BURBANK, Calif. , July 12, 2003 – Experience the awesome action-packed adventure of BIONICLE® 2: LEGENDS OF METRU NUI , the all-new, full-length CGI-animated movie revealing new layers of the amazing world of BIONICLE, premiering on DVD and video October 19. One of the top-selling toy franchises* in entertainment, the toy inspired characters of BIONICLE first came to life in the award-winning, hit movie BIONICLE: MASK OF LIGHT , one of the top 10 selling direct-to-video movies of 2003. Presented by the LEGO Company, BIONICLE 2: LEGENDS OF METRU NUI is produced by Miramax Films and Create TV & Film Limited and distributed by Buena Vista Home Entertainment.

This epic thrill ride, filled with bio-mechanical villains and heroes, follows the adventures and challenges that create true heroes no matter what the universe. The film features state-of-the-art CGI animation, with many highly detailed, environments and heart-stopping action sequences. Available for $29.99 (S.R.P.) for DVD; $22.99 (S.R.P.) for VHS.

The DVD is packed with bonus features that divulge more about the legend and the film, including “The Making of BIONICLE 2: LEGENDS OF METRU NUI;” the “Metru Nui Explorer;” and “The Legend Revealed,” a feature in which the team behind BIONICLE answers fans’ most intriguing BIONICLE questions.

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BIONICLE 2: LEGENDS OF METRU NUI reveals the events that transformed six chosen Matoran villagers into magnificent Toa action heroes. When mysterious dark forces threaten the glorious city of Metru Nui, Toa Lhikan gives six Matoran the tools and responsibilities of new Toa. These guardians must quickly master their new powers, demonstrate their worth to their honorable leader Turaga Dume, retrieve the hidden Great Kanoka Disks and rescue the inhabitants of their island city. Experience the nonstop action and adventure as Toa Vakama and his five courageous companions set out to prove they are heroes worthy of their own legends. Will they succeed before time runs out or will darkness prevail?

Street Date: October 19, 2004
Direct Prebook: August 24, 2004
Distributor Prebook: September 7, 2004
Rating: Not yet rated. Bonus features unrated.
DVD aspect ratio: Family friendly widescreen 1.78:1 – enhanced for 16×9 televisions
Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
French audio: Available on DVD
Suggested Retail Price: $29.99 (DVD); $22.99 VHS

THE BEGINNINGS OF BIONICLE

BIONICLE—the confluence of “biological” and “chronicle”—was created by a team of talented designers and storytellers who work (and play) at the celebrated, Denmark-based LEGO Company. Inspired by the folklore of many exotic cultures, the team designed a rich and complex universe of mystery and mythology, which continues to enthrall millions of fans around the world.

BIONICLE came into existence in December 2000, first as an interactive website and a series of comic books—and shortly thereafter in 27 different but interconnecting additional media platforms, including an innovative new line of toys from the LEGO Company. Adventures, characters and clues revealed on one platform enhanced the experience on another.

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By August of 2001, the toy line was outselling every other action figure on the market. Six months later, it was recognized with two Toy of the Year awards, including “Most Innovative Toy” and “Best Boy Toy of the Year” by the American Toy Association. Today BIONICLE has an 87% awareness among boys 6-11, and is owned by nearly 50% of that same population.

Based in Billund, Denmark, the LEGO Company, family-owned and privately-held since its founding in 1932, is a world leader in providing quality products and experiences that stimulate children’s creativity, imagination and learning through playful activities that encourage hands-on, minds-on creation, fun, togetherness and sharing of ideas. Company employees are guided by the motto adopted in the 1930s by founder Ole Kirk Christiansen: “Only the best is good enough.” For more information, visit www.LEGO.com or www.bionicle.com.

Founded in 2000, Create TV & Film Limited is a privately owned independent production and IP management company headquartered in the UK and with offices in the USA and Australia. The company develops and commissions high quality programming for children aged between 2 and 15 years. Create TV & Film aims to expand its portfolio with a raft of programmes for a broader audience, including family programming and documentaries.

Miramax Films, founded by Bob and Harvey Weinstein in 1979, has released some of the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful independent feature films of the past fourteen years, with a record fourteen Best Picture nominations over the past eleven consecutive years: Chicago , Gangs of New York , The Hours , In the Bedroom , Chocolat , The Cider House Rules , Shakespeare In Love , Life Is Beautiful (La Vita É Bella) , Good Will Hunting , The English Patient , Il Postino (The Postman) , Pulp Fiction , The Piano and The Crying Game . Miramax releases have also earned eighteen Best Foreign Language Film nominations including: Amélie , Life is Beautiful , Kolya , Mediterraneo and Cinema Paradiso .

Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Inc., is a recognized industry leader. Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Inc. is the marketing, sales and distribution company for Walt Disney, Touchstone, Hollywood Pictures, Miramax, Dimension and Buena Vista videocassettes and DVDs.

* NPDFunworld TRSTS – Toy Industry Insights, Oct. 200 ( sic )

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LEGO, the LEGO logo, BIONICLE and BIONICLE 2:Legends of Metru Nui are trademarks of the LEGO Group.
© 2004 The LEGO Company. All Rights Reserved.
© Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Inc.