Sony Pictures Animation's / Aardman's "Arthur Christmas" Continues to Garner Accolades

CULVER CITY, Calif., Jan. 11, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- "Arthur Christmas" -- the Aardman production for Sony Pictures Animation that answers the question, 'So how does Santa deliver all those presents in one night?' -- continues to collect post-holiday presents from critics groups across the country, as the 2011 awards season starts to pick up speed.

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The 3D release, which has already been nominated for both a Golden Globe and a Critics' Choice Award as the year's Best Animated Feature, just received the Golden Tomato Award for the Best Reviewed Animated Film of the Year. The Tomato was bestowed by the popular movie destination website RottenTomatoes.com, which scores feature releases based on critical reception, with "Arthur Christmas" receiving the highest score of any animated feature of 2011.

The Sony Pictures Animation release has already earned Best Animated Film awards from critics' groups in the Midwest and Southern California as well as six Annie Awards nominations honoring excellence in animation, and two Visual Effects Society Awards nominations recognizing outstanding visual effects artistry. The Broadcast Film Critics Association will announce winners at the 17th Annual Critics' Choice Movie Awards on January 12; the 69th Annual Golden Globe Awards telecast will be broadcast on January 15 on NBC.

The 3D, CG-animated family comedy Arthur Christmas at last reveals the incredible, never-before-seen answer to every child's question: "So how does Santa deliver all those presents in one night?" The answer: Santa's exhilarating, ultra-high-tech operation hidden beneath the North Pole. But at the heart of the film is a story with the ingredients of a Christmas classic - a family in a state of comic dysfunction and an unlikely hero: Santa's youngest son, Arthur. When this amazing operation misses one child out of hundreds of millions, Arthur, the least capable Claus, embarks on a hilarious, exciting rogue mission against the clock with his politically incorrect grandfather Grandsanta and a giftwrapping-obsessed elf named Bryony, to deliver the last present before Christmas morning dawns.

Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Animation present an Aardman production, Arthur Christmas. Starring the voice performances of James McAvoy, Hugh Laurie, Bill Nighy, Jim Broadbent, Imelda Staunton, and Ashley Jensen. Directed by Sarah Smith. Produced by Peter Lord, David Sproxton, Carla Shelley, and Steve Pegram. Written by Peter Baynham & Sarah Smith. Co-Producer is Chris Juen. Co-Executive Producer is Peter Baynham. Co-Director is Barry Cook. Music by Harry Gregson-Williams.

ABOUT AARDMAN

Aardman, based in Bristol (UK), co-founded and run by Peter Lord and David Sproxton, is a world leader in animation. It produces feature films, television series and television commercials for both the domestic and international market. The studio has won over 400 international awards including 4 Oscars®.

Aardman's highly creative stop-motion style and creative sensibilities have proven popular with critics and audiences around the world. In 2000, Chicken Run, their debut feature, took in nearly $225 million worldwide; since then, Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit grossed nearly $200 million and Flushed Away, their first CG feature, earned $176 million. All three films have achieved enormous critical acclaim, with the three films earning a total of 27 Annie Award nominations (the animation community's highest honor). In addition, Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit was honored with the Academy Award® for Best Animated Feature. http://www.aardman.com. In addition to the CG-animated Arthur Christmas, Aardman is also in production on the stop-motion The Pirates! Band of Misfits.

ABOUT SONY PICTURES ANIMATION

Sony Pictures Animation produces a variety of animated entertainment for audiences around the world. The studio is following its worldwide comedy hits, the 2011 hybrid live action/animated family blockbuster, The Smurfs (3D) and the 2009 mouth-watering Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (3D), with the family comedy Hotel Transylvania (3D) in Fall 2012. The division is also in production with Aardman Animations on two feature films, the CG-animated family comedy Arthur Christmas (3D) in theaters November 2011 and the stop-frame animated high-seas adventure, The Pirates! Band of Misfits (3D) in March 2012. Open Season 3, the third adventure in Sony Pictures Animation's successful Open Season franchise, was released on DVD and Blu-ray January 2011. In 2007, Surf's Up received an Academy Award®-nomination for Best Animated Feature Film. Sony Pictures Animation is an operating unit of Sony Pictures Digital Productions. http://www.sonypicturesanimation.com/.

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ABOUT SONY PICTURES ENTERTAINMENT

Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) is a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sony Corporation. SPE's global operations encompass motion picture production, acquisition and distribution; television production, acquisition and distribution; home entertainment acquisition and distribution; worldwide television networks; digital content creation and distribution; operation of studio facilities; development of new entertainment products, services and technologies; and distribution of entertainment in more than 142 countries. Sony Pictures Entertainment can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.sonypictures.com.

SOURCE Sony Pictures Animation

SOURCE: Sony Pictures Animation

CONTACT: CONTACT: Olivier Mouroux, omouroux@spanimation.com, or Don Levy, donlevy@sonypictures.com

Web Site: http://www.sonypicturesanimation.com