WB Bringing NeoPets to the Big Screen
Source: Warner Bros. Pictures and http://www.comingsoon.net
March 24, 2005
Warner Bros. Pictures has entered into an agreement with NeoPets, Inc. to develop and produce animated feature films based on new and existing stories and characters from the virtual world of Neopets.com, the world’s leading online youth community. The announcement was made today by Jeff Robinov, President, Production, Warner Bros. Pictures, and Doug Dohring, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, NeoPets, Inc.
Dylan Sellers will produce the projects with Dohring; Warner Bros. Pictures’ Aditya Sood will oversee production for the Studio. NeoPets, Inc. will co-finance development.
The Neopets website is themed around the ownership of, and interaction with, virtual pets that are created and cared for by site members. To date, the Neopets website has more than 25 million members worldwide and generates more than seven billion page views per month in 10 languages. It is consistently ranked as one of the fastest growing sites on the Internet and one of the “stickiest” sites in the world, meaning that members return frequently to interact with each other and with their Neopets.
Said Robinov, “We’re looking forward to expanding this exceptional Internet property into feature films that bring the worldwide appeal of this website to theaters.”
Added Dohring, “Neopets has always been very selective in choosing its business partners and we are extremely pleased with the opportunity to work with such a quality studio as Warner Bros. Pictures. We are confident that this collaboration will result in the successful expansion of the Neopets world into offline media.”
Recent productions by Dylan Sellers include Warner Bros. Pictures’ A Cinderella Story starring Hilary Duff; and Agent Cody Banks and its sequel Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London.
NeoPets goes Hollywood
Source: http://news.com.com/
Published: March 24, 2005, 5:45 PM PST
By Stefanie Olsen
Staff Writer, CNET News.com
Pretend-pets from the Web are headed for the big screen.
NeoPets, the wildly popular virtual-pet site, said Thursday that it has signed a multiple-picture deal with Warner Bros. Pictures, one of the five major film studios.
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The studio has agreed to produce computer-animated feature films based on NeoPets characters such as Flotsam and Jetsam.
To own a NeoPet, people log on to NeoPets.com, select a virtual animal, and tend to it by earning points through contests and games. The company reports roughly 25 million pet owners worldwide.
The deal comes as Hollywood and Web companies are cinching closer ties. Sites including Yahoo, Google and America Online are courting studios and broadcasters and winning new deals to distribute their entertainment via the Web. And Hollywood is showing more interest in tapping the Web’s popularity for marketing and development material.
AOL said Thursday that it has licensed its original Webisode, or online serial animation, called “Princess Natasha,” for television reproduction on Cartoon Network, a cable channel owned by AOL’s parent Time Warner. Also, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers will publish two books based on the Princess series in May 2006.
Earlier in March, NeoPets also signed a deal with In-Fusio to bring the virtual-pet game to mobile phones. Popular with young girls, NeoPets is ranked the top toys and games site, measured by the amount of time kids spend with it, according to Nielsen NetRatings.