'Ice Age' going accept road tour

"Ice Age: Continental Drift" Fox is punching the street having its "Ice Age" franchise. With three animated photos getting acquired $1.9 billion worldwide, the studio has became a member of with Stage Entertainment Touring Prods. to create a live demonstrate that will bow in November 2012 and crisscross the earth for five years. Tour starts at London's Wembley Arena before going to 30 nations. As Fox readies a fourth film, "Ice Age: Continental Drift," skedded to unspool This summer time 6, the studio remains attempting to find new techniques to show the franchise in to a brand outdoors of megaplexes also it fresh in families' minds -- especially overseas, where the perf in the third entry surprised the biz in areas including Italia and Russia.Altogether, the "Ice Age" franchise has acquired greater than $4 billion in B.O., entertainment and consumer products sales, according to Fox. The studio broadcast the property's first TV holiday special, "Ice Age: A Mammoth Christmas," on Thanksgiving evening, creating a few.3 rating in grownups 18-49. The films' primary figures are voiced by Ray Romano, John Leguizamo, Denis Leary, Seann William Scott and Full Latifah. "Ice Age Live! A Mammoth Adventure" is "part of our extended-term franchise way of the organization,Inch mentioned Jeffrey Godsick, prexy of Fox Consumer Products. "We're realizing our movies are popular culture occasions. Just like a property, ('Ice Age') really resonates with people. We're inside a point now where we view every element of 'Ice Age' prosper,In . as well as the stage version will enable fans to "really get immersed in the world to feel, you'll be able to touch." Robert Marick, professional V . p . of Fox Consumer Products, added the "Ice Age" show "furthers our persistence for getting the very best in live entertainment to fans, which we're able to not consider a far greater partner to blaze this new frontier with than Stage Entertainment." "Ice Age Live! A Mammoth Adventure" will feature the franchise's figures in the new story, not connected using the movies, and mix curler skating, aerial arts, film and puppetry. Guy Caron, behind the Cirque du Soleil productions "Ka" and "Drailon," will helm the show, with various story and including music and lyrics by Ella Louise Allaire and Martin Master Ferguson, whose credits include Cirque du Soleil shows, "Holiday on Ice" and APM Music. Costumes will probably be produced by Michael Curry, furthermore a Cirque du Soleil vet, whose work remains featured in Olympics occasions. Development round the production remains ongoing, while using studio getting approved the concept but overall designs still being worked out. 20th Century Fox Consumer Products brokered the sale with which is manipulating the development for your studio. Founded by Joop van family room Ende in 1998, Stage Entertainment is much better recognized for creating typically the most popular show "Holiday on Ice" in Europe but has furthermore done "Tarzan," "The Lion King," "Aida," "Beauty as well as the Animal" and "Secondary School Musical" with Disney Theatrical Prods "Mamma Mia!" with Littlestar "Cats," "Phantom in the Opera," "Jesus Celebrity" and "Evita" with Andrew Lloyd Webber/Really Useful Group "Oliver" and "Ces Miserables" with Cameron Mackintosh and "Dirty Dancing" with Jacobsen Entertainment, among other shows. Company claims greater than 14 million people visit Stage Entertainment's shows each year. "The bridge between 'Holiday on Ice' and 'Ice Age' is obvious,Inch mentioned Stage Entertainment representative Sjoerd Unger. "It absolutely was the start reason behind considering making an energetic show from an animated movie. But (the 'Ice Age' show) won't be considered a show where we just put folks a dress-up costume and move them around. We preferred to build up it really artistic way where we bring the figures to existence." Following a U.K., the "Ice Age" arena show will visit Germany as well as the relaxation of Europe for three years, before playing inside the U.S. for just two years. It'll visit Latin America, Australia and Asia throughout that time, too. "This is often a large area of the introduction of we and perfectly fits our ambition to produce the most effective arena shows for just about any worldwide audience, working with professional partners," mentioned Caspar Gerwe, Boss of Stage Entertainment Touring Prods. With "Ice Age," Fox becomes the newest studio to exhibit among its top characteristics in to a live touring show. DreamWorks Animation is planning to premiere its "The best way to Train Your Dragon Arena Spectacular" from Melbourne, Australia, in March, because the toon studio's DreamWorks Theatricals division is developing "Kung Fu Panda: The Planet Spectacular" in China for just about any fall launch. A Control Button House is now offering "Disney on Ice" and "Phineas and Ferb Live!" on tour. As well as the BBC's arena show good docu series "Walking With Dinosaurs" remains touring the earth since 2007, playing well with the family aud. Contact Marc Graser at marc.graser@variety.com