Shout! Studios, the multi-platform filmed entertainment distribution and production arm of Shout! Factory, and Sola Media GmbH have entered into an exclusive movie deal to distribute new animated family feature Swift (a.k.a. Manou The Swift ) in the United States. Directed by Andrea Block and Christian Haas of LUXX Film, Academy Award-winner Kate Winslet (The Reader, Titanic) and multi-award-winning actor Willem Dafoe (Finding Nemo, Spider-Man) lead the voice cast.

Shout has secured all U.S. distribution rights to Swift, including theatrical, digital, video-on-demand, broadcast, and home entertainment for cross-platform releases. Shout! Studios plans a strategic launch of this movie across all major entertainment platforms and in all packaged media (Blu-ray/DVD), beginning with a theatrical day-and-date launch in 2020. Here’s the trailer:

Movie synopsis

The little swift Manou grows up believing he’s a seagull. But when he tries to learn how to fly, he finds out that he never will be. Shocked, he runs away from home, meets birds of his own species and finds out who he really is. One day both seagulls and swifts face a dangerous threat, Manou has an opportunity to be the hero of the day.

The voice cast also includes Josh Keaton (Voltron: Legendary Defender, Ben 10), David Shaughnessy (Big Hero 6, Star Wars Rebels), Arif Kinchen (Transformers: Robots in Disguise, Happy Feet), Julie Nathanson (Searching, Avengers Assemble series), and Rob Paulsen (Pinky and the Brain, Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles). A production of LUXX Film, Swift is produced by Haas, Block and LUXX Studios, the renowned VFX studio behind Wes Anderson’s The Grand Budapest Hotel and Roland Emmerich’s Independence Day: Resurgence. The announcement was made today by Shout’s Senior Vice President of Family Entertainment, Melissa Boag, Sola Media’s managing director, Solveig Langeland, and Jordan Fields, Shout’s Vice President of Acquisitions.

“SWIFT’s gorgeously animated and comical story of a bird and his adopted community weaves together themes of family, identity, courage, and adventure. It’s a charming piece of work that families will flock to,” stated Jordan Fields, Vice President of Acquisitions at Shout! Studios.

“We are very happy to continue our successful collaboration with Shout! Studios on this very special film. SWIFT is a visual feast with some of the most beautiful pictures I have ever seen in an independent film. We are now extremely excited about the release in the USA,” said Solveig Langeland Managing Director of Sola Media.

The film deal was negotiated by Jordan Fields, and Shout’s Vice President of Business Affairs, Vanessa Keiko Flanders for Shout! Factory, and Solveig Langeland of Sola Media for filmmakers and LUXX Film.

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Jerry Beck

Writer, cartoon producer and author of more than 15 books on animation history. A former studio exec with Nickelodeon and Disney; currently on the faculty at both CalArts in Valencia and Woodbury University in Burbank, California.

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