Just in Time for the Holidays, Starlight Starbright Children's Foundation, Legacy Interactive and Animax Entertainment Break New Fundraising Ground With Casual Downloadable Videogame
Celebrity Voices Bring Online Charitable Game - The Tuttles Madcap Misadventures - To Life
Los Angeles, Calif. - Nov. 28, 2007 - Starlight Starbright Children's Foundation®, Legacy Interactive and Animax Entertainment today launched The Tuttles Madcap Misadventures: Starlight Charity Challenge ( http://www.tuttlesfamilygame.com), a casual platformer style downloadable videogame that pairs having a good time with doing good. Actors William Shatner, Bob Saget, Jamie Lee Curtis, Ashley Tisdale, Dominic Scott Kay, Dave Thomas and Dave Coulier contributed their voices to the animated game. Supporters can try the game at http://www.tuttlesfamilygame.com and purchase it for $19.99 with $15 of that amount going to Starlight to brighten the lives of seriously ill children and their families.
"When you think of charity 'signature events,' it's usually races, walks and golf tournaments. Starlight wanted to do something innovative that reflects how people are having fun today. We learned that there are more than 85 million casual gamers in the US, a growing number of whom are women, 40 years and older. That's why we chose to design a national fundraising initiative around a casual videogame the whole family can play," said Patricia Evans, Vice President, Development, Starlight. "The Tuttles Madcap Misadventures gives anyone with Internet access the chance to have fun at home supporting our cause, without the typical barriers to supporting a traditional event, such as location, ticket price and hectic family schedules."
The Tuttles Madcap Misadventures is a hilarious arcade adventure game about a thoroughly modern family trying to bond on a road trip to see the Alamo. Bob Saget voices father Barry, Jamie Lee Curtis is mother Barbara, Ashley Tisdale plays teen daughter Jess, and Dominic Scott Kay voices young son Zach. Other characters include Dave Thomas as The Australian, Dave Coulier as The Islander and William Shatner as the voice of the souped-up mini van that transports the family.
The family-friendly game features:
An original comedic script and characters designed by Emmy Award-winning Animax Entertainment 40 engaging levels of side-scrolling action The ability to play as each of the four individual Tuttle family members, all with their own unique gameplay experiences Six lushly rendered environments from desert to undersea Flash-animated comic book style cut scenes and vignettes More than 300 lines of dialogue featuring the voice-over talents of some of Hollywood's biggest namesThe Tuttles Madcap Misadventures marks a return engagement for Dave Thomas and Starlight. In addition to being a well-known actor, writer and director, he's also creative director and co-founder of Animax Entertainment, which has a long history of working with Starlight. Animax developed the award-winning "Coping with Chemo" webisode series for the organization, and most recently helped redesign its online social network for seriously ill teens called Starbright World.
Starlight partnered with Legacy Interactive on the game's development and publishing. Legacy is contributing 75% of its proceeds from the game back to Starlight. The game is now available for download at http://www.tuttlesfamilygame.com (where it can also be purchased as a gift) and on multiple online gaming portals for a suggested retail price of U.S. $19.99. The per unit donation amount will vary based on individual distributor agreements. Additional information and press assets are available at http://www.tuttlesfamilygame.com.
Editor's Note: Media should contact linda@mmpr.com regarding review of this game.
About Starlight Starbright Children's Foundation
When a child or teenager has a serious medical condition, everyone in the family is affected. For nearly 25 years, Starlight Starbright Children's Foundation TM has dedicated itself to helping seriously ill children and their families cope with their pain, fear and isolation through entertainment, education and family activities. Starlight's programs have been proven to distract children from their pain, help them better understand and manage their illnesses, and connect families facing similar challenges so that no one feels alone. Through a network of 32 offices, Starlight provides ongoing support to children, parents and siblings in all U.S. states and Canadian provinces with an array of outpatient, hospital-based and Web offerings. Programs are also delivered internationally through affiliates in Australia, Japan and the United Kingdom. To learn more visit www.starlight.org.
About Legacy Interactive
Legacy Interactive is a developer and publisher of casual games. Entertaining customers since 1998, the company has built a reputation for developing intelligent, realistic and engaging games for a broad audience. Located in Los Angeles, Legacy is well known for its TV-branded games, such as Law & Order and The Apprentice, as well as for its popular simulation games Pet Pals: Animal Doctor, Emergency Room and Zoo Vet. Through Legacy's online casual game portal at www.legacygames.com, customers can download and try more than 500 casual games plus read and write reviews and share playlists of their favorite games. Legacy has ongoing distribution, marketing and content strategic partnerships with a number of companies, including Vivendi Games, Universal Studios, Ubisoft, Mindscape, Majesco Entertainment, and Scholastic. Legacy Interactive can be found on the Web at www.legacyinteractive.com.
About Animax Entertainment
Emmy Award TM winning Animax Entertainment ( http://www.animaxent.com) produces character driven content for all screens. Winners of the first-ever Broadband Emmy Award TM for an animated series developed for ESPN.com, Animax develops original content, viral media, and online games. Recently, Animax developed the first virtual world for girls for Ty, Inc. and is currently developing a kid-friendly MMOG platform. Founded in 2001, Animax has offices in Van Nuys, CA and Toronto, ON.
Michael Meyers PR
Linda Meyers
email: linda@mmpr.com
phone: (925) 408-9565
Starlight
Donna DeDario
email: donna.dedario@starlight.org
phone:(323) 556-3322
Animax
Anthony Vagnoni
email: anthony@animaxent.com
phone: (973) 493-8736