Press release from The Bella Sara Company:
LOS ANGELES, CA -- The Bella Sara Company, along with several production and distribution partners, announced the first animated movie based on Bella Sara, the popular brand and virtual fantasy world of horses.
“The extraordinary fantasy world of Bella Sara is a natural fit for a movie,” said Bella Sara creator Gitte Odder Braendgaard. “We are excited about the creative and distribution partnerships we have formed and look forward to bringing the first Bella Sara movie to children throughout the world in 2013.”
“This is a fulfillment of a dream,” added Henrik Heindorf, president of The Bella Sara Company. “We have watched with excitement as the Bella Sara brand continues to expand and grow and we are confident the animated movie will give fantastic support to the entire brand.”
Canadian studios Entremedia Digital Films and Buffalo Gal Pictures have formed Magical Horses, Inc. to produce the full CGI production, with post-production being done by Telegael in Ireland. Toronto-based CCI Productions will do additional production work. The worldwide distribution partners include Entertainment One (eOne) for North American DVD distribution, CCI for international distribution including Canadian Television, Universal Pictures Video France for French-speaking territories, and WVG for DVD distribution in Germany. Worldwide distribution efforts are being managed by Los Angeles based Foxfield Entertainment.
Entertainment One, a leading international company with a growing portfolio of family programming North America, will distribute the Bella Sara movie on DVD in the U.S. and Canada. “We are thrilled to collaborate with Foxfield Entertainment and The Bella Sara Company on this eagerly anticipated film,” said Michael E. Rosenberg, President Film & Distribution at Entertainment One U.S. “We look forward to this being the first in a long franchise of Bella Sara films that we will bring to North American audiences.”
International distribution partner, CCI Entertainment, will be marketing the movie to broadcasters and home entertainment distributors throughout the world. “CCI has an excellent track record at bringing high quality animated content to children everywhere,” said Arnie Zipursky, president and CEO of CCI Entertainment. “With its established brand and worldwide following, the Bella Sara Movie is a perfect fit for our distribution pipeline.”
“The Bella Sara brand is growing every day here in France,” said Aurelie Alemps, head of marketing and acquisitions for Universal Pictures Video France. “We can’t wait to bring the Bella Sara movie to our audiences.”
WVG has acquired the German-speaking DVD distribution rights. “Its’ an exciting film,” said Hannah Richter, head of acquisitions at WVG. “The Bella Sara brand is building momentum in Germany, and we look forward to bringing the movie to our audiences in 2013.”
Emma’s Wings: A Bella Sara Tale tells the story of a young girl, Emma, whose love for horses leads her on an adventure to the fantasy world of North of North, where she finds her real purpose in life – and learns how to accept the challenges she faces to help rescue the horses of North of North.
“We have a lot of expertise at this type of CGI animation,” said Dan Krech, president of Entremedia, one of the executive producers of the movie. “The team at The Bella Sara Company has done a great job with their art development and their branded characters. Our job will be to bring the fantasy world of Bella Sara to life in a way that will be entertaining and engaging to everyone.”
“The entire world of Bella Sara is not only magical and engaging, but empowering for young girls. We could not be more excited to part of the team bringing this universe to life,” said Phyllis Laing, president of Buffalo Gal Pictures, Inc.
“We’re excited to be part of the Bella Sara production team,” added Paul Cummins, Telegael’s President.
Bella Sara was created by Gitte Odder Braendgaard as a way to help young girls reach their own greatest potential by using a collection of horses that encourage communication, collectability and creative play in a fantasy world. Collectible cards featuring a number of horses provide an access point to Bellasara.com, a virtual world that has become one of the most popular destination sites in the world for young girls.
A vast array of licensed product including books, toys, apparel and other categories is available in many markets throughout the world. George Stetar manages the worldwide licensing. “This is a tremendous development for Bella Sara,” said Stetar. “As the brand continues to grow, this movie will provide support for our entire marketing and licensing efforts worldwide.”
Foxfield Entertainment will manage the distribution and marketing tied to the release of the movie in 2013. “It’s been amazing to watch the growth of Bella Sara over the past few years,” said Bruce Johnson, Foxfield’s CEO. “I’m excited about the production plan put into place by Dan Krech and Phyllis Laing. And I’m equally excited by the distribution partners we’ve assembled, all of whom are complementary to each other, and will form a great distribution team.”