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Heart Association Launches Tie-In With Angry Birds Movie

Sensing an opportunity with The Angry Birds MovieĀ to get children focused on exercise, the American Heart Association is teaming with Sony Pictures Home Entertainment to encourage kids to stay active.

The Angry Birds Movie, released to theaters in May, was a decent-sized hit, but (like many kids’ movies) its real legacy is likely to show itself on home video in the years to come.

And the American Heart Association is ready to take advantage of that expected legacy. Teaming with Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, the association this week announced the launch of the “Angry Birds, Happy Bodies” campaign, designed to encourage kids to move around for at least 60 minutes per day.

“The American Heart Association is committed to providing people across the country with the tools they need to lead heart-healthy lives, and that includes kids,” Dr. Alistair B.M. Phillips, president of the AHA’s Los Angeles County Division Board of Directors, said in a news release. “Whether that means encouraging them to get at least 60 minutes of physical activity or ‘play time’ each day, or ensuring physical education classes as part of curriculums across the country, we want kids to know that physical activity can be fun and can help prevent the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases.”

The initiative allows the AHA to reach children by using a platform that talks to kids on their level and will include coast-to-coast events tied to both the Rio de Janeiro Olympics (fitting, as the city is the setting of an Angry Birds game) and the start of the school year.

“With our release of The Angry Birds Movie timed around the global athletic events in Rio, it is the perfect time to encourage everyone to keep active,” noted Lexine Wong, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment’s senior executive vice president for worldwide marketing.

(Columbia Pictures)

Ernie Smith

By Ernie Smith

Ernie Smith is a former senior editor for Associations Now. MORE

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