Twentieth Century Fox has lined up a litter of national, regional, retail and in-theater promotional partners as well as innovative campaigns for the studio” motion picture comedy GARFIELD.

National promotional partners are Pepperidge Farm, Wendy’s, Ashley Furniture Industries, Inc. Valpak, and Dole.

Ashley Furniture Industries, Inc. will support and promote the feature film in a variety of media to be released through July 15, 2004 Ashley’s Director of Marketing, Bill Napier has announced. “Garfield is famous for his laid-back lifestyle,” said Napier, “It makes perfect sense- or should I say PURR-FECT – for Ashley Furniture, creators of luxuriously comfortable recliners, to partner with the world’s favorite lounge cat. The promotional opportunities for the Ashley Brand and our retailers are literally seamless.”

Beginning in June, Spiller Furniture Stores, which carry the Ashley Furniture line, will participate in a campaign centered on “Garfield’s favorite recliner.” The campaign will include each store having a special area dedicated to Garfield, local spot TV and print advertising, and promotions, which include “Buy one Garfield recliner, get one Free for Odie” as well as a ticket giveaway to the movie. Mike Spiller, President of Spiller Furniture Stores had this to say, “Even Spike would have approved of this partnership.”

Pepperidge Farm will promote the live-action/animated film on packages of its Flavor Blasted Goldfish and Cheddar Goldfish crackers, and also will sell special Garfield-shaped crackers in Goldfish packages. The premium bakery and snack foods company’s national promotion, whose tag line is “The Official Snack of Cool Cats,” is Pepperidge Farm’s first-ever tie-in with a motion picture. The program encompasses an on-pack promotion, in-store point-of-sales displays, website features, and a television campaign.

“What a match-up!” said Pepperidge Farm President Jay Gould. “You have GARFIELD – everyone’s favorite snack eating feline – and Goldfish – America’s best loved ‘Snack That Smiles Back’. That’s a pair to make anyone smile!”

Wendy’s is creating a National Kids Meal Program with five Garfield premium designs, national kid media support, point-of-purchase materials for both dining room and pick up window as well as GARFIELD- theme Kids Meal Bags.

Dole Bananas will place special GARFIELD – theme stickers on 100 million bananas and hold a national sweepstakes and a point-of-purchase program supported at retail.

Retail promotional partners include Meijer, Wal-Mart, Blockbuster, Cookies by Design, and Pocket Billiards via the c-store channel. Fox-s wide-reaching in-theatre promotional partners are Regal Theaters’ kids’ trays/zip packets theme to GARFIELD, the aforementioned Pepperidge Farm, Coca-Cola, and gift cards promotions from Loews/Cineplex and AMC Theatres.

GARFIELD, which opens in theaters nationwide on June 11, marks the long-awaited motion picture debut of the world’s favorite- and laziest – cat. The live action/CGI picture is adapted from the syndicated cartoon strip read in 2600 newspapers by 260 million readers around the globe. Bill Murray provides the voice of Garfield, and Breckin Meyer, Jennifer Love Hewitt and Stephen Tobolwsky star. The film is directed by Peter Hewit, produced by John Davis, and written by Joel Cohen and Alec Sokolow.

Twentieth Century Fox is a unit of Fox Filmed Entertainment, a unit of Fox Entertainment Group.

In Tuscaloosa, GARFIELD:

The Movie is scheduled to be shown at the Fox 12 theatres in McFarland Mall.

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