From Universal Studios Home Entertainment: HOP

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif., Jan. 9, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The Easter Bunny's hare apparent leaves his ancestral home on Easter Island to pursue pop superstardom in the hilarious comedy HOP, coming to Blu-ray^™ and DVD on March 23, 2012. Blending state-of-the-art CGI animation with live action, HOP is a non-stop, rockin' adventure packed with humor and hijinks as a rebellious young rabbit, E.B. (voiced by Russell Brand), strikes up an unlikely friendship with Los Angeles underachiever Fred (James Marsden) en route to becoming a rock star drummer.

The perfect Easter gift, the HOP Blu-ray™/DVD Combo Packs deliver perfect hi-def picture and perfect hi-def sound and include an all-new, never-before-seen, music-filled mini-movie, extensive bonus features and interactive games, adding hours of entertaining fun for parents and children alike.  The Combo Packs also contain a Digital Copy of the film for a limited time, compatible with iTunes®, iPad®, iPhone®, iPod™ touch, Android or online retail partners as well as an UltraViolet™ copy, the revolutionary new way for consumers to collect movies and TV shows by storing them in the cloud to instantly stream and download to computers, tablets and smart phones.  Consumers can now truly enjoy their movies anytime, anywhere on the platform of their choice. 

Directed by Tim Hill (Alvin and the Chipmunks) and produced by Chris Meledandri (Despicable Me), HOP features hilarious performances by Russell Brand (Despicable Me, Get Him to the Greek), James Marsden (X-Men, Enchanted), Hank Azaria (The Simpsons), Kaley Cuoco (The Big Bang Theory), Hugh Laurie (House), Gary Cole (Talladega Nights), Elizabeth Perkins (Weeds) and David Hasselhoff (America's Got Talent). 

View the trailer at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGQmY4cPjBw.

COMBO PACK  EXCLUSIVE BONUS FEATURES:

• Phil's Dance Party —An All-New Mini-Movie starring fan-favorite chicks Phil and Carlos. Phil eats so much candy that he crashes, leaving Carlos to perform a solo of the big dance finale...the Merengue!
• The World of HOP—Explore an interactive map of Easter Island to experience the making of HOP.
• All Access with Cody Simpson—The best-selling teenage heartthrob performs the film's catchy theme song, "I Want Candy" and attends the HOP world premiere, his first Hollywood movie red carpet event.
• Russell Brand: Being the Bunny—A wacky look at what happens in Russell's brain as he prepares to become THE Easter Bunny.
• Russell Brand's Kid Crack Ups—Russell Brand interviews kids with comedic results.
• Carlos on Carlos: The Premiere According to Carlos—Experience the world premiere of HOP from the POV of Carlos. Viewers are given a guided tour of the party, where they can meet celebs and see all the fun!
• Emotion in Motion: The Dance of Ken Daurio—Writer Ken Daurio sits down to discuss his inspiration for everyone's favorite dancing chick and reveals just how hard it was to teach Phil those awesome moves.
• Post Coup Commentary: Carlos & Phil Tell All—Actor Hank Azaria reveals the truth about Carlos' and Phil's relationship, and how they imagined Easter Island would be if their coup had been successful.

Games:

• E.B.'s Candy Challenge—First to the finish line in this virtual board game wins!  There are some challenges along the way, including mini games like Picture Challenge, 3 Egg Monte, and Candy Fix.
• Drum Along—E.B. can hit some tasty beats.  Viewers compete to keep up with him as he plays a sequence of rhythms on four drums.
• Pink Beret Skill Tester—Fans can find out if they have what it takes to become a Pink Beret with the skill tester! Challenges will test memory, observations skills and logic and players can earn the rank of Pink Beret, Carlos' right hand chick, or Phil's intern.

ADDITIONAL EXCLUSIVE COMBO PACK FEATURES:

• Digital Copy – Viewers can redeem a digital version of the full-length movie to watch on an array of electronic and portable devices.
• UltraViolet™: The revolutionary new way for consumers to collect movies and TV shows, put them in the cloud and stream instantly to computers, tablets and smart phones, currently available in the United States only.
• U-Control: Universal's exclusive feature that lets the viewer access bonus materials without leaving the movie!
• BD-Live™:  Access the BD-Live™ Center through your Internet-connected player to watch the latest trailers and more.
• uHear™:  Never miss another line of dialogue with this innovative feature that instantly skips back a few seconds on your Blu-ray™ disc and turns on the subtitles to highlight what you missed.
• pocket BLU™:  The groundbreaking pocket BLU™ app uses iPhone®, iPod® touch, Android™, PC and Macintosh to work seamlessly with a network-connected Blu-ray™ player.  Also available on the iPad™, owners can enjoy a new, enhanced edition of pocket BLU™ made especially to take advantage of the tablet's larger screen and high resolution display. Consumers will be able to browse through a library of Blu-ray™ content and watch entertaining extras on-the-go in a way that's bigger and better than ever before.  pocket BLU™ offers advanced features such as:
  • Advanced Remote Control:  A sleek, elegant new way to operate your Blu-ray™ player. Users can navigate through menus, playback and BD-Live™ functions with ease.
  • Video Timeline:  Users can easily bring up the video timeline, allowing them to instantly access any point in the film.
  • Mobile-To-Go:  Users can unlock a selection of bonus content with their Blu-ray™ discs to save to their device or to stream from anywhere there is a Wi-Fi network, enabling them to enjoy content on the go, anytime, anywhere.
  • Browse Titles:  Users will have access to a complete list of pocket BLU™-enabled titles available and coming to Blu-ray™ Hi-Def.  They can view free previews and see what additional content is available to unlock on their device.
  • Keyboard:  Entering data is fast and easy with your device's intuitive keyboard.

Visit www.hopmovie.com for additional information

SYNOPSIS
From the makers of Despicable Me comes an all-new comedy about candy, chicks and rock 'n' roll!

He was destined to be the Easter Bunny, but all he wanted to do was rock!  When teenage E.B. (voiced by Russell Brand) leaves for Hollywood in pursuit of his dream to become a rock star drummer, he meets Fred (James Marsden), an out-of-work slacker with his own lofty goals.  Together the two encounter a series of hilarious mishaps and misadventures and in the end help each other recognize the importance of family.   "The laughs don't stop in this movie treat for all ages!" — Pete Hammond, BOXOFFICE

CAST AND FILMMAKERS:
Cast: James Marsden, Russell Brand, Hugh Laurie, Hank Azaria, Kaley Cuoco, Gary Cole, Elizabeth Perkins, David Hasselhoff, Chelsea Handler
Directed By:  Tim Hill
Screenplay By:  Cinco Paul & Ken Daurio and Brian Lynch
Story By: Cinco Paul & Ken Daurio
Executive Producer:  John Cohen
Producer:  Michele Imperato, Chris Meledandri
Director of Photography: Peter Lyons Collister
Production Designer:  Richard Holland
Edited By:  Peter S. Elliot, Gregory Perler
Casting By: Junie Lowry-Johnson
Costume Designer: Alexandra Welker
Original Music By: Christopher Lennertz

TECHNICAL INFORMATION
Blu-ray™ and DVD Combo Packs
Street Date: March 23, 2012
Copyright: 2011 Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.
Selection Number: 61119789 Blu-ray / 61119787 DVD
Running Time: 96 minutes
Layers: BD-50/DVD-9
Picture Format: Widescreen
Aspect Ratio: 1:85:1
Rating: PG for some mild rude humor
Languages/Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French 
Sound: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, French and Spanish DTS Surround 5.1, English DVS

DVD
Street Date: March 23, 2012
Copyright: 2011 Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.
Selection Number: 61115430
Running Time: 96 minutes
Layers: DVD-9
Picture Format: Anamorphic Widescreen
Aspect Ratio: 1:85:1
Rating: PG for some mild rude humor
Languages/Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish and French 
Sound: English, French and Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1, English DVS

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Universal Studios Home Entertainment is a unit of Universal Pictures, a division of Universal Studios (www.universalstudios.com). Universal Studios is a part of NBCUniversal , one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production and marketing of entertainment, news and information to a global audience. NBCUniversal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment television networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group and world-renowned theme parks. Comcast Corporation owns a controlling 51% interest in NBCUniversal, with GE holding a 49% stake.

CONTACT: UNIVERSAL STUDIOS HOME ENTERTAINMENT

Evan Fong
Vice President, Publicity
Universal Studios Home Entertainment
818-777-5540
[email protected]

SOURCE Universal Studios Home Entertainment