America's Biggest Fan of Christmas to Be Named the Face of the Fan® in the "Arthur Christmas" Face of the Fan Contest

America's Biggest Fan of Christmas to Be Named the Face of the Fan® in the "Arthur Christmas" Face of the Fan Contest

CULVER CITY, Calif., Aug. 1, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Christmas has fans everywhere, but only the country's biggest fan of Christmas will be chosen as the Face of the Fan® in the Arthur Christmas Face of the Fan Contest. One winner will be chosen to represent the fans at the premiere of the upcoming computer-animated movie Arthur Christmas, an Aardman production for Sony Pictures Animation. Arthur Christmas will be released in theaters nationwide on November 23, 2011.

Commenting on the announcement, Dwight Caines, president, Worldwide Digital Marketing, said, "The Face of the Fan program is all about connecting fans with the stories and filmmakers they care about the most. Recently, we've had tremendous success with programs tied to The Amazing Spider-Man and Think Like A Man. We expect this contest to rally people all across the country to express their joy and passion for the holiday."

In the contest, which is now underway at www.faceofthefan.com/arthurchristmas and facebook.com/faceofthefan, participants will upload pictures of themselves along with 60-second videos with the answer to the question: Why are you the biggest fan of Christmas?

The deadline for submissions is noon PT on August 25th. Eight finalists will be chosen and the public can vote on the best video from September 12 through September 26. One winner will be chosen to receive a trip for four (including roundtrip airfare, hotel accommodations, and transportation to and from the hotel) to the movie premiere of Arthur Christmas. The eight finalists will each receive a $300 Sony Style gift card.

The Arthur Christmas Face of the Fan Contest follows on two very successful recent programs from Face of the Fan, which is a Sony Pictures Entertainment initiative that lets moviegoers and TV viewers get involved with Sony Pictures' projects by participating in online casting calls and contests - turning today's fans into tomorrow's stars(TM). Steven Biscotti, the winner of The Amazing Spider-Man(TM) Face of the Fan Contest, attended Comic-Con®, where he interviewed Andrew Garfield and attended The Amazing Spider-Man panel. And today, two participants from the Think Like a Man Face of the Fan casting call are on the set of the film, filming their on-camera roles. The Think Like a Man Face of the Fan casting call participants were chosen from among approximately 2,000 submissions in the most popular Face of the Fan initiative to date.

The 3D, CG-animated family comedy Arthur Christmas, an Aardman production for Sony Pictures Animation, at last reveals the incredible, never-before-seen answer to every child's question: "So how does Santa deliver all those presents in one night?" The answer: Santa's exhilarating, ultra-high-tech operation hidden beneath the North Pole. But at the heart of the film is a story with the ingredients of a Christmas classic - a family in a state of comic dysfunction and an unlikely hero: Santa's youngest son, Arthur. When this amazing operation misses one child out of hundreds of millions, the least capable Claus embarks on a hilarious, exciting rogue mission against the clock to deliver the last present before Christmas morning dawns. Directed by Sarah Smith from a screenplay by Peter Baynham & Sarah Smith, the film is produced by Peter Lord, David Sproxton, Carla Shelley, and Steve Pegram.

About Sony Pictures Entertainment

Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) is a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sony Corporation. SPE's global operations encompass motion picture production and distribution; television production and distribution; home entertainment acquisition and distribution; a global channel network; digital content creation and distribution; operation of studio facilities; development of new entertainment products, services and technologies; and distribution of entertainment in more than 140 countries. Sony Pictures Entertainment can be found on the World Wide Web at http://sonypictures.com.

About Sony Pictures Animation

Sony Pictures Animation produces a variety of animated entertainment for audiences around the world. The studio is following its 2009 worldwide hit, the mouth-watering 3D comedy Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, and the 2007 Academy Award®-nominated Surf's Up with a full slate of feature films including the live-action/animation hybrid film The Smurfs (3D) and the family comedy, Hotel Transylvania (3D). The division is also in production with Aardman Animations on two feature films, the CG-animated family comedy Arthur Christmas (3D) and the stop-frame animated high-seas adventure, The Pirates! Band of Misfits (3D).Open Season 3, the third adventure in Sony Pictures Animation's successful Open Season franchise, was released on DVD and Blu-Ray January 2011. Sony Pictures Animation is an operating unit of Sony Pictures Digital Productions.

About Aardman

Aardman, based in Bristol (UK), co-founded and run by Peter Lord and David Sproxton, is a world leader in animation. It produces feature films, television series and television commercials for both the domestic and international market. The studio has won over 400 international awards including 4 Oscars®.

Aardman's highly creative stop-motion style and creative sensibilities have proven popular with critics and audiences around the world. In 2000, Chicken Run, their debut feature, took in nearly $225 million worldwide; since then, Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit grossed nearly $200 million and Flushed Away, their first CG feature, earned $176 million. All three films have achieved enormous critical acclaim, with the three films earning a total of 27 Annie Award nominations (the animation community's highest honor). In addition, Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit was honored with the Academy Award® for Best Animated Feature. http://www.aardman.com. In addition to the CG-animated Arthur Christmas, Aardman is also in production on the stop-motion The Pirates! Band of Misfits.

SOURCE Sony Pictures Animation; Columbia Pictures

Sony Pictures Animation; Columbia Pictures

CONTACT: Steve Elzer, Senior Vice President, Media Relations of Sony Pictures Animation, +1-310-244-7142, steve_elzer@spe.sony.com

Web Site: http://www.aardman.com

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