Cartoon Network Takes Augmented Reality with Gen Rex App Across Asia

files/pictures/picture-35.jpgPress Release from Cartoon Network Asia

HONG KONG (May 12, 2011) – Cartoon Network is giving kids an unprecedented chance to check if their bodies are hosting nanites – microscopic machines – via a new augmented reality (AR) application created for its awesome new series, Generator Rex.

For the first time ever kids can participate and test themselves for nanites – which in the series have invaded every living being – in two exciting ways. Either log on to the Cartoon Network website or through the Cartoon Network Facebook page to start the scan. Either way, kids can then load the resulting videos on to YouTube or Facebook to share with their friends.

Developed by the world’s pioneer in augmented reality, Total Immersion, the animation used in the AR application is cutting-edge: allowing the user to move close up and away from the computer screen and providing unprecedented 360° views.

Lucien Harrington, Vice-President, Branding & Communications, Turner Broadcasting System Asia Pacific, Inc. said, “The Generator Rex augmented reality application sets a new standard in how kids can actually become part of the stories and adventures that define Cartoon Network. We are always looking to innovate and find ways that can animate kids’ lives and this ground-breaking initiative delivers on that promise.”

The augmented reality application is available through Cartoon Network’s online destinations in two levels.

“Generator Rex’s web activation has taken the traditional online experience and made it even more exciting. This is great news for kids, fans and collectors of the Cartoon Network property who can now get to see, interact with, and even record movies with, their favorite heroes,” said Philippe de Passorio from Total Immersion.

In Asia Pacific the application is available online now, and is planned to further extend on mobile and on-the-ground over the coming months, to allow viewers the opportunity to experience the technology first hand.

Augmented reality is the term for a camera-enhanced view of a physical real-world environment, where virtual elements are merged with the real-life scene, creating a mixed reality of virtual elements and the real world. Users of Cartoon Network’s application will need a computer, webcam and speakers.

For more exciting Generator Rex adventures, visit CartoonNetworkAsia.com and don’t forget to catch the show, weeknights at 6:30pm!

About Turner Entertainment Interactive Media
Turner Entertainment Interactive Media (Turner Interactive), a division of Turner Broadcasting System Asia Pacific, Inc., develops and distributes online video, gaming and commerce products and services for Turner’s brands in the kids’, animation, and general entertainment categories. The department is responsible for the localization and growth of Cartoon Network’s websites, which now attract nearly four million unique visitors a month. Turner Interactive also manages and develops the online destinations for Turner’s other entertainment brands including POGO, Galli Galli Sim Sim, TCM Turner Classic Movies, and WB.

About Cartoon Network
Launched in Asia Pacific in 1994, Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.’s (TBS) Cartoon Network offers the best in animated entertainment. Drawing from the world’s largest cartoon library of Warner Bros., MGM and Hanna-Barbera titles, the Network also showcases original series including Ben 10, Ben 10: Alien Force, Ben 10: Ultimate Alien, Generator Rex, Chowder, The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy, The Powerpuff Girls, and The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack. Cartoon Network is the number one channel for kids in Asia Pacific and is currently seen in over 63 million cable homes in the region. Online, Cartoon Network reaches nearly four million unique visitors a month in Asia Pacific.

TBS Inc., a Time Warner company, is a major producer of news and entertainment product around the world and the leading provider of programming for the basic cable industry.

About Total Immersion
Total Immersion (www.t-immersion.com [1]) is the global leader in augmented reality. This technology blurs the line between virtual and real world by integrating interactive 3D graphics into a live video stream. Created in 1999 the company maintains offices in Europe, North America and Asia, and supports the world’s largest AR Partner network with more than 80 solution providers.