The new pact builds on the success of TMNT, Imagi‘s first theatrical motion picture, also distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures and The Weinstein Company. TMNT opened in March at the top of the US box office.

Warner Bros. Pictures president, production Jeff Robinov says, "Imagi is breaking new ground with big action pictures done entirely in CG animation. It‘s an exciting new genre, with the potential of attracting big mass market audiences."

Harvey Weinstein says, "TMNT had the kind of beautifully choreographed action sequences you‘d expect from Hong Kong animators. The next two films will confirm Imagi‘s reputation as the world‘s leading action hero animation studio."

Gatchaman scheduled for release in early 2009, originated in Japan in the early 1970s as the television series Science Ninja Team Gatchaman. Aired in the US as Battle of the Planets and G-Force, it soon became a syndicated TV series.

The film is set in a future world grappling with environmental and technological issues. The story focusses on five reluctant heroes whose genetic code makes them Earth‘s only hope
of defeating extra-terrestrial invaders.

Also slated for release later in 2009, AstroBoy was created by the "god of manga," Japan‘s Osamu Tezuka, in the early 1950s. The animated television series first aired in 1963 in Japan and found acclaim and success around the world. In the US, it became a syndicated children‘s show. The iconic character‘s fame grew in the 1980s and 2003 with two new AstroBoy TV series attracting new generations of fans.

The film tells the story of a powerful robot boy created by a scientist in the image of the son he has lost. The hero journeys to find acceptance in the human world, and ultimately discovers true friendship as he uses his incredible powers to help others and save Metro City from destruction.