SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 14, 2017ย — Baobab Studios, the leading immersive animation studio, today debuted the highly anticipated VR animated film, ASTEROIDS! with Ingrid Nilsen as the voice of Peas. This role marks Ingrid’s first foray into VR work alongside Elizabeth Banks.
“I’ve never seen anything quite likeย ASTEROIDS!,” said YouTube and lifestyle personality Ingrid Nilsen. “ASTEROIDS!ย is completely social and interactive. From the second the film starts, you are immediately immersed in a world where virtual animated characters become your friends and together, you experience emotions like humor, excitement and compassion, just as you would in real life.”
From the director of Madagascar, ASTEROIDS! was a Sundance Official Selection and won the Unity Vision Award for best virtual reality, and is the follow-up episode to the Emmy award-winning film INVASION!. The film followsย the journey of Mac, Cheez (Elizabeth Banks) and their sidekick Peas (Ingrid Nilsen) as they traverse the challenges of space. Cheez is a loyal robot pet with a playful streak who is always ready for a game of fetch or daring rescue mission, while Peas is the loveable goofball with a heart of gold who just wants her best friends to be happy.
During the 11-minute interactive cinematic experience, viewers are taken by Mac, Cheez and Peas on a deep space mission where they come face-to-face with teeth-gnashing space-bugs and careening asteroids. Viewers are connected to the characters in ASTEROIDS! as they interact with Mac, Cheez and Peas the same way they would in real life. In the process of saving the crew, audiences become a respected member of the ship and are taught the strong, emotional bonds created through friendship.
Baobab Studio’s executive team is led by Maureen Fan, Eric Darnell and Larry Cutler – a powerhouse combination of cinema, animation and gaming experts and leaders from Pixar, Zynga and DreamWorks Animation. Their award-winning work has included some of the most well-known names in entertainment including Ethan Hawke, Elizabeth Banks, and Ingrid Nilsen. Baobab Studios creates content that encompasses the empathy of film, the agency of games, and the motivation of real life.
ASTEROIDS! is now available for free download on YouTube 360, Facebook 360, Baobab VR app for iOSand Android, Samsung Gear VR, Google Daydream, and Windows MR.
ASTEROIDS! can be downloaded via:
YouTube: https://goo.gl/jVwdZL
Facebook: https://goo.gl/uRtHVc
Android: https://goo.gl/wRMKgn
iOS: https://goo.gl/tyQ8WG
Samsung Gear VR: https://goo.gl/NZGUiL
Daydream: https://goo.gl/RGu46N
Windows Mixed Reality: https://goo.gl/bGmFMt
About Baobab Studios
Baobab Studios is the leading immersive animation studio, whose mission is to inspire people to dream by bringing out their sense of wonder.
Started in 2015 by industry leaders Maureen Fan, Eric Darnell, and Larry Cutler, the company’s Emmy-award winning VR animation, INVASION!, starring Ethan Hawke, launched to substantial critical acclaim. Baobab Studios garnered laurels from film festivals globally including Tribeca Film Festival, Sundance Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and Cannes. INVASION! is currently a top-ranking download on major VR platforms including Oculus, VIVE, PSVR, Samsung, Within, Hulu and others. Baobab Studios is one of the largest in independent VR studios today having raised $31M to date with funding from Comcast Ventures, HTC, Samsung, Advancit Capital, The Chernin Group, Freelands Ventures, Horizons Ventures, Twentieth Century Fox, Evolution Media Partners (backed by TPG Growth and CAA), China’s Shanghai Media Group, Youku Global Media Fund and LDV Partners, Zynga co-founder Mark Pincus, PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel.
Rod is a blogger, writer, filmmaker, photographer, daydreamer who likes to cook. Rod produces and directs the web series, CUPIC: Diary of an Investigator. He is also the editor, producer and administrator of STM Daily News, a part of the TNC Network.
