Sprite Animation's Short Film, Monster Samurai, to Compete at the 2006 Annecy Film Festival

Sprite Animation's Short Film, Monster Samurai, to Compete at the 2006 Annecy Film Festival

LOS ANGELES, May 31 /PRNewswire/ -- Sprite Animation Studios' Monster Samurai will compete in the short film program at this year's Annecy International Animated Film Festival. Written and directed by Moto Sakakibara, Monster Samurai is currently in development as a TV series and feature film. The project is co-produced by Sprite Animation Studios and GENCO, Inc. and its' six minute pilot will be shown at Annecy.

Monster Samurai follows the trials and tribulations of Midomaru, a cold- hearted assassin who is turned into an ogre one day by a mysterious figure. As Monster Samurai, Midomaru must now save one thousand people to atone for his villainous past, or be eternally cursed. During the course of his journey, he helps people in need and discovers the true meaning and value of life. The action packed adventure blends samurai drama with a twist of western comedy.

"I'm honored to have Monster Samurai be a part of this year's Annecy Film Festival," said Sakakibara. "Monster Samurai is a blend of various influences from my childhood. They include the samurai movies directed by Akira Kurosawa and the countless television heroes I worshipped as a young child. I wanted to share that excitement with people by merging my experience with the unique style, characters and storyline that Sprite Animation produces."

Sprite Animation Studios (www.spritee.com) was founded in 2002 as a boutique studio that specializes in creating a distinctive and contemporary style of animation. With its beautiful use of color and funky pop images, Sprite Animation's Journey to the West project gained acclaim in 2005 as it premiered at SIGGRAPH's Animation Theater. Based in Los Angeles, CA, the studio's first theatrical feature, GON, is currently in production and is scheduled for release in 2008.

GENCO, Inc., (www.genco.co.jp) was founded by Taro Maki in Tokyo, Japan. Since its inception in 1997, GENCO, Inc. has created original content for television, film, home entertainment and video games. GENCO, Inc. is also a major investor in merchandising and publishing rights of various properties in Japan.

For further information on Sprite Animation Studios and to get a glimpse of Monster Samurai, please go to http://www.spritee.com/showcase/index.html

Source: Sprite Animation Studios

CONTACT: Grace McNamee of Sprite Animation Studios, +1-310-528-4187,
grace@spritee.com

Web site: http://www.spritee.com/
http://www.genco.co.jp/
http://www.spritee.com/showcase/index.html

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