INNOVATIVE RIDE CREATOR/DESIGN TEAM OF
3DBA AND FALCON'S TREEHOUSE
SPAWN TURTLES ATTRACTION
New York (May 27, 2009) - 4Kids Entertainment (NYSE: KDE), the diversified children's entertainment and media organization, and Mirage Studios, licensor of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, have approved the development and construction of the first-ever theme park ride for the popular property, which is "Shell-ebrating" its 25th anniversary this year.
"Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 4-D Dark Ride" - an exhilarating, multi-dimensional Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles experience - will re-invent how fans experience the brand when the ultimate attraction for SciFanta's new Incheon, South Korea-based indoor theme park opens in April, 2011. The multi-sensory elements and vivid details of this project promise to make it a unique, truly immersive experience for park attendees.
4Kids and Mirage will work with 3DBA, the location-based organization which develops and delivers innovative attractions and entertainment experiences to theme parks, science centers, shopping malls and other entertainment venues, along with Falcon's Treehouse (FTH), a recognized leader in the successful development of intense, highly scalable personalized emotional experiences. FTH and 3DBA have collaborated to create such imaginative, compelling and award-winning rides/attractions as Splash Battle, 4-D Dark Ride, CircuMotion™, Flying Theater, and the state-of-the-art 4-D Game Theatre.
The Turtles' attraction builds on 4Kids Entertainment's successful live entertainment experience which, to date, has centered around successful nationwide regional mall tours and multi-character live shows.
3DBA AND FALCON'S TREEHOUSE
SPAWN TURTLES ATTRACTION
New York (May 27, 2009) - 4Kids Entertainment (NYSE: KDE), the diversified children's entertainment and media organization, and Mirage Studios, licensor of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, have approved the development and construction of the first-ever theme park ride for the popular property, which is "Shell-ebrating" its 25th anniversary this year.
"Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 4-D Dark Ride" - an exhilarating, multi-dimensional Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles experience - will re-invent how fans experience the brand when the ultimate attraction for SciFanta's new Incheon, South Korea-based indoor theme park opens in April, 2011. The multi-sensory elements and vivid details of this project promise to make it a unique, truly immersive experience for park attendees.
4Kids and Mirage will work with 3DBA, the location-based organization which develops and delivers innovative attractions and entertainment experiences to theme parks, science centers, shopping malls and other entertainment venues, along with Falcon's Treehouse (FTH), a recognized leader in the successful development of intense, highly scalable personalized emotional experiences. FTH and 3DBA have collaborated to create such imaginative, compelling and award-winning rides/attractions as Splash Battle, 4-D Dark Ride, CircuMotion™, Flying Theater, and the state-of-the-art 4-D Game Theatre.
The Turtles' attraction builds on 4Kids Entertainment's successful live entertainment experience which, to date, has centered around successful nationwide regional mall tours and multi-character live shows.
This agreement reinforces 4Kids' commitment to spearheading new and innovative formats within the live entertainment category for its popular children and family-focused properties. Extending its brands within an experiential format will help deepen consumer engagement and open up significant cross-promotional, marketing and retail opportunities for them.
"We are delighted to be partnering with 3DBA and Falcon's Treehouse on the design and master planning of the attraction," said Al Kahn, Chairman and CEO, 4Kids Entertainment. "These companies are recognized leaders in bringing immersive and interactive experiences to fruition all over the world. With state of the art technologies and unique products, no one is better suited to bring the 4Kids' properties and television shows to life."
Evidenced by Falcon's Treehouse's success with Curse of DarKastle at Busch Gardens Williamsburg and Filmi Sangeet at Ramoji Film City, special attention is paid to sustaining the theme throughout every aspect of the experience. This comprehensive design process includes extensive research, detailed character studies, design renderings and cutting edge schematics, advancing to fabrication and systems integration - with project management from concept to completion. FTH will act as the executive producer of this up and coming attraction.
"Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is a classic brand that has broad appeal and is much loved by children and parents alike, providing the perfect opportunity for increased marketability," added Roger Houben, President, 3DBA. "Our partnership with 4Kids fits the current market trend for heritage brand themed attractions and initial responses to the concept have been very positive."
"Announcing this newest entertainment vehicle for the Turtles is gratifying on two levels," said Gary Richardson, CEO, Mirage Studios, rights holder of the TMNT brand. "It affirms the Turtles' staying power, particularly this year with our 25th anniversary 'Shell-ebration' activities in full swing, and ensures a new generational fan base will be able to experience and enjoy the property for years to come."
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles™
The most turtle-riffic adventure heroes of all time! Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello and Raphael are out of the sewers and on the shelves! Get in the action with one of the most powerful boy's brands with their cool ninja moves, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are a classic that keeps adding to its licensing legacy of generating $6 Billion in TMNT products over its first 25 years. With Playmates Toys selling over 35 million toys worldwide during the past three years alone, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles looks forward to entertaining a new generation of fans for, at least, another quarter century!
Visit www.NinjaTurtles.com
About Mirage Studios
Mirage Studios, Inc. is part of the Mirage Group, a group of companies located in Northampton, Massachusetts that owns, manages, nurtures and protects the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles property.
About 4Kids Entertainment Inc.
With U.S. headquarters in New York City, regional offices for its trading card business in San Diego, California and international offices in London, 4Kids Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE: KDE) is a global organization devoted to the creation, development, production, broadcasting, distribution, licensing and manufacturing of children's entertainment products.
Through its subsidiaries, 4Kids produces animated television series and films, distributes 4Kids' produced or licensed animated television series for the domestic and international television and home video markets, licenses merchandising rights worldwide to 4Kids' owned or represented properties, and produces and markets collectible trading card games. Additionally, the Company programs and sells the national advertising time in "TheCW4Kids," a branded five-hour kids television program block airing Saturday mornings (7:00 AM - Noon) on The CW television network.
Additional information is available on the www.4KidsEntertainment.com corporate web site and at the www.4Kids.tv game site.
About SciFanta PFV
SciFanta PFV is a real estate development company located in Seoul, South Korea. Its current project is an urban indoor theme park containing "immersive/themed," attractions and entertainment venues based on characters from "pop-culture" brands. The new theme park will also offer unique retail and dining experiences that will complement the theme park setting. Backed by Korea's leading construction and financial companies, this new theme park will open in April 2011.
Amid the avalanche of new theme park projects in Korea, this urban indoor theme park is of particular interest to the public as it will be the most innovative and competitive in the industry.
About 3DBA
Founded in 2003, 3DBA is an internationally recognized leader in branded attractions, pioneering innovative products such as Splash Battle, Pinball: The Ride, the Flying Theater, and several state of the art immersive (2D/3D/4D) Theater Concepts, in cooperation with established design firms as well as leading technology partners. What makes 3DBA products so unique are multiple, state-of-the-art technologies that are both interactive and 3D film-based, with the added value of using popular international brands. 3DBA develops, markets and delivers attractions and entertainment experiences to theme parks, science centers, and shopping malls, using cutting-edge technologies and concepts to create imaginative and compelling new attractions.
Visit www.3dba.be
About Falcon's Treehouse
Falcon's Treehouse, LLC is a creative services firm specializing in creating immersive technology driven experiences designed to thrill and amaze today's sophisticated audiences. Utilizing the most advanced technologies in design, turnkey management and production services, Falcon's Treehouse is a leader in the entertainment and destination industries. Since its inception, Falcon's Treehouse has generated a wide spectrum of work including the award-winning attractions Curse of DarKastle at Busch Gardens Williamsburg and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory at Alton Towers, England. Cecil D. Magpuri, President of Falcon's Treehouse, is cocreator of Twister: Ride It Out! at Universal Studios in Orlando and creator and patent-holder for CircuMotion™, the first 360 degree 4D theater being rolled out in destinations worldwide.
Visit www.falconstreehouse.com
"We are delighted to be partnering with 3DBA and Falcon's Treehouse on the design and master planning of the attraction," said Al Kahn, Chairman and CEO, 4Kids Entertainment. "These companies are recognized leaders in bringing immersive and interactive experiences to fruition all over the world. With state of the art technologies and unique products, no one is better suited to bring the 4Kids' properties and television shows to life."
Evidenced by Falcon's Treehouse's success with Curse of DarKastle at Busch Gardens Williamsburg and Filmi Sangeet at Ramoji Film City, special attention is paid to sustaining the theme throughout every aspect of the experience. This comprehensive design process includes extensive research, detailed character studies, design renderings and cutting edge schematics, advancing to fabrication and systems integration - with project management from concept to completion. FTH will act as the executive producer of this up and coming attraction.
"Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is a classic brand that has broad appeal and is much loved by children and parents alike, providing the perfect opportunity for increased marketability," added Roger Houben, President, 3DBA. "Our partnership with 4Kids fits the current market trend for heritage brand themed attractions and initial responses to the concept have been very positive."
"Announcing this newest entertainment vehicle for the Turtles is gratifying on two levels," said Gary Richardson, CEO, Mirage Studios, rights holder of the TMNT brand. "It affirms the Turtles' staying power, particularly this year with our 25th anniversary 'Shell-ebration' activities in full swing, and ensures a new generational fan base will be able to experience and enjoy the property for years to come."
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles™
The most turtle-riffic adventure heroes of all time! Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello and Raphael are out of the sewers and on the shelves! Get in the action with one of the most powerful boy's brands with their cool ninja moves, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are a classic that keeps adding to its licensing legacy of generating $6 Billion in TMNT products over its first 25 years. With Playmates Toys selling over 35 million toys worldwide during the past three years alone, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles looks forward to entertaining a new generation of fans for, at least, another quarter century!
Visit www.NinjaTurtles.com
About Mirage Studios
Mirage Studios, Inc. is part of the Mirage Group, a group of companies located in Northampton, Massachusetts that owns, manages, nurtures and protects the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles property.
About 4Kids Entertainment Inc.
With U.S. headquarters in New York City, regional offices for its trading card business in San Diego, California and international offices in London, 4Kids Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE: KDE) is a global organization devoted to the creation, development, production, broadcasting, distribution, licensing and manufacturing of children's entertainment products.
Through its subsidiaries, 4Kids produces animated television series and films, distributes 4Kids' produced or licensed animated television series for the domestic and international television and home video markets, licenses merchandising rights worldwide to 4Kids' owned or represented properties, and produces and markets collectible trading card games. Additionally, the Company programs and sells the national advertising time in "TheCW4Kids," a branded five-hour kids television program block airing Saturday mornings (7:00 AM - Noon) on The CW television network.
Additional information is available on the www.4KidsEntertainment.com corporate web site and at the www.4Kids.tv game site.
About SciFanta PFV
SciFanta PFV is a real estate development company located in Seoul, South Korea. Its current project is an urban indoor theme park containing "immersive/themed," attractions and entertainment venues based on characters from "pop-culture" brands. The new theme park will also offer unique retail and dining experiences that will complement the theme park setting. Backed by Korea's leading construction and financial companies, this new theme park will open in April 2011.
Amid the avalanche of new theme park projects in Korea, this urban indoor theme park is of particular interest to the public as it will be the most innovative and competitive in the industry.
About 3DBA
Founded in 2003, 3DBA is an internationally recognized leader in branded attractions, pioneering innovative products such as Splash Battle, Pinball: The Ride, the Flying Theater, and several state of the art immersive (2D/3D/4D) Theater Concepts, in cooperation with established design firms as well as leading technology partners. What makes 3DBA products so unique are multiple, state-of-the-art technologies that are both interactive and 3D film-based, with the added value of using popular international brands. 3DBA develops, markets and delivers attractions and entertainment experiences to theme parks, science centers, and shopping malls, using cutting-edge technologies and concepts to create imaginative and compelling new attractions.
Visit www.3dba.be
About Falcon's Treehouse
Falcon's Treehouse, LLC is a creative services firm specializing in creating immersive technology driven experiences designed to thrill and amaze today's sophisticated audiences. Utilizing the most advanced technologies in design, turnkey management and production services, Falcon's Treehouse is a leader in the entertainment and destination industries. Since its inception, Falcon's Treehouse has generated a wide spectrum of work including the award-winning attractions Curse of DarKastle at Busch Gardens Williamsburg and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory at Alton Towers, England. Cecil D. Magpuri, President of Falcon's Treehouse, is cocreator of Twister: Ride It Out! at Universal Studios in Orlando and creator and patent-holder for CircuMotion™, the first 360 degree 4D theater being rolled out in destinations worldwide.
Visit www.falconstreehouse.com
