VANCOUVER, B.C., Canada --(January 18, 2001)-- Mainframe Entertainment, Inc. and U.S. publishing house Houghton Mifflin have agreed to develop the Whiteblack The Penguin property for feature film and television. The property, originally developed as a children's book in 1937 and unpublished until last year, was created by Margaret and H.A. Rey, the creators of Curious George.

Originally created in 1937 while the Reys lived in Paris, the story and artwork for Whiteblack was smuggled out of the city by bicycle, as the couple fled in 1940 just hours in advance of German troops. The story was published for the first time last year. Whiteblack the Penguin is a timeless tale with all the hilarity and childlike sense of adventure characteristic of the Reys' previous work.

"We've been looking for a marquee property for some time and Whiteblack The Penguin certainly fits the bill, " said Mainframe Senior Vice President of Creative Affairs Dan DiDio. "Whiteblack is great family entertainment. We're very pleased to be able to attain these rights and look forward to developing it to its fullest potential across several distribution platforms."

Mainframe Entertainment Inc. is the world's most prolific producer of computer animation for television, and is expanding into long-form CGI for feature films and interactive entertainment. Since 1994 Mainframe has had six computer animated television series on air in the North American market, on YTV, ABC, the Cartoon Network, Fox Kids and Fox Family Channel. The company is currently in production on 26 half-hour episodes of Action Man, an all-CGI television series that began regularly scheduled broadcasts on Fox Kids and YTV in August and the all-new Heavy Gear television series, based on the popular video game. As well, the studio is in production on a large-format stereoscopic feature film based on Gulliver's Travels for release in IMAX 3D theatres.
Founded in 1993, the company employs over 320 artists, animators, technicians and production personnel, and has won many prestigious awards for its creative and technical innovations, including an induction into the Smithsonian Institute.

Houghton Mifflin Company, an independent publisher founded in 1832, has built a reputation for publishing some of America's finest writers. The Trade and Reference Division publishes fiction and non-fiction, poetry and biography in three categories: adult, juvenile and reference. Houghton Mifflin's children's titles include numerous Newbery and Caldecott Medal winners and constitute one of the richest backlists of children's literature in the industry. Its adult titles encompass literary fiction and a broad spectrum of nonfiction, as well as its highly acclaimed trade paperback line, Mariner Books. Its reference titles include the The American Heritage Dictionaries, Taylor's Gardening Guides, Peterson Field Guides, and travel guides.

Web Site: www.mainframe.ca

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