Justin Bieber is Coming to Town: New Song and Video Debut with Upcoming Movie "Arthur Christmas"

CULVER CITY, Calif., Oct. 17, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Santa Claus is coming to town – and this year, he's getting a little help from Justin Bieber, Aardman Animations, and Sony Pictures Animation.

When Arthur Christmas, the 3D, CG-animated movie from Aardman for Sony Pictures Animation and Columbia Pictures, rolls into theaters on November 23rd, Bieber's rendition of "Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town," from his new Christmas album "Under The Mistletoe," will play over the end credits.  In addition, before the movie, moviegoers will see the exclusive music video for the song, which will premiere in theaters only with Arthur Christmas.  The video will be inspired by the movie and feature footage from the film.

In addition, the album's debut single, "Mistletoe," will be heard in select TV spots for Arthur Christmas.  Bieber's holiday album, "Under The Mistletoe," is a seasonal mix of traditional Christmas standards with newly-penned holiday music largely co-written by Justin.  The CD is available everywhere November 1st.

Commenting on the announcement, Lia Vollack, President, Worldwide Music for Sony Pictures, said, "It was important to us to have a song that connected with the film's themes – and you couldn't ask for a better match than 'Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town' – but our choice was about much more than that.  We saw an opportunity to give our moviegoers a tremendous added value with a brand-new music video premiering in theaters.  We had a great experience working with Justin on The Karate Kid, so we're thrilled to be working with him again and premiering his new video with our movie – it's a perfect fit for our movie's core audience."

The 3D, CG-animated family comedy Arthur Christmas, an Aardman production for Sony Pictures Animation, at last reveals the incredible, never-before-seen answer to every child's question: "So how does Santa deliver all those presents in one night?" The answer: Santa's exhilarating, ultra-high-tech operation hidden beneath the North Pole. But at the heart of the film is a story with the ingredients of a Christmas classic – a family in a state of comic dysfunction and an unlikely hero: Santa's youngest son, Arthur. When this amazing operation misses one child out of hundreds of millions, the least capable Claus embarks on a hilarious, exciting rogue mission against the clock to deliver the last present before Christmas morning dawns.  The film is directed by Sarah Smith, written by Peter Baynham & Sarah Smith, and produced by Peter Lord, David Sproxton, Carla Shelley and Steve Pegram.

About Aardman

Aardman, based in Bristol (UK), co-founded and run by Peter Lord and David Sproxton, is a world leader in animation. It produces feature films, television series and television commercials for both the domestic and international market. The studio has won over 400 international awards including 4 Oscars®.

Aardman's highly creative stop-motion style and creative sensibilities have proven popular with critics and audiences around the world.  In 2000, Chicken Run, their debut feature, took in nearly $225 million worldwide; since then, Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit grossed nearly $200 million and Flushed Away, their first CG feature, earned $176 million.  All three films have achieved enormous critical acclaim, with the three films earning a total of 27 Annie Award nominations (the animation community's highest honor).  In addition, Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit was honored with the Academy Award® for Best Animated Feature.  http://www.aardman.com.  In addition to the CG-animated Arthur Christmas, Aardman is also in production on the stop-motion The Pirates! Band of Misfits.

About Sony Pictures Animation

Sony Pictures Animation produces a variety of animated entertainment for audiences around the world. The studio is following its worldwide comedy hits, the 2011 hybrid live action/animated family blockbuster, The Smurfs (3D) and the 2009 mouth-watering Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (3D), with the family comedy Hotel Transylvania (3D) in Fall 2012. The division is also in production with Aardman Animations on two feature films, the CG-animated family comedy Arthur Christmas (3D) in theaters November 2011 and the stop-frame animated high-seas adventure, The Pirates! Band of Misfits (3D) in March 2012. Open Season 3, the third adventure in Sony Pictures Animation's successful Open Season franchise, was released on DVD and Blu-ray January 2011. In 2007, Surf's Up received an Academy Award®-nomination for Best Animated Feature Film.  Sony Pictures Animation is an operating unit of Sony Pictures Digital Productions.  http://www.sonypicturesanimation.com/.

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About Sony Pictures Entertainment

Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) is a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sony Corporation.  SPE's global operations encompass motion picture production, acquisition and distribution; television production, acquisition and distribution; home entertainment acquisition and distribution; worldwide television networks; digital content creation and distribution; operation of studio facilities; development of new entertainment products, services and technologies; and distribution of entertainment in more than 142 countries. Sony Pictures Entertainment can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.sonypictures.com.

SOURCE Columbia Pictures; Sony Pictures Animation