Hasbro and Paramount Pictures will be collaborating on five theatrical features based on the toy company’s properties, to be produced by Hasbro’s film branch Allspark Pictures. The companies hope to produces another box office buster like their Transformers franchise, which has earned $3.8 billion to date.
The agreement will see the partners establish a “cross-property, interconnected onscreen universe” which will weave together the worlds of G.I. Joe, Micronauts, Visionaries, M.A.S.K. and ROM.
“Hasbro and Allspark Pictures put storytelling at the center of everything that we do. These brands are filled with memorable stories and vivid characters, and this Universe creates a framework for how they will become interconnected,” says Brian Goldner, chairman, president and chief executive officer, Hasbro. “Extending our partnership with Paramount allows us to continue our long-term strategy and overall vision to build dynamic worlds for all of our brands, and we are thrilled to collaborate with them as we develop these properties.”
The Walt Disney Company and online mobile commerce giant Alibaba Group have inked a multiyear license agreement to bring over-the-top content service DisneyLife to users in China. The service is accessed through a minimalist Mickey Mouse inspired device now available for pre-sale, with a one-year subscription included.
“Disney and Alibaba share an ambition to exceed our audience’s expectations. DisneyLife directly connects us to China’s digital population and provides millions of kids and families the ability to explore and engage with Disney.”
DisneyLife, recently launched in the U.K., is a direct-to-consumer digital service that brings subscribers a vast collection of Disney and Pixar movies, animated series, games, e-books, music and even series and resorts and parks information. More information for English readers available at disneylife.co.uk.
Eco-friendly publishing group Green Kids Club (GKC) is teaming up with Aurora World, licensing their YooHoo & Friends endangered species characters for a series of exclusive, globally distributed books.
The stories will follow GKC’s young environmentalists Victor, Maya and Tiago join forces with furry friends Pammee and YooHoo on a quest to save Earth’s animals and their habitats. The books ar expected to hit shelves by the end of Q1 2016.
The GKC picture books are designed to teach young children the importance of environmental stewardship, especially the issues surrounding animal-human interaction such as habitat encroachment, poaching and extinction. The series also covers sustainability, mitigation and preservation as it relates to animals and their homes.
Learning-based gaming company JumpStart announces a second expansion pack for its popular massively multiplayer online game School of Dragons title, with “Battle for the Edge” launching ahead of the premiere of DreamWorks’ Dragons: Race to the Edge season 2 on Netflix, January 8. The new content follows the highly successful Call of the Death Song expansion and was built using feedback from the School of Dragons online community.
In School of Dragons: Battle for the Edge, players encounter a seemingly friendly pirate named Harald, who helps the Vikings triumph over the Dragon Hunters that invade the island of Dragon’s Edge. In the aftermath of battle, players must rebuild and fortify their base, learn defense strategies, and keep the Dragon Hunters at bay. For the first time, players can customize their own Viking hideouts, where they can raise and train their dragon, as well as purchase items and decorations.
The expansion pack challenges players with 22 new quests spread over nine never before seen lands: Dragon’s Edge, Dark Deep, Scuttleclaw Island, Hobblegrunt Island, Armorwing Island, Glacier Island, Mudraker Island, Zippleback Island, and Dragon Hunters’ Outpost. Educational content players encounter spans core scientific concepts like adaptation to environments, the impact of invasive species, and how forces and motion influence the speed and direction of objects.
Battle for the Edge is available for free with all School of Dragons membership packages, and available for $9.99 or 10,000 Gems for non-members to purchase. School of Dragons is available to download on iTunes, Google Play, Amazon, Windows, Steam and at schoolofdragons.com.
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An interesting roster of notable guest stars are lined up for season two of Disney XD’s The 7D — a comedic take on the Seven Dwarfs –which kicks off Saturday, January 23 at 9:30 a.m. ET/PT. Kelly Osbourne’s real-life parents Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne will even pop up, playing her character Hildy Gloom’s parents: The Duke and Duchess of Drear.
Other season two guest stars include Fran Drescher as Encyclopedia Enchantica, a talking tome that provides the 7D with a wealth of knowledge; Amy Sedaris as Nocturna, the kooky keeper of nightmares; Jim Belushi as Coach Coachy, the world’s greatest Jollyball coach; Jay Mohr as both King Groucherooney (Grumpy’s cantankerous cousin) and Suave Seashell, a flashy game show host; George Takei as Dr. Sweet Tooth, Jollywood’s cheery dentist; and “Weird Al” Yankovic as Shapeshifter, a villainous sorcerer who can morph into any form.
The season two premiere episode, “When Pigs Fly/Knight School,” tasks the 7D with stopping a group of flying pigs from eating all the food in Jollywood, then Bashful enrolls in Knight School to win the Queen’s attention back from a charming, dragon-fighting knight.
Executive produced by Tom Ruegger, the series regularly features the voices of Kelly Osbourne, Jess Harnell (as Grim Gloom), Leigh-Allyn Baker (Queen Delightful), Disney Legend Bill Farmer (Doc), Maurice LaMarche (Grumpy), Kevin Michael Richardson (Happy), Dee Bradley Baker (Dopey), Scott Menville (Sneezy), Stephen Stanton (Sleepy), Billy West (Bashful) and Paul Rugg (Lord Starchbottom).
Actress, producer and director Salma Hayek has been named as the recipient of The Women’s International Film & Television Showcase (TheWIFTS) Animation Award 2015 for her labor of love adaptation of Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet. Hayek is one of 23 honorees for this year’s International Visionary Awards, being held for the eighth year this month at Knoll, West Hollywood.
Hayek produced The Prophet and performed as a voice actor in anthology-style animated take on the classic work. Born and raised in Coatzacoalcos, Mexico, Hayek studied International Relations in college in her home country before embarking on her celebrated film and television career. Among her notable roles is Frida Kahlo in the biopic Frida — which she also produced, and for which she was nominated for an Academy Award, Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild and BAFTA Award.
Also being honored this year is Britt Allcroft, the creator of the hit Thomas & Friends animation franchise. Allcroft will receive The Television Pioneer Award. More information about the honorees and the vent can be found at www.thewifts.org.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens, the first new film in the franchise since Disney’s acquisition, has raked in an estimated $57 million from Thursday evening preview screenings. This handily breaks the previous record set by Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2, which had held since 2011 at $43.5 million.
On top of the domestic triumph, Force Awakens has already totted up $72.7 million since it began rolling out internationally on Wednesday with 12 markets, adding 32 more yesterday. This gives the J.J. Abrams-directed saga a global cumulative take of $130 million. Japan and Spain will see openings Friday.
Other records falling to the hotly anticipated title include all-time Thursday single day B.O., which was previously set at $50 million by Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2005); and the December single day record of $37.13 million set by The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. Force Awakens is expected to surpass on Friday the $84.62 million December opening weekend record also set by The Hobbit. The preview night also broke the IMAX tickets record set by Avengers: Age of Ultron earlier this year, with $5.7 million.
Boxofficemojo adds that The Force Awakens is now the largest single day performer of all time in UK/Ireland ($14.4m), Germany ($7.1m), Sweden ($1.7m) and Norway ($1.1.m) and boasts the largest opening day in Australia, Austria, Brazil, Belgium, Chile, Croatia, Finland, Iceland, Netherlands, New Zealand, Peru, Serbia, Slovakia, Switzerland (French-speaking) and Ukraine.
The Academy has announced that 112 feature scores are in contention for nominations in the Original Score category for the upcoming 88th Academy Awards, taking place in Hollywood February 28. Nominees will be announced January 14. The scores under consideration are listed below in alphabetical order, with animated features in bold.
Adult Beginners, Marcelo Zarvos, composer
The Age of Adaline, Rob Simonsen, composer
Altered Minds, Edmund Choi, composer
Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip, Mark Mothersbaugh, composer
Anomalisa, Carter Burwell, composer
Ant-Man, Christophe Beck, composer
Beasts of No Nation, Dan Romer, composer
The Big Short, Nicholas Britell, composer
Black Mass, Tom Holkenborg, composer
Bridge of Spies, Thomas Newman, composer
Brooklyn, Michael Brook, composer
Burnt, Rob Simonsen, composer
By the Sea, Gabriel Yared, composer
Carol, Carter Burwell, composer
Cartel Land, H. Scott Salinas and Jackson Greenberg, composers
Chi-Raq, Terence Blanchard, composer
Cinderella, Patrick Doyle, composer
Coming Home, Qigang Chen, composer
Concussion, James Newton Howard, composer
Creed, Ludwig Goransson, composer
The Danish Girl, Alexandre Desplat, composer
The Divergent Series: Insurgent, Joseph Trapanese, composer
Dukhtar, Peter Nashel, composer
The End of the Tour, Danny Elfman, composer
Everest, Dario Marianelli, composer
Ex Machina, Ben Salisbury and Geoff Barrow, composers
Far from the Madding Crowd, Craig Armstrong, composer
Fifty Shades of Grey, Danny Elfman, composer
5 Flights Up, David Newman, composer
Frame by Frame, Patrick Jonsson, composer
Freedom, James Lavino, composer
Furious Seven, Brian Tyler, composer
The Good Dinosaur, Mychael Danna and Jeff Danna, composers
Goosebumps, Danny Elfman, composer
Grandma, Joel P. West, composer
The Hateful Eight, Ennio Morricone, composer
He Named Me Malala, Thomas Newman, composer
Hot Pursuit, Christophe Beck, composer
Hot Tub Time Machine 2, Christophe Beck, composer
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2, James Newton Howard, composer
The Hunting Ground, Miriam Cutler, composer
I Smile Back, Zack Ryan, composer
I’ll See You in My Dreams, Keegan DeWitt, composer
In the Heart of the Sea, Roque Baños, composer
Inside Out, Michael Giacchino, composer
The Intern, Theodore Shapiro, composer
It Follows, Disasterpeace, composer
Jalam, Ouesppachan, composer
Jurassic World, Michael Giacchino, composer
Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet, Gabriel Yared, composer
Kingsman: The Secret Service, Henry Jackman and Matthew Margeson, composers
Krampus, Douglas Pipes, composer
La Jaula de Oro, Jacobo Lieberman and Leonardo Heiblum, composers
The Lady in the Van, George Fenton, composer
The Last Witch Hunter, Steve Jablonsky, composer
Learning to Drive, Dhani Harrison and Paul Hicks, composers
Legend, Carter Burwell, composer
Little Accidents, Marcelo Zarvos, composer
The Longest Ride, Mark Isham, composer
Mad Max: Fury Road, Tom Holkenborg, composer
The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Daniel Pemberton, composer
The Martian, Harry Gregson-Williams, composer
Max, Trevor Rabin, composer
Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials, John Paesano, composer
Meru, J. Ralph, composer
Minions, Heitor Pereira, composer
Mr. Holmes, Carter Burwell, composer
Mistress America, Dean Wareham and Britta Phillips, composers
My All American, John Paesano, composer
Nachom-ia Kumpasar, Ronnie Monsorate, composer
99 Homes, Antony Partos and Matteo Zingales, composers
Our Brand Is Crisis, David Wingo, composer
Pan, John Powell, composer
Paper Towns, Son Lux, composer
Paranoid Girls, Javier del Santo, composer
Pawn Sacrifice, James Newton Howard, composer
The Peanuts Movie, Christophe Beck, composer
Pixels, Henry Jackman, composer
Poached, Mark Orton, composer
Pod, Giona Ostinelli, composer
Poltergeist, Marc Streitenfeld, composer
Racing Extinction, J. Ralph, composer
Room, Stephen Rennicks, composer
Salt Bridge, Marciano Telese, composer
San Andreas, Andrew Lockington, composer
The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Thomas Newman, composer
Set Fire to the Stars, Gruff Rhys, composer
Shaun the Sheep Movie, Ilan Eshkeri, composer
Sicario, Jóhann Jóhannsson, composer
Southpaw, James Horner, composer
Spectre, Thomas Newman, composer
The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge out of Water, John Debney, composer
Spotlight, Howard Shore, composer
Spy, Theodore Shapiro, composer
Star Wars: The Force Awakens, John Williams, composer
Steve Jobs, Daniel Pemberton, composer
Steve McQueen: The Man & Le Mans, Jim Copperthwaite, composer
DreamWorks Animation Television’s Dawn of the Croods will premiere on Netflix worldwide on December 24, but you can get a first look at the series adaptation of the popular prehistoric family flick. In this original animated sitcom, Eep, Grug, Thunk, Ugga, Sandy and Gran take the Croodaceous era by storm as they deal with modern day problems for the first time in history — things like school, slumber parties, elections and more. Cast includes Laraine Newman (Gran, One-Eyed Amber), Chris Parnell (Snoot) and Ana Gasteyer (Meep).
When the snooty Boors move into the cave next to the Croods, Grug and Ugga quickly realize that neighbors don’t always get along. Tune in to see if the stubborn Croods can resolve the first family feud when Dawn of the Croods debuts exclusively on Netflix on 12/24. Photo: DreamWorks Animation. DreamWorks Dawn of the Croods 2015 DreamWorks Animation LLC. All Rights ReservedEep and Thunk are competing for a spot in the “in” crowd (inside the predator defense circle, that is), but first they’ll have to prove they have the guts to hang with a pair of Ahhh! Valley’s biggest predators: the Ramu’s. You can find out which of the siblings gets to run with the cool kids when Dawn of the Croods debuts 12/24, exclusively on Netflix. Photo: DreamWorks Animation. DreamWorks Dawn of the Croods 2015 DreamWorks Animation LLC. All Rights Reserved
Education and entertainment kids’ content service Hopster has inked a deal with Vodafone in Iceland which will bring the fun to the mobile and IPTV producer’s SVOD platform, Vodafone PLAY. Hopster is now available on all three subscriptions — Vodafone PLAY, Vodafone PLAY M and Vodafone PLAY L — and will offer hundreds of local-language episodes of its selectively picked shows to kids across the country.
Young viewers in Iceland will now be able to enjoy popular international preschool series in their native language, with translations of shows like Thomas & Friends, Pingu and Bob the Builder, in addition to some popular local nursery rhymes, all supporting Hopster’s special early years curriculum. Other localized versions of shows including Max & Ruby, Wanda and the Alien and Peg + Cat are in the works.
Vodafone launched PLAY in April 2015. An accompanying mobile app similar to the English version is set to launch in Iceland early next year, and will include Hopster’s suite of educational games and interactive interface, all in Icelandic.
Aardman has unveiled their newest official Shuan the Sheep online game, Llama League, is now available. The charming diversion ties in to the premiere of the animation studio’s latest half-hour special, Shaun the Sheep: The Farmer’s Llamas, coming to BBC One in the U.K. on Boxing Day (Dec. 26th) at 6:15 p.m.
Available for iOS and Android devices, Llama League is a hilarious, free to play football (the one that’s actually played with feet) game. Play as one of the unruly new additions to Mossy Bottom Farm and see if your llama has what it takes to become a star striker.
The game has both single player (play against the flock) or competitive two-player modes and a range of crazy environments, from a lunar landscape to a Christmas-themed barn, a basketball court and an ice-covered lake. Players can earn rewards every time they score and can customize their kit and mix up gameplay with different arenas and even swap out their football for a beach ball, tennis ball or an “invisiball.”
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Warner Bros. is offering up a glimpse at the fruits of its labors with the first teaser trailer for upcoming CG comedy Storks, set to hit theaters on September 23, 2016. The studio also released a first-look poster for the flick.
Co-directed by Nicholas Stoller and Doug Sweetland from a script by Stoller, Storks blends an age-old folktale with the trials of modern commerce. Once the go-to baby delivery birds, storks nowadays deliver packages for giant global e-tailer CornerStore.com. Junior, their top delivery story, is on the verge of promotion when he accidentally switches on the Baby Making Machine and creates an unauthorized baby girl. Desperate to hand off the little bundle before his boss notices, Junior and his human friend Tulip set out on their first-ever, totally wild baby delivery mission.
Storks features the voices of Andy Samberg, Kelsey Grammer, Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele. Nicholas Stoller is best known for writing and directing live-action comedy features such as Forgetting Sarah Marshall, The Muppets and Muppets Most Wanted. Doug Sweetland is a Pixar feature animation veteran and also directed the short Presto.
The Animation Production Day (APD), taking place for the 10th year on April 28-29, 2016 during the Stuttgart Festival of Animated Film and FMX, is now open for Project Submissions.
German and international producers may enter by February 22. Each year, 30 to 35 animation projects for film, TV, games and transmedia are selected to participate, with a large number of participants finding production and financing partners at the event. Nearly a third of projects from recent editions have been produced.
APD has been evolving over the last decade. The 2015 events hosted a special series dedicated to producers and contractors looking to network and seek out co-production opportunities, or offer special skills and services to potential projects. The 2016 APD will again feature this “Producers for Co-Production” series with additional improvements, such as more involvement from the games industry.
DHX Media and Mattel Inc. are entering a long-term partnership for the development, production and distribution of a range of new, multi-platform content for young audiences inspired by hit Mattel properties Bob the Builder, Fireman Sam, Little People and Polly Pocket.
“Mattel is a truly iconic company and this deal builds upon DHX’s existing strategies for long-term global growth,” said Dana Landry, CEO of DHX Media. “The partnership plays extremely well to our complementary strengths – global content creation and distribution for DHX, and brand management and development for Mattel – and creates an amazing opportunity to amplify these celebrated Mattel franchises throughout the world.”
Through the partnership, the companies will jointly fund, co-develop and co-produce new episodic, short-form and long-form content for the properties designed for traditional and digital platforms. Covering multiple revenue streams, the partnership takes effect January 1, though Mattel and DHX will begin creative and strategic collaboration immediately. DHX Distribution will manage global sales of existing and new content for the named properties.
Corus Entertainment’s Nelvana announces it has added on new licensing agents to build the Little Charmers brand worldwide. This includes new broadcast, home entertainment and L&M partnerships.
In Australia and New Zealand, licensing representation rights have gone to The Fusion Agency. Plus, broadcast rights for these territories have been awarded to free-to-air digital channel Go!, operated by Channel Nine, and Roadshow Entertainment will handle home entertainment products.
Other new agents charmed by the brand include Agosin Licensing in Chile; AMV Licensing in Peru and Bolivia; Big Star across the Caribbean; Exim Argentina (Eximtrading S.A.) in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay; Empire Multimedia Corporation in South Korea, Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam and India; and Arabian Licensing Company in the Middle East and Africa.
Portland, Oregon stop-motion house LAIKA — the award-winning studio behind hit films Coraline, ParaNorman, The Boxtrolls and the upcoming original adventure Kubo and the Two Strings — will be celebrating a decade of quality filmmaking in 2016. The company, which takes its name from the Russian word for “little barker,” is planning to make even more noise going forward, according to President & CEO Travis Knight (who is directing Kubo).
“When LAIKA began we had a simple goal: to make movies that matter,” says Knight, who also is lead animator and a producer on the studio’s films. “LAIKA is devoted to telling new and original stories in new and original ways.”
“We aspire to make films that are bold, distinctive, and enduring,” Knight continues. “We are committed to telling stories that are thematically challenging, aesthetically beautiful, emotionally resonant, and a wee bit subversive. By combining stop-motion animation with cutting-edge creative approaches, we’ve embraced the fusion of art and craft and technology, honoring tradition while looking toward the future. We invented new systems and technologies for liberating the camera, to make our films more cinematic. We created new techniques for building and animating our puppets, to make our characters more lifelike and to connect more immediately and intimately with audiences. We discovered new processes for integrating practical and digital visual effects, to make our worlds more authentic. But we’re never satisfied. There’s an inherent restlessness at LAIKA. We always want to challenge ourselves.”
On top of numerous critics’ awards and multiple Annie Awards, Coraline (2009), ParaNorman (2012) and The Boxtrolls (2014) have all been nominated for Academy Awards, BAFTA and PGA Awards. Boxtrolls also received a Golden Globe nomination, while ParaNorman was named the best animated feature of the year by more critics’ groups than any other film in 2012, and Coraline was named one of the Top 10 Films of the year by the American Film Institute.
“Stripping everything else away, we’re simple storytellers,” Knight concludes. “We’re the heirs of flamboyant stage magicians, plainspoken raconteurs spinning yarns around a campfire, and knuckle-dragging troglodytes scrawling stick figures on a cave wall. We believe telling stories is one of the prime functions of the human mind and spirit. A good story can elicit empathy, opening us up to new possibilities, to new ways of thinking, to recognizing the shared humanity in which we all participate. And, in the end, that’s ultimately LAIKA’s reason for being.”
Russian studio Wizart is celebrating a box office triumph as its CG fantasy adventure The Snow Queen 2 is topping the charts in Slovakia in its second week of release. According to Box Office Mojo, the sequel has seen an incredible 395.5% leap over its opening since expanding to more screens.
The Snow Queen 2 is currently leading over acclaimed French animated feature The Little Prince, Steven Spielberg’s Bridge of Spies and Pixar’s The Good Dinosaur in the country. The 2014 release is directed by Aleksey Tsitsilin. Wizart is planning two new CG features for 2016: Original concept Sheep and Wolves and a third Snow Queen film.
Synopsis:
After defeating the Snow Queen, the trolls have developed a taste for freedom. Having played a major role in this triumph, the troll Orm becomes a hero to everyone. However, glory is not enough for him. Comically exaggerating his exploits and achievements, he spins a web of lies, claiming that he himself defeated the Snow Queen, and that he is destined to marry the princess and inherit the great power and riches… But what will Orm’s stories lead him to? In this lively and perilous adventure, Orm learns that friends, happiness, and true love cannot be won through deceit!
Saban Brands has released a first-look at its new original kids’ series for Netflix, Glitter Force, which will debut on the streaming service worldwide (excluding Asia) on December 18. The series is an adapted version of Japanese anime Smile PreCure!, and will launch with a 20-episode first season.
Glitter Force follows five preteen girls who learn they are a destined to be a legendary superhero squad. As the Glitter Force, the fabulous friends transform from ordinary school girls into super-powered cool girls to defend Earth from evil fairytale villains. The team always manages to win the day with the power of friendship.
South Africa’s Triggerfish Animation Studios has selected four features and four TV series to be developed through the inaugural Triggerfish Story Lab incubator, established with the support of The Department of Trade and Industry and The Walt Disney Company. The eight projects were selected from 1,378 entries from 30 countries across Africa which were shortlisted by a panel of experts.
“From misfit Zambian girls who become low-budget superhero-super-spies to a stubborn 12-year-old Kenyan girl who defies tradition by racing camels, from a young South African scientist who accidentally turns her annoying little sister into a new source of electricity to a timid lemming who must defy his nature, these are characters we fell in love with,” says Anthony Silverston, head of development at Triggerfish. “We’re excited by the range of stories, that explore everything from contemporary urban to Afro-futuristic worlds. We’re looking forward to bringing something fresh to the screen.”
The feature film projects are: The Camel Racer (Wanuri Kahiu and Nnedi Okorafor, Kenya/Nigeria), Dropped (Ian Tucker, South Africa), Lights (Kay Carmichael, South Africa) and The Wild Waste (Naseem Hoosen, South Africa).
The television series projects are: Bru and Boegie (Mike Scott, South Africa), KC’s Super 4 (Malenga Mulendema, Zambia), Ninja Princess (Marc Dey and Kelly Dillon, South Africa) and Wormholes (Lucy Heavens, South Africa).
Creators of the selected projects will begin the new year with a two week immersive mentorship experience at Disney’s headquarters in Burbank, California. Triggerfish plans to invest up to R44 million ($2.8 million US) in The Story Lab over the next three years. Each development phase will be supported by Triggerfish with financing, workspace and expert guidance as well as a route to market through Hollywood agency William Morris Endeavor.
Fox has unveiled the destructive wrath of the return of the aliens that audiences can expect from upcoming sequel Independence Day: Resurgence, slated to hit theaters June 24, 2016. Directed by Roland Emmerich, the film is set 20 years after the events of the first flick and stars Jeff Goldblum, Bill Pullman, Liam Hemsworth, Jessie Usher, Maika Monroe, and a whole lot of CG military tech and extra terrestrial demolition. (But no Will Smith.)
We always knew they were coming back. After Independence Day redefined the event movie genre, the next epic chapter delivers global catastrophe on an unimaginable scale. Using recovered alien technology, the nations of Earth have collaborated on an immense defense program to protect the planet. But nothing can prepare us for the aliens’ advanced and unprecedented force. Only the ingenuity of a few brave men and women can bring our world back from the brink of extinction.