From Universal Studios Home Entertainment: A Brand-New Hilarious Family Adventure Featuring An All-Star Cast and the World's Best Loved St. Bernard As He's Never Been Seen Before!, Beethoven's Big Break

From Universal Studios Home Entertainment: A Brand-New Hilarious Family Adventure Featuring An All-Star Cast and the World's Best Loved St. Bernard As He's Never Been Seen Before!, Beethoven's Big Break

Universal's Latest DVD Original(TM) Debuts on DVD December 30, 2008

Universal City, California, October 13, 2008 -- Bring together one mega-popular pooch, an all-star cast, some of today's hottest music and a barrel of bouncing baby St. Bernards, and it all adds up to "Beethoven's Big Break!" The all-new adventure comes exclusively to DVD on December 30, 2008 from Universal Studios Home Entertainment. This full-length comedy stars Moises Arias (Rico on "Hannah Montana"), Jonathan Silverman ("The Single Guy"), Daytime Emmy (R) winner Jennifer Finnigan ("The Bold and the Beautiful"), Rhea Perlman ("Cheers"), Joey Fatone ("Dancing with the Stars," 'N Sync), Stephen Tobolowsky ("Heroes"), Oscar Nunez ("The Office"), Eddie Griffin ("Undercover Brother") and Cesar Millan ("The Dog Whisperer") in his feature film debut-and introduces Pete The Lizard! A fresh and funny re-imagination of the hugely popular franchise, "Beethoven's Big Break" is jam-packed with more action and laughs than ever before. Featuring an exciting array of bonus materials, the DVD is priced at $29.98 SRP.

"With movies, bestselling books and even reality television showcasing the public's fascination with all things dog-related, we believe that there's no better time than now to re-invent the Beethoven franchise." said Glenn Ross, General Manager and Executive Vice President of Universal Studios Family Productions. "Beethoven has delighted families around the world and we saw this as the perfect opportunity to give this beloved character a makeover for his introduction to a new generation."

"Beethoven's Big Break" is Universal Studios Home Entertainment Family Productions' newest DVD Original(TM). Since its introduction in 2005, the DVD Original(TM) line has made the studio the industry leader in the growing made-for-DVD market. Universal's strategy combines top-notch casts with high-caliber production values to create new installments of its popular franchises. By launching these films with aggressive marketing campaigns, Universal has released some of the most successful made-for-DVD movies of all-time, including an unbroken string of hits extending the blockbuster franchises "Bring It On," "American Pie" and "The Scorpion King."

MEGA MARKETING CAMPAIGN INCLUDING A BALLOON IN THE MACY'S THANKSGIVING DAY PARADE(R) TAKES BEETHOVEN TO NEW HEIGHTS

Universal Studios Home Entertainment (USHE) will be launching "Beethoven's Big Break" with theatrical-level marketing and publicity support. In addition to a multi-million dollar media campaign featuring top network placements, the "Beethoven's Big Break" DVD will also benefit from an appearance in the 82nd Annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade(R). On November 27, 2008, the "Beethoven" balloon will make its way down New York City's famed Broadway with over 3.5 million spectators and more than 50 million television viewers nationwide watching. To maximize reaching kids online, USHE has partnered with Yahoo! Kids to be the official online destination for "Beethoven's Big Break." The major collaboration with the Internet juggernaut will involve the unveiling of 14 weeks of entertaining content featuring film talent, created exclusively for Yahoo! Kids. Outreach for the title also extends to the malls with a far-reaching alliance with Simon Property Group -- the country's largest owner, developer and manager of high quality retail real estate -- to promote "Beethoven's Big Break" to families at 139 malls nationwide throughout the holiday season in conjunction with their Santa Pet Photo events. In addition to playing the trailer and posting signage promoting the film, the program will also feature regional print and radio advertisements, as well as promotional item distribution, while supplies last.

BARKIN' HOT BONUS FEATURES

The "Beethoven's Big Break" DVD contains a kennel full of exciting, exclusive bonus features, including:

-- ON THE SET OF BEETHOVEN: Experience how the cast and crew made this film in Orlando, FL.

-- MOISES STEALS THE SHOW: Filled with direct-to-camera hijinks, this piece features Moises Arias acting, joking, and playing.

-- HOW DID THEY DO THAT?!: Animal trainers Mark Eschevarria and Dave Sousa tell us how they trained three dogs for the role of Beethoven while Dog Whisperer Cesar Millan explains the keys to working with animals.

-- HAIL CESAR!: In this piece, we'll spend some time with Cesar Millan who reveals that, having grown up in Mexico, he left for the United States in hopes of working with famous movie dogs including Beethoven!

-- TEACHING YOUR OLD DOG NEW TRICKS: In a special shoot with Beethoven and key animal trainer Mark Eschevarria, we give a step-by-step explanation of how you can teach your dog to roll over.

-- GET TO KNOW THE ANIMAL ACTORS: Featuring an introduction by Moises Arias, this entertaining and educational feature will give kids at home a chance to learn more about the wide array of animals used in this film.

-- TRAINING BEETHOVEN: Viewers train the real Beethoven to do tricks, including shake, sit, and roll over.

-- And more features that will leave the whole family howling with laughter!

OWN ALL YOUR FAVORITE BEETHOVEN FILMS IN BEETHOVEN'S DOG-GONE BEST MOVIE PACK

For viewers in need of even more puppy love, "Beethoven's Big Break" will also be included in the new Beethoven's Dog-gone Best Movie Pack, available on December 30. Six hilarious full-length movies for one great price, Beethoven's Dog-gone Best Movie Pack includes every chapter of the hugely successful dog franchise. With over 8 hours of action, laughs and surprises, Beethoven's Dog-gone Best Movie Pack will satisfy the most devoted fans of the big-hearted, wet-nosed Beethoven and his adorable puppies.

Synopsis

Although animal handler Eddie (Silverman) works with lots of creatures, he has a strict NO PETS ALLOWED policy and won't let his son Billy keep adorable stray dog Beethoven and his family of puppies. But when dog-nappers steal the canine star of the movie Eddie's working on, the studio big shots must quickly find a replacement and unexpectedly cast the lumbering canine as their next big star. Through his rambunctious antics and larger-than-life personality, Beethoven not only crashes into Hollywood but into Eddie's heart as well.

   http://kids.yahoo.com/    CAST AND FILMMAKERS   Directed By: Mike Elliott   Screenplay By:  Derek Rydall   Story By: Derek Rydall and Brian Levant   Produced By: Wayne Morris   Director of Photography: Stephen F. Campbell   Production Designer: Mark Garner   Edited By: Roderick Davis   Music By:  Robert Folk   Music Supervisor: Paul DiFranco   Costume Designer:  Beverly Safier   Casting:  Jan Glaser, CSA   Cast: Jonathan Silverman, Jennifer Finnigan, Rhea Perlman, Stephen   Tobolowsky, Oscar Nunez, Joey Fatone, Cesar Millan, with Moises Arias and   Eddie Griffin.    TECHNICAL INFORMATION   DVD   Street Date:  December 30, 2008   Pre-Order Close: November 11, 2008   Copyright: 2008 Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.   Price: $29.98 SRP   Selection Number: 63104274   Running Time: TBD   Layers:  Dual   Aspect Ratio:  Widescreen 1.78:1; Full Frame 1:33.1   Technical Info:  English Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1   Subititles:  English SDH, Spanish, French   Rating: PG for some mild rude humor.    For artwork, please log on to our website at http://www.ushepublicity.com/   

Universal Studios Home Entertainment is a unit of Universal Pictures, a division of Universal Studios (http://www.universalstudios.com/). Universal Studios is a part of NBC Universal, one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience. Formed in May 2004 through the combining of NBC and Vivendi Universal Entertainment, NBC Universal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group, and world-renowned theme parks. NBC Universal is 80%-owned by General Electric, with 20% owned by Vivendi.

    CONTACTS    Universal Studios Home Entertainment     Michelle Slavich    Director of Publicity    (818) 777-5344    Michelle.slavich@nbcuni.com     Kelly Castell    Manager, Broadcast Publicity    (818) 777-0549    Kelly.castell@nbcuni.com     Nicole Canizales    Manager, Online Publicity    (818) 777-0115    Nicole.canizales@nbcuni.com     Scott Lyons    Manager, Print Publicity    (818) 777-0523    Scott.Lyons.@nbcuni.com  

PRNewswire -- Oct. 13
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Source: Universal Studios Home Entertainment

Web site: http://www.universalstudios.com/
http://www.ushepublicity.com/
http://kids.yahoo.com/

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Profile: International Entertainment