SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Baidu, Inc. (Nasdaq: BIDU) and multi-award-winning animation studio, Aardman, have today announced a new collaboration to bring characters from Aardman’s newest feature film “A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon” to Facemoji Keyboard users in the United States and Baidu IME users in China.
Produced by STUDIOCANAL, “A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon” is the hilarious tale of friendship and mischief between the world’s favorite sheep and an adorable alien as they embark with the whole flock on an epic and out-of-this-world adventure to send her back home.
When an alien with amazing powers crash-lands near Mossy Bottom Farm, Shaun the Sheep goes on a mission to shepherd the intergalactic visitor home before a sinister organization can capture her.
Users of Baidu’s popular keyboard apps Facemoji Keyboard and Baidu IME will be able to celebrate Shaun the Sheep’s latest adventures by sharing digital stickers with friends and family and by decorating their phone keyboards with exclusive “Farmageddon”-themed designs.
“People all over the world love Shaun the Sheep’s endearing antics,” said Mr. Jiang Feng, director of Baidu Global Business Unit. “We are delighted to welcome Shaun and his friends to our keyboard family with stickers and keyboard skins. We’re extremely thankful to Aardman for providing our users with a fun new way to express themselves in chats with friends.”
Shaun the Sheep Brand Manager Rachael Peacock said, “We’re thrilled that Shaun, Lu-La and the flock will soon be available as stickers and keyboard skins on Baidu’s apps. The collaboration is ‘out of this world’!”
About Facemoji Keyboard
Facemoji Keyboard is an emoji-centric keyboard app featuring Baidu’s speech recognition technology. It includes an emoji prediction feature and a wide variety of stickers, GIFs and customizable keyboards. Facemoji Keyboard’s goal is to help people around the world express themselves in new ways with fun, creative emoji.
About Baidu
Baidu, Inc. is the leading Chinese language Internet search provider. Baidu aims to make the complicated world simpler through technology. Baidu’s ADSs trade on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol “BIDU.” Currently, ten ADSs represent one Class A ordinary share.
About Aardman
Aardman, based in Bristol (UK) and co-founded in 1976 by Peter Lord and David Sproxton, is an independent and multi-award-winning studio. It produces feature films, series, advertising, games and interactive entertainment - such as the ‘visually astonishing’ (The Guardian), BAFTA® nominated console game, , and the four-times Gold Cannes Lions-winning app - and innovative attractions for both the domestic and international market, including a new at Efteling in the Netherlands. Its productions are global in appeal, novel, entertaining, brilliantly characterised and full of charm reflecting the unique talent, energy and personal commitment of the Aardman team. The studio’s work – which includes the creation of much-loved characters including Wallace & Gromit, Shaun the Sheep and Morph – is often imitated, and yet the company continues to lead the field producing a rare brand of visually stunning content for cinema, broadcasters, digital platforms and live experiences around the world. In November 2018 it became an Employee Owned Organisation, to ensure Aardman remains independent and to secure the creative legacy and culture of the company for many decades to come.
About STUDIOCANAL
STUDIOCANAL, a 100% affiliate of CANAL+ Group held by Vivendi, is Europe’s leader in production, distribution and international sales of feature films and TV series, operating directly in all three major European markets - France, the United Kingdom and Germany - as well as in Australia and New Zealand. STUDIOCANAL owns one of the most important film libraries in the world, boasting more than 5,500 titles from 60 countries. Spanning 100 years of film history, this vast and unique catalogue includes among others the iconic Terminator 2, Rambo, Breathless, Mulholland Drive, The Pianist and Belle de jour. STUDIOCANAL has fully financed box office hits Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, Paddington 1 and 2, The Commuter and Shaun The Sheep Movie. Upcoming films backed by STUDIOCANAL include Marjane Satrapi’s Radioactive featuring Rosamund Pike and The Secret Garden produced by David Heyman starring Colin Firth.
STUDIOCANAL is actively developing and distributing high-end TV series through its network of award-winning European production companies, including TANDEM in Germany (Shadowplay), the UK’s RED Production Company (Years and Years), Spain’s BAMBÚ PRODUCCIONES (On Death Row) and France’s STUDIOCANAL ORIGINAL (Mouche). STUDIOCANAL is also an associate of Danish-based SAM Productions founded by Søren Sveistrup and Adam Price (Ride Upon The Storm) as well as of UK-based GUILTY PARTY PICTURES; Benedict Cumberbatch’s production company SUNNYMARCH TV (Patrick Melrose) and URBAN MYTH FILMS (War of the Worlds).
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