Nickelodeon Unveils Brand New Avatar Content Online in February

Nickelodeon Unveils Brand New Avatar Content Online in February

Avatar: 'Escape from the Spirit World' Game Launches Online February 3 Taking Viewers Behind-the-Scenes with Animated Comic Book and New, Super Deformed Short from Avatar Creators

Cheat Codes to Help Advance Players in the Game will Air on Nickelodeon on Saturday Mornings Beginning at 10 a.m. ET/PT

50 Fans Can Win an Avatar 'Four Nations' Prize Pack with the Escape from the Spirit World Online Sweepstakes

NEW YORK, Jan. 23 /PRNewswire/ -- This February, Nickelodeon offers fans a truly multiplatform experience complete with brand new content and back stories from the network's hit animated comedy/adventure series, Avatar: The Last Airbender. The new content, in the form of an animated online comic book from Avatar creators Michael DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, will be revealed within a four-week online gaming event called Avatar: Escape from the Spirit World, beginning February 3, 2007 on a dedicated website, http://www.avatarescape.com/.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070123/NYTU047 )

To help them move forward in the game, players can tune into Nickelodeon on Saturday mornings in February, from 10 a.m. to 12 noon ET/PT, and gather cheat codes that unlock the next level. During the final week of the event, on February 24, a special cheat code will be announced on-air which will unlock a special brand new Avatar short online, entitled "School Time Shipping." Produced in the "super deformed" style of animation, which uses a style similar to caricature, this brand new short form content offers Avatar fans an opportunity to see their favorite characters in a whole new way.

Players can participate in the Avatar: Escape from the Spirit World game by logging onto http://www.avatarescape.com/, where they will be whisked away in a magical journey with Aang as he travels through the Spirit World to reconnect with past Avatars in order to save the Avatar lineage. Upon entering "the spirit world," players will be required to complete four missions in the form of puzzles and online games. Each level of the game represents one of the four elements featured in Avatar. Successful completion of each level unlocks a new chapter in the four-part Avatar animated online comic book. When the fourth level is completed, players will "pass through" to the spirit world where they will find a bonus game and the conclusion of the Avatar online comic book. Fans can also download the animated online comic book to their video mp3 player and take it on-the-go.

The Escape from the Spirit World game will also be supported with an on- air promotional sweepstakes (in the U.S. only) featuring new winners each weekend over the four weeks of the event period, producing a total of 50 winners. Fans can visit http://www.avatarescape.com/ to enter to win one of 50 "Four Nations" prize packs loaded with Avatar toys, books, a DVD, a videogame and trading cards. The winning names will be featured on-air on Nickelodeon during Saturday mornings from 10 to 12 noon ET/PT, beginning February 10. Partners supporting the sweepstakes include Mattel, Paramount, Simon & Schuster, Tokyopop, THQ, Upper Deck and Lego.

Nickelodeon will air promotional spots throughout February to support the sweepstakes. Cross channel promotion for the gaming event will also take place on Nicktoons Network and Nicktoonsnetwork.com.

The Escape from the Spirit World event will take place in several territories including the United States, United Kingdom, Netherlands, Germany and France. Roll out dates for non-domestic territories will vary.

Launched in February 2005, the epic story of Avatar: The Last Airbender follows the journey of Aang (Zach Tyler Eisen), a 12-year-old boy tom between fulfilling his fate as the long-awaited Avatar and just wanting to be a regular kid. The animated series recently wrapped its second and highest rated season yet. Ranked among the top 10 animated properties on commercial television among kids 2-11 and kids 6-11 the series recently set new ratings records, drawing 4.4 million total viewers (persons 2+) with the season two finale. On average, the animated series reaches 7.6 million total viewers (person 2+).

Avatar: The Last Airbender was created by Michael DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko who also serve as executive producers. Award-winning filmmaker, Michael DiMartino, has been a director at Film Roman for six years, working on the prime-time animated series King of the Hill, Family Guy and Mission Hill. During his tenure there, DiMartino animated and directed the short animated film Atomic Love, which has gone on to screen at festivals across the country including Sundance and the Los Angeles Film Festival. It also aired as part of the Nicktoons Network Animation Festival on Nicktoons Network.

Bryan Konietzko began his career in animation as a character designer at Film Roman for Fox's prime-time series, Family Guy. He soon moved to the post of assistant director for two more Film Roman shows, Mission Hill and King of the Hill, working beside animation director Michael DiMartino. Konietzko then became a storyboard artist and later an art director for the Nickelodeon animated series Invader Zim.

About Nickelodeon

Nickelodeon, in its 27th year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, online, recreation, books, magazines and feature films. Nickelodeon's U.S. television network is seen in almost 92 million households and has been the number-one- rated basic cable network for almost 12 consecutive years. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NYSE:VIA)(NYSE: VIA.B).

Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070123/NYTU047
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/
AP PhotoExpress Network: PRN2
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
Source: Nickelodeon

CONTACT: Joanna Roses, +1-212-846-7326, or Thamar Romero,
+1-212-846-7491, or Nicole Parker, +1-818-736-3613

Web site: http://www.nick.com/
http://www.nicktoonsnetwork.com/
http://www.avatarescape.com/

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