- LEGO Group, Tinseltown Toons, and Universal Studios Home Entertainment team up for a BIONICLE home entertainment adventure like no other

NEW YORK, Feb. 13, 2009 -- American International Toy Fair - The LEGO Group, the world's leading construction toy manufacturer, has partnered with Tinseltown Toons and Universal Studios Home Entertainment to bring its best-selling BIONICLE® franchise to life on the small screen this fall with a new, direct-to-video release titled BIONICLE: The Legend Reborn.

The film, completely rendered in spectacular CGI animation, showcases a new chapter in the BIONICLE story and features the voice of Michael Dorn, best-known for his role as Lieutenant Worf on Star Trek: The Next Generation, as Mata Nui.

"We're thrilled to see the BIONICLE story on the small screen again," said Jill Wilfert, vice president, entertainment at the LEGO Group. "BIONICLE is a property that lends itself extremely well to this type of experience. Tinseltown Toons and Universal Studios Home Entertainment have done an excellent job in capturing the essence of the BIONICLE storyline."

The Story

Once a great and powerful ruler, Mata Nui finds himself stripped of his stature and ousted to a remote, decaying wasteland - a desert junkyard. Local villagers scavenge the remains, building shelters, survival gear and arenas where each village's best gladiator is pitted against another to end disputes. Mata Nui, in search of a way home, finds himself in the middle of one of those battles.

However, when Mata Nui leaves the arena triumphant, he is as surprised as the villagers, who then ask him to fight their real enemies, the Skrall and the Bone Hunters. United with his band of gladiators, he struggles to unite a devastated land and find the secret to reclaiming his own lost empire. But a bigger secret awaits...

"BIONICLE offers a rich universe of exciting characters engaged in an enduring battle of good versus evil," said Joshua Wexler of Tinseltown Toons. "It's been a thrill to work with the LEGO team and Universal to bring these characters to life and create a gripping, action-packed motion picture that adds another layer to the ongoing BIONICLE story."

Living the Legend

Children can re-live the epic gladiator battles in August, when a line of new constructible action figures featured in the film launches. Six mighty Glatorian figures and a variety of the Skrall and Bone Hunters featured in the film will range in price from $6.99 to $89.99.

A History of Entertainment

Launched in 2001, BIONICLE continues to be one of the most popular properties among boys ages 6 to 12 and ranks among the best-selling product lines in the LEGO Group portfolio worldwide. A variety of toys, comics, video games, online activities and lifestyle products help to continue its popularity. Three BIONICLE direct-to-video movies were released from 2003-2005, selling over 5 million copies globally.

The LEGO Group is a privately held, family-owned company, based in Billund, Denmark. It was founded in 1932 and today the group is one of the world's leading manufacturers of play materials for children. The company is committed to the development of children's creative and imaginative abilities through its products, which can be purchased in more than 130 countries. Visit www.LEGO.com.

LEGO, BIONICLE and their logos are trademarks of the LEGO Group. © 2009 The LEGO Group.

Tinseltown Toons is an animation studio producing high-quality family films for the made-for-DVD marketplace. Production financing for the Tinseltown Toons slate was arranged by Qualia Capital, which manages the company with Threshold Animation Studios. The company has a worldwide distribution agreement with Universal Studios Home Entertainment.

Qualia Capital LLC is a private investment firm focused exclusively on the media and entertainment industries with an emphasis on intellectual property asset portfolios. The Qualia Capital team has extensive expertise in evaluating investments in entertainment content and proven expertise operating businesses in the media sector. With offices in Los Angeles and New York, Qualia Capital is located at the epicenters of content creation.