Co-Produced by AOL, DreamWorks Animation and Mark Burnett Productions, an exciting online interactive game based on the Shrek franchise is set to begin on April 26. Similar to last year’s Flushed Away Underground Adventure, Ye Olde Shrek the Third Royal Tournament will present 25 individual challenges over the course of six weeks. At the end of the Tournament, a grand prize winner will be revealed, with awards including a family trip to Hollywood.
Players Eligible to Win Prizes, Sara Lee Food & Beverage Joins as Sponsor
New York, NY, April 17, 2007 – AOL announced today that it will launch an online interactive game based on the popular Shrek franchise on April 26, three weeks before Shrek the Third hits the movie theaters. The game is co-produced by AOL, DreamWorks Animation and Mark Burnett Productions. AOL also announced that Hillshire Farm, the premier meat brand of Sara Lee Food & Beverage will be one of the sponsors of the Shrek the Third game.
Titled Ye Olde Shrek the Third Royal Tournament, the game poses a series of online challenges over a six week period involving characters and settings from the movie. Each day, players will have the opportunity to solve new challenges and explore new areas – in all, 25 individual games will be released over the course of the Tournament. The game builds on the success of last year’s Flushed Away Underground Adventure game as well as the original Gold Rush, which attracted nearly 11 million users and five blue chip sponsors, including Sara Lee Food & Beverage.
“Shrek is one of the most popular animated franchises of all time, and we are thrilled to be teaming up with Mark Burnett and DreamWorks Animation to create an immersive game based on the world of Shrek,” said Mike Kelly, President of AOL Media Networks. “We are also pleased that Sara Lee Food & Beverage – one of the sponsors of last year’s Flushed Away game – is once again joining us as a game sponsor this year.”
“We are very excited about working with Mark Burnett and AOL again on another new game. This unique and immersive on-line environment allows fans of all ages to connect and interact with all of their favorite Shrek characters – Shrek, Fiona, Donkey, Puss In Boots and the fairytale creatures – and also get to know our new cast of characters from Shrek the Third,” said Jeffrey Katzenberg, CEO, DreamWorks Animation. “And on top of that, they will have a chance to win some great prizes along the way.”
“We’re excited to partner for a second time with AOL and my friend Jeffrey Katzenberg with the creation of a revolutionary interactive gaming experience Ye Olde Shrek the Third Royal Tournament,” said Mark Burnett. “Parents and children alike will have the opportunity to absorb the characters and new plots before the movie even hits the theaters. This 360 degree approach to launching a film is the perfect companion to the mammoth promotional Shrek machine.”
AOL, Mark Burnett and DreamWorks Animation will unveil Ye Olde Shrek the Third Royal Tournament at the AOL First Look event in New York City today, along with several other new programs, including, Gold Rush Goes Hollywood, The Ellen DeGeneres Show tie-in, Million Dollar Bill and iLand. AOL First Look is the first time an online network has announced a series of major-scale programs at a single event, similar to traditional upfront events in the television industry.
“We are thrilled to be a part of this exciting initiative,” said Tim Roush, vice president Hillshire Farm brand. “The incredible popularity with families provides us with an excellent opportunity to engage consumers with the Hillshire Farm portfolio and generate substantial buzz around our most recent brand campaign.”
How Ye Old Shrek the Third Royal Tournament Works:
•The Tournament launches on April 26 at http://shrek.aol.com. Play for fun and to win exciting prizes.
•The game will delight casual and devoted gamers alike.
•25 individual games featuring characters and situations from the Shrek universe will be released over a six week period. Each game will serve as its own competition event that will last until the end of the Tournament, so players to join the game at any time.
•Each time a player engages with a game, he or she gets an additional entry into that game’s prize pool.
•At the end of the Tournament, a grand prize winner will be crowned. The winner will receive incredible prizes, including the ultimate family trip to Hollywood.
About Shrek the Third
When Shrek married Fiona, the last thing he had in mind was becoming the next King. But when Shrek’s father-in-law, King Harold, suddenly croaks, that is exactly what he faces. Unless Shrek (with the help of his trusted companions Donkey and Puss In Boots) can find a suitable King for Far Far Away, the ogre could be stuck with the job. The most promising candidate, Fiona’s cousin Artie, an underachieving Medieval high school slacker, proves to be more of a challenge than they bargained for.
DreamWorks Animation S.K.G. presents a PDI/DreamWorks Production, DreamWorks Shrek the Third, which is being distributed by Paramount Pictures. Directed by Chris Miller, the film features the voice talents of Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, Antonio Banderas, Rupert Everett, Justin Timberlake, Julie Andrews, John Cleese, Eric Idle, Cheri Oteri, Amy Poehler, Maya Rudolph, Amy Sedaris, John Krasinski and Ian McShane. The story is by Andrew Adamson. The screenplay is by Jeffrey Price & Peter S. Seaman and Chris Miller & Aron Warner. The film is produced by Aron Warner and co-directed by Raman Hui. The executive producers are Andrew Adamson and John H. Williams. This film is rated PG for some crude humor, suggestive content and swashbuckling action.
About AOL
AOL is a global Web services company that operates some of the most popular Web destinations, offers a comprehensive suite of free software and services, runs the country’s largest Internet access business, and provides a full set of advertising solutions. A majority-owned subsidiary of Time Warner Inc. (NYSE:TWX), AOL LLC is based in Dulles, Virginia. AOL and its subsidiaries also have operations in Europe, Canada and Asia. Learn more at AOL.com.
About DreamWorks Animation SKG
DreamWorks Animation SKG (NYSE: DWA) is devoted to producing high-quality family entertainment through the use of computer-generated (CG) animation. Utilizing world-class creative talent and state-of-the-art technological capabilities, the company is committed to making two computer-animated feature films a year that appeal to a broad movie-going audience.
About Mark Burnett Productions
Mark Burnett Productions (MBP) is a leading production company in content for both primetime television and the internet. MBP revolutionized television with hits such as Survivor (CBS), The Apprentice (NBC), The Contender (ESPN), Rock Star: INXS (CBS), the new smash hit Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? (FOX) and an upcoming co-production with Steven Spielberg and DreamWorks Television, On the Lot (FOX). Other MBP future projects include: Pirate Master (CBS) and the 2007 MTV Movie Awards (MTV) for which Mark Burnett will serve as Executive Producer. Burnett also serves as the Executive Producer of the syndicated daytime show Martha. MBP recently partnered with AOL on the highly successful interactive adventure Gold Rush, the first-ever unscripted project to be produced exclusively for the internet. MBP has established a scripted division and is developing comedies and dramas for television as well as feature films. MBP also successfully reintroduced product placement as an integral part of each of its shows and has garnered a total of 46 Emmy nominations since 2001.
