HALLMARK CHANNEL DESIGNATES NEW
FRIDAY NIGHT DESTINATION FOR FAMILY MOVIES
WALMART, P&G, WALDEN MEDIA, AND ARC ENTERTAINMENT CREATE
“WALDEN FAMILY THEATER,” A NEW SERIES OF FAMILY FILMS, TO AIR EXCLUSIVELY ON HALLMARK CHANNEL
Franchise debuts March 15 with world premiere of “Return to Nim’s Island,” starring Bindi Irwin
SOURCE: Rogers & Cowan
February 27, 2013 – Hallmark Channel announced today the launch of “Walmart and P&G present Walden Family Theater,” a new Friday night appointment viewing franchise. Created in collaboration with Walmart, Procter & Gamble, award-winning family entertainment producer, Walden Media, and fast-growing independent studio, ARC Entertainment, “Walden Family Theater” reflects a shared commitment to fill the void on TV for quality family entertainment.
In a nod to television’s historic role as a unifying entertainment experience, bringing family members of all ages together for common enjoyment, “Walden Family Theater” kicks off on March 15th with the world premiere of “Return to Nim’s Island,” produced by Walden and ARC and starring Bindi Irwin, daughter of the beloved late family entertainment icon, Steve Irwin (“Crocodile Hunter”).
“Return to Nim’s Island” is one of 6 new original family movies that will headline the franchise. “Space Warriors,” starring Dermot Mulroney, Danny Glover, Josh Lucas, Mira Sorvino and Thomas Horn, the second new film in the series is slated to make its world debut on Hallmark Channel in May. In addition to the 6 new titles, “Walden Family Theater” will include a variety of beloved original movies from Hallmark Channel’s vast library. Further announcements of additional titles and airdates are forthcoming.
“We at Hallmark Channel could not have asked for better collaborators for ‘Walden Family Theater’ than Walmart and P&G, as leading sponsors, and Walden and ARC as producers — these are all brands that share in our passion for and commitment to family entertainment,” says Bill Abbott, president and CEO, Crown Media Family Networks. “This collaboration is a 360-degree effort that allows us a unique opportunity to further revive the practice of families regularly gathering to enjoy television entertainment as a shared experience.”
Micheal Flaherty, co-founder of Walden Media remarked, “Walden Family Theater is a great step forward for us to continue the Walden mission. These great films we are presenting on The Hallmark Channel
and/or making with ARC reinforces our vision to provide families a chance to recapture imagination and rekindle curiosity through entertainment. These films will stand side by side with some of our proudest features like our Narnia movies, Holes, Bridge To Terabithia, Amazing Grace, and Journey To The Center Of The Earth.”
“Return to Nim’s Island,” the sequel to Walden Media’s 2008 family action-adventure and world- wide box office hit “Nim’s Island” picks up the story a few years later with fourteen year old Nim more determined than ever to protect her island and all the wildlife that call it home. When she faces off against resort developers and animal poachers, she realizes she can’t depend on her animal cohorts alone and must make her first human friend – Edmund, who has run away to the island from the mainland – to save her home.
Inspired by the Nim books by revered Australian author Wendy Orr, “Return to Nim’s Island” is a story to enchant moviegoers of all ages.
For more information and to see “Return to Nim’s Island” trailer, go to www.returntonimsisland.com
About Hallmark Channel
Hallmark Channel, owned and operated by Crown Media Holdings, Inc., is a 24-hour basic cable network that provides a diverse slate of high-quality entertainment programming available in high definition (HD) and standard definition (SD) to a national audience of over 87 million subscribers. Hallmark Channel is the nation’s leading destination for quality family programming with an ambitious slate of original TV movies and specials, as well as some of television’s most beloved sitcoms and series, including The Golden Girls, Frasier, Little House on the Prairie, and Happy Days. The channel is also home to a range of lifestyle programming, anchored by Home & Family, a daily two-hour live show shot in a fully functional house located on the Universal Studios lot, and Marie, a one-hour talk show hosted by iconic entertainer, Marie Osmond. Hallmark Channel’s sibling network, Hallmark Movie Channel, also available in HD and SD, focuses on family-friendly movies with a mix of original films, classic theatrical releases, and presentations from the acclaimed Hallmark Hall of Fame library.
For more information, please visit www.crownmediapress.com
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About Walmart
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT) helps people around the world save money and live better – anytime and anywhere – in retail stores, online, and through their mobile devices. Each week, more than 200 million customers and members visit our 10,400 stores under 69 banners in 27 countries and e-commerce websites in 10 countries. With fiscal year 2012 sales of approximately $444 billion, Walmart employs more than 2.2 million associates worldwide. Walmart continues to be a leader in sustainability, corporate philanthropy and employment opportunity. Additional information about Walmart can be found by visiting http://corporate.walmart.com, on Facebook at http://facebook.com/walmart and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/walmartnewsroom. Online merchandise sales are available at http://www.walmart.com and http://www.samsclub.com
About Procter & Gamble
P&G serves approximately 4.6 billion people around the world with its brands. The Company has one of the strongest portfolios of trusted, quality, leadership brands, including Pampers®, Tide®, Ariel®, Always®, Whisper®, Pantene®, Mach3®, Bounty®, Dawn®, Fairy®, Gain®, Charmin®, Downy®, Lenor®, Iams®, Crest®, Oral-B®, Duracell®, Olay®, Head & Shoulders®, Wella®, Gillette®, Braun®, Fusion®, Ace®, Febreze®, Ambi Pur®, SK-II®, and Vicks®. The P&G community includes operations in approximately 75 countries worldwide. Please visit http://www.pg.com for the latest news and in-depth information about P&G and its brands.
About Walden Media
Walden Media creates films and books for the whole family to enjoy together. Past award-winning films include: “The Chronicles of Narnia” series, “Holes,” “Nim’s Island,” “Charlotte’s Web,” the Sundance Audience Prize Winning documentary “Waiting for ‘Superman,’” and the recent hit “Parental Guidance”.
About ARC Entertainment
ARC Entertainment, founded in 2010, is a fast growing, fully integrated production and distribution company providing both physical and digital distribution and sales services entertainment-based products. ARC Entertainment has a robust distribution platform which enables it to monetize Content through key revenue streams such as Theatrical Distribution, SVOD, VOD, PPV, Digitally and Physical DVD. The Company has unparalleled relationships with major national retailers and a management team with a history of success in the Entertainment and Consumer Products industries.