LIONSGATE(R) and Crest Animation Productions Rub Noses With NORM OF THE NORTH

SANTA MONICA, Calif., Feb. 1 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- LIONSGATE® (NYSE: LGF), the leading next generation studio, announced today that it will partner with Crest Animation Studios to co-produce the Stereoscopic 3D animated family feature NORM OF THE NORTH as the second film in their three-picture deal.  Lionsgate will distribute in North America.  The announcement was jointly made today by Joe Drake, Lionsgate Co-Chief Operating Officer and Motion Picture Group President; Mike Paseornek, Lionsgate President of Motion Picture Production; Ken Katsumoto, Lionsgate Executive Vice President of Family Entertainment; Noah Fogelson, CEO of Crest Animation Productions; and Seemha Ramanna, Managing Director Crest Animation Studios.

NORM OF THE NORTH is written by Steven and Daniel Altiere.  Delivery is anticipated for the first quarter of 2012.  Katsumoto will oversee the production for Lionsgate; Crest Animation President of Production Richard Rich will oversee for Crest.  

The first film in the Lionsgate/Crest partnership is the upcoming CGI animated family feature ALPHA AND OMEGA, featuring the voices of Justin Long, Hayden Panetierre, Christina Ricci, Danny Glover, Dennis Hopper and Larry Miller.  Directed by Anthony Bell and Ben Gluck, ALPHA AND OMEGA is expected to premiere in October 2010.  

Said Paseornek and Katsumoto, "Our partnership with Crest has gotten off to a terrific start with ALPHA AND OMEGA, and NORM OF THE NORTH is an ideal follow-up.  In its range of characters, locations and narrative, NORM OF THE NORTH offers a bounty of riches for family audiences."

"We are delighted to be producing NORM OF THE NORTH with our friends at Lionsgate," commented Fogelson. "This is a wonderful story, full of humor and heart, and stereoscopic 3D technology will bring it vividly to life."

The deal was negotiated for Lionsgate by Wendy Jaffe, Executive Vice President Business & Legal Affairs, Acquisitions and Co-Productions, Sean Kisker, Executive Vice President, Strategic Planning, and Katsumoto; and for Crest Animation Productions by attorney Josh Grode of Liner Grode Stein Yankelevitz Sunshine Regenstreif & Taylor LLP.

SYNOPSIS – NORM OF THE NORTH

Norm is a Polar Bear who finds shelter in an abandoned research station when his Arctic home begins cracking and collapsing beneath him.  He is accompanied by three Arctic Lemmings, sidekicks who instinctively copy Norm's every move.  Norm enjoys this immensely as he has a love of entertaining, and an aversion to the mundane work in his community.  All in all, life is good for our heroes; plenty of food, warmth, and aerobic dancing DVDs, which also help Norm perfect his "moves."  But as the polar ice caps continue mysteriously breaking apart, their temporary home is abruptly dislodged, setting Norm and the lemmings on a journey that ends in NYC.  Here Norm is discovered by the head of a multinational company and becomes their mascot.  Suddenly Norm is living his performing dream as a dancing star.  Unfortunately, he also soon learns the polar ice caps are continuing to break apart, and the people that made his dream come true are responsible.  Norm knows he must stop them before they destroy his home, a realization that forces him to choose between life in the spotlight and his entire Polar Bear community.

ABOUT CREST ANIMATION

Crest Animation is a full-service animation studio specializing in the development and production of CGI-animated properties for theatrical, television, home entertainment and interactive distribution.  Crest provides development and pre and post-production services out of its offices in Burbank, California and animation is produced at Crest's award-winning animation studio in India, where Crest is acknowledged as a leader in the Indian animation industry.

ABOUT LIONSGATE

Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF) is the leading next generation studio with a strong and diversified presence in the production and distribution of motion pictures, television programming, home entertainment, family entertainment, video-on-demand and digitally delivered content. The Company has built a strong television presence in production of prime time cable and broadcast network series, distribution and syndication of programming through Debmar-Mercury and an array of channel platform assets.   Lionsgate currently has nearly 20 shows on 10 different networks spanning its prime time production, distribution and syndication businesses, including such critically-acclaimed hits as "Mad Men," "Weeds" and "Nurse Jackie," along with new series such as "Blue Mountain State" and the syndication successes "Tyler Perry's House Of Payne," its spinoff "Meet The Browns" and "The Wendy Williams Show."  Its feature film business has generated more than $400 million at the North American box office in the past year, including the recent critically-acclaimed hit PRECIOUS, which has garnered $45 million at the North American box office and earned three Golden Globe nominations, and BROTHERS, which earned two Golden Globe nods.   The Company's home entertainment business has grown to more than 7% market share and is an industry leader in box office-to-DVD revenue conversion rate.  Lionsgate handles a prestigious and prolific library of approximately 12,000 motion picture and television titles that is an important source of recurring revenue and serves as the foundation for the growth of the Company's core businesses. The Lionsgate brand remains synonymous with original, daring, quality entertainment in markets around the world.

SOURCE Lionsgate

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