Bella Sara CG Movie News: 'Emma's Wings'

Majestic mares and ambitious adolescents are all that comprise the pages of books and faces of collectible cards of the girl-skewing fantasy brand, Bella Sara. Engaging children since its debut roughly seven years ago, Bella Sara has successfully guided the adventures of an array of playful steeds and courageous kids into the hands of young women. As of last month, the Bella Sara brand officially makes the jump into full-length animation production with the aid of a slew of production partners. Executives with The Bella Sara Company have projected a 2013 release date for the CG feature.

Sometimes rescuing a friend from imprisonment in a faraway land, while other times merely helping a buddy fully realize her dreams, the characters of Bella Sara were created to embody age-appropriate representations of compassion and camaraderie. Created in 2005 and entering the U.S. market two years thereafter, Bella Sara is currently spread across various collectible card games, age 7+ novelizations, apparel, DVD-ROMs, and more. The property's fantasy world, North of North, is ripe for a transition to a new medium, according to the brand's management team. The property is an exercise in wish fulfillment, as readers/players engage the characters and horses whose challenges frequently require the imaginative exploration of a magical realm or two.

"The extraordinary fantasy world of Bella Sara is a natural fit for a movie," Gitte Odder Braendgaard, creator of the Bella Sara brand and CEO of The Bella Sara Company, commented on the announcement. "We are excited about the creative and distribution partnerships we have formed and look forward to bringing the first Bella Sara movie to children throughout the world in 2013."

Emma's Wings: A Bella Sara Tale is the current title assigned to the computer animated film. A short summary of the movie finds a girl, Emma, making her way to North of North only to discover "her real purpose in life," thereby pursuing all sorts of challenges and adventures associated with rescuing and befriending horses of the fantasy universe.

According to The Bella Sara Company, the film is already in production. Partners for the CG production include CCI Entertainment (Toronto, ON); Entremedia (Toronto, ON), a visual effects and digital animation house; Buffalo Gal Pictures (Winnipeg, MB), an independent film and TV production company; and Telegael (Galway, Ireland), who will handle the post-production duties for the project.

"We have a lot of expertise at this type of CGI animation," Dan Krech, President, Entremedia, and an executive producers of the movie, stated. "The team at The Bella Sara Company has done a great job with their art development and their branded characters. Our job will be to bring the fantasy world of Bella Sara to life in a way that will be entertaining and engaging to everyone."

The Bella Sara brand, originally launched in Denmark, has a significant licensing and merchandising presence in France, Italy, Germany, and elsewhere that amount to more than 65,000 points of sale in 27+ countries, according Bella Sara officials. In line with this global success, Emma's Wings will likely have a relatively aggressive international rollout. Distribution partners for the CG film currently include Foxfield Entertainment (Westlake Village, CA), which manages the worldwide distribution rights; CCI Entertainment for Canadian television; eOne Distribution (Port Washington, NY) for North America DVD penetration; and Warner Vision Germany (Hamburg, Germany) for home video distribution to Germany. CCI Ent. will also be responsible for marketing the CG project to prospective television and home video partners in new international territories.

Recent Equine Animation News:
"My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Animation on DVD" at AnimationInsider.net (06/2012)
"Mia and Me Licensing News" at AnimationInsider.net (05/2012)
"Wendy Animation in Production" at AnimationInsider.net (02/2012)
"Secret Ranch TV Animation Sales" at AnimationInsider.net (01/2012)