Habbowood allows teens to make animated films

Habbo, one of the world's largest virtual worlds for teens, announced Sunday the kickoff of the first worldwide Habbowood Digital Movie Awards 2007.

Using the Habbowood MovieMaker tool, aspiring filmmakers are invited to take the director's chair and create, star in and share their own animated movies in hopes of winning a Habbowood Award. For the first time ever, after claiming the top prize in Habbo.com, the winning film will be entered into a global contest against the winners from 18 other Habbo communities around the world to compete for a grand prize trip for two to Hollywood.

Available now on Habbo (www.habbo.com) for free, the MovieMaker tool is a comprehensive editing device that allows users to select from a wide range of virtual sets, props, special effects and mood music, cast Habbo "actors," and script dialogue to build scenes. Up to 10 different scenes can then be combined using the MovieMaker tool to create an animated film up to five minutes long.

For the next 10 days, the Habbo community, which numbers more than 15 million registered users in the United States, will select the 10 top films through a combination of page views and scaled ratings. Each day, the Habbo staff will choose a winner from this top 10 to comprise the final nominees which the Habbo community will vote on to select the Habbowood Award winner. The winner will be announced and special awards, such as Best Director, Best Writer, Best Actor and Best Actress, will be presented live in the Theaterdome during the virtual Habbowood Digital Movie Awards gala, on September 21 starting at 4 p.m. (PDT)/7 p.m. (EDT).

"The Habbowood Digital Movie Awards will prove that teens can create imaginative, successful movies, just like their Hollywood counterparts," said Habbo Business executive vice-president Teemu Huuhtanen. "We are challenging teenagers to write the script, choose the location and direct the actors in their own movies to create a winning film that will demonstrate a combination of originality, timing and artistic flair."

The U.S. champion will be entered into the first global Habbowood contest with the winners from 18 other Habbo communities around the world. An expert panel from the fields of animation and computer-generated visual effects will judge the competition, including Matt Johnson, VFX supervisor at critically acclaimed visual effects and digital imaging house Cinesite; Antti Jokinen, celebrated director of music videos for Will Smith, Missy Elliott, Celine Dion and and Shaggy; Tim Searle, award-winning 2DTV animator; and Jim Thacker, editor of 3D animation bible 3D World. The global winner will receive a star-studded trip for two to Hollywood and celebrity status within Habbo communities around the world.

Habbo.com opened its doors to Habbowood three years ago. Last year, the hugely popular U.S. movie contest garnered more than 140,000 animated short films. On a global level, Habbowood generated more than 700,000 movies last year.

For more information about the Habbowood Digital Movie Awards 2007 and the Habbowood MovieMaker, visit www.habbo.com/entertainment/habbowood.

Visit In the Mood for Love (www.habbo.com/entertainment/habbowood/movies/622) or Nik the Great: The Magician of Terror (www.habbo.com/entertainment/habbowood/movies/1806) to view samples of Habbowood films.