Google Enters Feature Animation Distribution With ‘Bling’ Deal
Google is dipping its toes into the feature animation business. The company will distribute the new South Korean family film Bling through its Google Play online store.
Intended to promote Google Play’s “family-friendly discovery experience,” Bling will be available exclusively from Google – for free – from March 3-April 10, 2016. It’s unclear how aggressively Google plans to pursue feature animation distribution, but this deal, made with the film’s English-language distributor Momentum Pictures, offers the tantalizing prospect of Google as a new distribution platform for feature animation.
The action-adventure film follows the story of Sam, a mechanic who works at RoboWorld theme park and obsesses over his childhood sweetheart, Sue, who has become a popular news anchor. Sam’s attempt to propose to Sue with a Bling Ring is thrown into disarray after the ring is stolen by supervillain Oscar, who mistakes it for his own Super Bling Ring, which contains a switch that activates a destructive robot. As Sam (and his robot creations) attempt to recover the ring and win the affections of Sue, he learns an important lesson: “It’s not Bling, but courage that wins hearts and minds.”
Bling is produced by Korean animation studio Digiart (Garfield’s Pet Force, Garfield’s Fun Fest) and vfx shop Digital Idea, in association with Celsius Entertainment. It was directed by Kyung Ho Lee and Wonjae Lee, and written by Kyung Ho Lee, Hyunjoog Kim, and Chris Denk (Alpha and Omega, Happily N’Ever After 2). The English voice cast features the voices of Taylor Kitsch, Carla Gugino, James Woods, Tom Green, Jennette McCurdy, Jon Heder, and Jason Mewes.
Bling will be available to Google Play residents in the following countries: U.S., U.K., Ireland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Albania, Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, Botswana, Cambodia, Fiji, Iceland, Jamaica, Macedonia, Malta, Namibia, Nepal, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Rwanda, Singapore, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Sales company Celsius has also closed theatrical distribution deals for Bling in other territories including Scandinavia (Scanbox Entertainment), Israel (Filmhouse), Turkey (Filmdom Media), Middle East (Shooting Stars), and Greece (Odeon).