Jesusfreakhideout.com Music News, May 2011: IT’S A ROYAL SWITCH-A-ROO! BIG IDEA ENTERTAINMENT TO RELEASE BRAND-NEW DVD FILLED WITH MUSIC AND MAYHEM FIT FOR A POP STAR AND A PRINCESS

IT’S A ROYAL SWITCH-A-ROO!

BIG IDEA ENTERTAINMENT TO RELEASE
BRAND-NEW DVD FILLED WITH MUSIC AND MAYHEM FIT FOR A POP STAR AND A PRINCESS

VeggieTales®: Princess and the Pop Star Tells A Story of Trading Places And Teaches A Lesson In Being Yourself

Launch Supported by Extensive Marketing, Promotional, Licensing Campaign

NEWS SOURCE: Hoganson Media
May 10, 2011

FRANKLIN, TN (May 10, 2011) -- Big Idea Entertainment, a leading studio and producer of children’s and family programming, characters and brands, announced today they will release an all-new princess-themed DVD title, VeggieTales®: Princess and the Pop Star, on August 13 and August 16, 2011 in Christian and general market stores respectively.

VeggieTales: Princess and the Pop Star will feature plenty of high-energy, family-friendly music, including the new song, “You Never Are,” written and performed by this year’s Dove Award-winning Artist of the Year, Francesca Battistelli. Other fun content includes silly song sing-alongs, behind the music interviews and “Princess Poppyseed’s Points for Being Uniquely You.”

Featuring a lesson in “being yourself”—the DVD helps young girls understand that each of us are created unique and special with God-given talents, based on Jeremiah 1:5, which reads, “Before I formed you in your mother’s body, I chose you. Before you were born, I set you apart to serve me.”

The title’s launch is supported by a comprehensive marketing and advertising campaign. Licensing and promotional partners include Chick-fil-A® with a summer kids meal program. In addition, Big Idea Entertainment will host live events nationwide at select retailers and churches to coincide with the DVD release.

“We’re couldn’t be more excited to give our fans the ‘royal treatment’ with the release of Princess and the Pop Star,” said Greg Fritz, SVP Sales and Marketing of Big Idea Entertainment. “While the title was created specifically with girls in mind, everyone will enjoy the catchy tunes and important lesson the DVD helps teach.”

DVD Synopsis
Princess Poppyseed’s life on her family’s farm is far from the glamorous but lonely world of her favorite pop singer Vanna Banana. On a chance meeting at a playground, Vanna and Princess cross paths and realize that they look almost exactly alike—which leads to the crazy secret plan where they decide to switch lives! As each girl realizes that the life they longed for doesn’t fulfill all of their dreams, they learn that the life God gave them is the one for which they were uniquely and lovingly designed.

Bonus Features:

Audio Commentary

“Astonishing Wigs” Silly Songs Sing-Along

“Right Where You Belong” Sing-Along

Behind the music with Francesca Battistelli and Friends

Princess Poppyseed’s Points For Being Uniquely You

Advertising, Radio, TV and Online Support
The VeggieTales: Princess and the Pop Star marketing and advertising campaign will focus on national print, television, radio, online, social media and grassroots team promotions. Big Idea Entertainment will organize television promotions and sweepstakes based on the title driving consumers to theater screenings of the movie in partnership with local radio promotions in an estimated 40 select markets. A DVD trailer promotion will be shown on more than 1,500 theater screens over the course of the campaign. In addition, a targeted media tour with artist Francesca Battistelli will take place timed to the DVD release date.

Promotional Partners
More than 1,400 Chick-fil-A stores nationwide will offer up to 5 million kids meals, including five different VeggieTales audio adventure CD premiums and a coupon offering for three dollars off a purchase of the VeggieTales: Princess and the Pop Star DVD. At over 400 of their locations, Chick-fil-A will hold VeggieTales “Family Nights” featuring Princess and the Pop Star activity posters, table tents, balloons, prizes, and even Bob the Tomato and Larry the Cucumber character appearances.

In addition, indoor advertising will be shown on closed-circuit televisions serviced through ScreenPlay and PlayNetwork that will air clips from the DVD and new silly song “Astonishing Wigs,” in store viewing areas at more than 450 Chuck E. Cheese’s® and nearly 1,000 Gymboree® and Crazy 8® stores among other many other retail outlets.

Non-Profit Partners
Big Idea Entertainment has teamed up with organizations, Mothers of Preschoolers (MOPS®,) World Vision® and Secret Keeper Girl®, as part of the Princess and the Pop Star campaign. Big Idea Entertainment created a custom animation piece as part of their promotion with MOPS, which features Junior Asparagus, Larry the Cucumber and Laura Carrot as her character, Princess Poppyseed. This August, Princess and the Pop Star will be the featured DVD title advertised and for sale at the MOPS convention in Nashville.

Long-term partner, World Vision, will continue building a greater awareness of how families can help care for those in need with opportunities to sign up for child sponsorships through World Vision at www.worldvision.org, as well as in person at numerous Christian retail stores across the country. A promotional clip on the DVD will encourage families to learn more about World Vision’s child sponsorships.

Consumer Products
Beginning this August, Big Idea Entertainment will roll out a line of Princess and the Pop Star girl-themed consumer products. Merchandise will include a Laura Carrot mini-plush character from Gund®, a division of Enesco®, Princess Castle floor and table top cardboard play sets from Box Creations®, a boxed puzzle from Talicor®, as well as a VeggieTales: Songs for a Princess CD, VeggieTales art and activity Journal, a 365 Daystarter Devotional for Girls, Princess Castle toy and “Best Friends” watch collection all by Big Idea Entertainment.

Live Events
This July and August, more than 2,000 churches nationwide will host “Princess Party” events to screen Princess and the Pop Star. Over 200 Christian retail outlets will coordinate “Princess Day with Mom” screening events to coincide with the August 13 DVD release date.

About VeggieTales: Princess and the Pop Star
Not Rated-49 minutes-Color-5.1 Surround Sound-English & Spanish Subtitles Close-Captioned
Full Screen & Widescreen Versions
DVD UPC Codes CBA: 820413119690 $14.99 SRP and GM: 883476032764 $14.93 SRP

About Big Idea Entertainment
Big Idea Entertainment is a leading studio and producer of children’s and family programming, characters and brands. Big Idea’s best-selling animated series VeggieTales® is the #1 home video animated series in the US with moms of pre-schoolers (Spring 2010 Q-Score). Since 1993, VeggieTales® has sold 54+ million videos, 13 million books and more than 7 million CDs. VeggieTales® and Big Idea’s property, 3-2-1 Penguins! ®, enjoyed four seasons as top-rated series on NBC Saturday mornings, Telemundo and ION TV via the qubo® children’s programming block. The studio's two theatrical releases, Jonah-A VeggieTales Movie® (2002), and Universal Pictures' and Big Idea's The Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything®-A VeggieTales Movie® (2008), are distinguished among the top ten most successful faith-based films of all time. Big Idea also maintains an extensive presence in publishing, licensing and live entertainment arenas. For more information on Big Idea, visit: www.VeggieTales.com.

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