Cecropia Announces Opening of Orlando Production and Animation Studio; Studio New Creative Home For Animated Film Industry Veterans.

LEXINGTON, Mass. -- Cecropia(TM), Inc., an entertainment company that is inventing a new form of interactive storytelling, today announced the opening of its animation and production studio in Orlando, Florida. The studio will create the artwork and animation for the company's interactive films, the first of which will be completed and released in 2005. The Orlando studio is comprised of animation industry veterans, including Walt Disney Feature Animation alumni, who work in collaboration with Cecropia's gaming veterans and engineers located in the company's Boston headquarters.

"We are proud to open our Orlando studio and provide a new creative home for some of the world's most talented and experienced artists and animators," said Ann-Marie Bland, president and chief executive officer of Cecropia. "The new studio has been created to provide our team with the environment, workspace and tools they need to bring our vision to life. The opening of this studio represents a significant milestone in the growth of our company and in our mission to build one of the best entertainment companies in the world."

Occupying 4,300 square feet in the Westwood Corporate Center, the Orlando studio is currently home to 20 animators, assistant animators, story writers, layout artists and production management. These artists possess a wealth of talent and experience, having previously worked with other leading entertainment companies including Walt Disney Feature Animation, Blue Sky, Pixar and DreamWorks. Cecropia artists have contributed to renowned animated feature films including The Little Mermaid, The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, Lilo & Stitch and Brother Bear. Cecropia plans to continue expansion of the Orlando studio by adding 10 additional employees by the end of 2004.

The Cecropia artists are combining their talents in traditional, hand-drawn animation with those of the video game veterans and engineers located in the company's Boston headquarters. The product of this collaboration are interactive films that allow players to act in the role of animated characters and control their behavior, expressions and reactions to other characters. The entertainment experience is based on personality animation which allows the viewer to tell exactly what characters are feeling and thinking through their facial expressions and body language. Personality animation requires the highest level of talent to be successful and Cecropia has assembled one of the best personality animation teams in the world.

"Having this wealth of talent located under one roof fosters a creative and collaborative environment that benefits the work and is very rewarding to be a part of," said Jackie Shadrake, production manager. "The work being done at Cecropia, which combines traditional hand-drawn animation with interactive story-telling, is unlike anything I have previously been involved with. It is a great benefit to be able to directly draw on the talent and experience of the best artists and animators in the industry."

About Cecropia

Cecropia was established in 2001 by Omar Khudari, co-founder of the game developer Papyrus Design Group. Cecropia is inventing a new form of interactive storytelling that anyone can participate in and enjoy. The company is currently developing its first interactive film that allows players to act in the role of an animated character and control his behavior, expressions and reactions to other characters. Cecropia's approach to interactive entertainment combines internally developed intellectual properties, traditional hand-drawn animation techniques, unique game design and easy-to-use controls. The Cecropia team is comprised of veterans of Walt Disney Feature Animation, Pixar, DreamWorks and Blue Sky and video gaming industry veterans from Papyrus Design Group, Sierra On-line, Hasbro Interactive and Atari. Additional information about Cecropia can be found at www.cecropia.com.