “Star Trek,” “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” and “True Grit.”

“We are now eager to expand in animation with appropriate and prudent overhead,” said Brad Grey, Paramount’s chairman and chief executive. “Paramount has the distinct advantage of being part of the Viacom family, giving us the ability to leverage its portfolio of powerful and youthful brands.”

Article source: http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=ab470ea0435b95b24f586abe5e633b75

Media Decoder: Equestria Girls, a My Little Pony Offshoot, in Its Movie Debut

Paramount Starts Cartoon Unit, Feeding DreamWorks Rivalry

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