OWLY ANIMATED SHORT TO DEBUT AT COMIC-CON '09
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Top Shelf Productions and Sprite Animation Studios team up
to bring beloved graphic novel character to life.

SAN DIEGO, July 9th, 2009 – Owly, the kindhearted star of the
award-winning graphic novel series by Andy Runton, will come
to life in an animated short at the San Diego Comic-Con
on July 23-26.

It was jointly announced today by Chris Staros, Publisher of
Top Shelf Productions and Junichi Yanagihara, Executive
Producer at Sprite Animation Studios that the loveable Owly
and his unlikely best friend Wormy will be animated in a
brand-new original segment directed by Moto Sakakibara and
storyboarded by creator Andy Runton. Prominently featured
will be Runton's innovative "Pictomation," a storytelling
device in which the characters' thoughts and feelings are
animated with iconic and expressive images rather than
dialogue, enabling fans of all ages, languages,
and backgrounds to enjoy the show.

"I'm absolutely overjoyed to be working with the entire Sprite
team. Over the past months, we've worked very closely to make
sure Owly was faithfully translated to 3D. Every little detail
was important to them, and the end result blows me away!
They've created an animation that captures the pure essence
of Owly in ways I never thought possible. It's amazing to
see Owly and Wormy come to life like this. The level of
artistry at Sprite is incredible." said creator Andy Runton.

"I am very passionate about the world of 'Owly' and its pure,
honest, and adorable star. It is such a blessing to be able
to bring Owly to new audiences who have not yet been touched
by these wonderful stories," said director Moto Sakakibara.

Fans can visit the Top Shelf Productions booth (#1721) during
the convention to see the short and to speak with members of
the Sprite and Top Shelf teams, as well as meet Andy Runton,
who will be there signing graphic novels, doing sketches,
and talking to fans from around the world.

Owly's foray into animation comes at a time of big changes for
the little "bird of play." Following the re-release of all
five Owly trade paperbacks with newly painted covers; a new
line of T-shirts; a new supply of plushies; a brand new
American Library Association poster and bookmark celebrating
Owly's support for libraries nationwide; the creation of an
extensive collection of lesson plans for the use of Owly in
classrooms; the release of all five Owly trade paperbacks on
Amazon's Kindle, and the announcement that Top Shelf and
Andy Runton have entered into an agreement with
Simon & Schuster to publish two Owly picture books,
starting with Owly & Wormy in Friends All Aflutter in 2011,
Owly is on the move.

For more information, please visit:
http://www.spriteanimation.com/owly

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Sprite Animation Studios is a Los Angeles-based boutique CGI
animation house internationally known for its unique, funky
style, and creativity. Sprite's high-quality work has been
featured in theatrical films, television series, and
festival venues such as Annecy, the SIGGRAPH Electronic
Theater, Ottawa, and Pictoplasma.

Top Shelf Productions is the graphic novel and comics
publisher best known for its ability to discover and showcase
the vanguard of the comics scene. Since 1997, Top Shelf has
produced over two hundred graphic novels and comics that have
helped to revitalize interest in comics as a literary art form.

Andy Runton and his award-winning Owly series have been
quietly leading the charge in the field of all-ages graphic
novels since 2004. Relying on a mixture of symbols, icons,
and expressions to tell his silent stories, Runton's work
showcases both his gift for characterization and his love
of nature. His animated and heartwarming style has made him
a favorite of both fans and critics alike and the Owly series
has earned him multiple awards including the Howard E. Day
Memorial Prize, the Harvey Award, two Ignatz Awards, and the
2006 Eisner Award for "Best Publication for a Younger Audience".

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See y'all at Comic-Con!

Chris Staros
Top Shelf Productions