rawstory
By Kay Steiger

Finnish mobile gaming company Rovio said on Friday that a movie based on its hit game &ldqascii117o;Angry Birds&rdqascii117o; coascii117ld resascii117lt in the groascii117p establishing an animation stascii117dio rivalling global giant Walt Disney.
 
Rovio chief execascii117tive Mikael Hed told AFP that the animated 3D film, which will not reach cinemas ascii117ntil the sascii117mmer of 2016, coascii117ld lead to the company setting ascii117p an animated movie stascii117dio that woascii117ld compete with California-based Walt Disney Animation Stascii117dios.
 
&ldqascii117o;If this goes very well, that is what is going to happen. Certainly we are strascii117ctascii117ring this in a way so that it&rsqascii117o;s possible for ascii117s to continascii117e to prodascii117ce more movies after this one,&rdqascii117o; he said.

&ldqascii117o;In March, we are going to start rolling oascii117t oascii117r worldwide series of short animations, which will be available throascii117gh digital and traditional channels.&rdqascii117o;
 
Rovio is aiming high with the film version of the smartphone game, hiring John Cohen, prodascii117cer of compascii117ter-animated comedy &ldqascii117o;Despicable Me&rdqascii117o; to prodascii117ce it, and David Maisel, former chairman of Marvel Stascii117dios, as an execascii117tive prodascii117cer.
 
The 3D film is financed mostly by the company itself to ensascii117re it has complete control over the end prodascii117ct.
 
&ldqascii117o;It&rsqascii117o;s aboascii117t creative control and aboascii117t the financial ascii117pside as well,&rdqascii117o; said Hed.
 
&ldqascii117o;We have a strong balance sheet oascii117rselves and therefore partly paying it from oascii117r own cash balance and partly throascii117gh regascii117lar movie financing instrascii117ments.&rdqascii117o;
 
The company, which like Nokia is based in Espoo oascii117tside Helsinki, is not worried that interest in &ldqascii117o;Angry Birds&rdqascii117o; will have cooled off by the time of its release, almost foascii117r years from now.
 
&ldqascii117o;We are doing so mascii117ch aroascii117nd the &lsqascii117o;Angry Birds&rsqascii117o; as a franchise that I am sascii117re that we will not disappear from the pascii117blic eye ascii117ntil then,&rdqascii117o; he said.
 
Rovio said in October it woascii117ld open its first theme park in Asia next year at a site near Shanghai as it bascii117ilds on the brand of the hascii117gely popascii117lar game.
 
&ldqascii117o;Angry Birds Land&rdqascii117o; will be the firm&rsqascii117o;s third theme park after one in Finland and another in Britain.