(Montreal, July 2, 2004) - Toon Boom Animation announced today that Italian animation studio Lanterna Magica, along with studios Enarmonia and Melazeta, will be producing Gino the Chicken, a 52-episode series, with their Concerto animation solution. Co-produced with the Italian state television, RAI, the series is scheduled to be delivered in January 2006.

This installation is the first, completely digital solution of its kind in Italy. Production on the series is being shared among three locations, each studio is responsible for the complete production of 26 episodes. Concerto, along with its digital animation and workflow features, will be instrumental in the success of the project. "When we saw that Concerto could out-perform Flash in terms of productivity and quality, we decided to stop the production and switch to Concerto," stated Michele Buri, Production Manager at Lanterna Magica.

Lanterna Magica and its partners received hands-on Concerto training from Toon Boom. During the intense training sessions, the studios had the opportunity to learn about Concerto's features and efficiencies while working on material from their production. "We are very happy with the results so far," stated Buri, "and the training has proven to be extremely useful in getting us up-to-speed as quickly and smoothly as possible."

About Gino the Chicken
Star of the web, Gino the Chicken is a live spark, comic, celeb, tender and profound, philosopher and cabaret artist, singer, minstrel, dancer, Latin lover, courageous defender of chicks and bantams. The television series, designed for children, tells the extraordinary and adventurous story of Gino the Chicken and his friends: constantly battling the evil beings that populate the Internet and the world outside. Malevolence surrounds him, his enemies are ruthless, but Gino never stops singing: 52 episodes backed by the catchy melodies of his songs, 52 incredible stories that only a chicken can imagine.

About Toon Boom Animation Inc.
Building on a decade of great successes, Toon Boom has entered a new era. Designated as Toon Boom Animation Inc, the company carries several leading animation products, including USAnimation OPUS and Toon Boom Studio. Toon Boom also offers consulting and training services dedicated to increasing animation production efficiency and quality. Concerto, a new solution designed to meet digital and paperless animation production needs, is implemented in prestigious animation studios worldwide. With these great offerings, Toon Boom Animation is well poised, as the world-leading supplier of animation solutions, to continue delivering quality, efficiency and reliability to the animation community - for all animation styles and formats. Toon Boom's client base ranges from major studios creating Hollywood blockbuster animated films to individual animators creating their first masterpieces. Market-leading studios using Toon Boom's products include Nelvana, Klasky Csupo, Warner Bros., DreamWorks, Paramount Pictures, Universal, Mercury Filmworks, Wild Brain, Sunwoo, and Cuckoo's Nest, to name a few. For additional information, visit Toon Boom on the Web at www.toonboom.com

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