Sony Pictures Animation and Rovio Entertainment join the Ad Council to launch new PSAs reminding girls that there's no limit to what they can achieve with STEM

NEW YORK, July 16, 2019 — (PRNewswire) —  The Ad Council has joined forces with Sony Pictures Animation/Rovio Entertainment's The Angry Birds Movie 2 to inspire young girls to use science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) to envision, invent and create a better world. The new PSAs (public service advertisements) are an extension of the Ad Council's She Can STEM campaign, which encourages girls to pursue their STEM passions by challenging obsolete stereotypes and surprising girls with how cool, unexpected and inspiring STEM can be.

The PSAs feature Silver, a dazzling young bird who is the smartest engineer at the Avian Academy. The highly accomplished Silver uses her STEM expertise to help save Bird and Pig Island. PSA assets direct viewers to @SheCanSTEM on Instagram to learn more about the campaign and resources for girls who are interested in STEM.

"The new PSAs wonderfully capture the maker spirit and the heights our imaginations can take us when it's coupled with STEM skills," said Lisa Sherman, President and CEO of the Ad Council. "We're excited to team up with Sony Pictures Animation/Rovio Entertainment's The Angry Birds Movie 2 to bring the fun, inspiring story of an engineer to girls across the country."

Women make up half of the total college-educated workforce in the U.S., but they only constitute 25 percent of the STEM workforce, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce.ⁱ Research shows that many girls lose interest in STEM as early as middle school, and this path continues through high school and college, ultimately leading to an underrepresentation of women in STEM careers.

"Silver is the perfect poster bird for girls in STEM – she's a positive role model for young girls who will inspire them to create their own paths," said Jeffrey Godsick, EVP of Brand Strategy and Global Partnerships for Sony Pictures. "We're thrilled to be continuing our long-term collaboration with the Ad Council, and the Angry Birds – voiced by the hilarious ensemble cast – makes these PSAs a terrific win-win."

The flightless Angry Birds and the scheming green piggies take their beef to the next level in The Angry Birds Movie 2! When a new threat emerges that puts both Bird and Pig Island in danger, Red, Chuck, Bomb, and Mighty Eagle recruit Chuck's sister Silver and team up with pigs Leonard, his assistant Courtney, and techpig Garry to forge an unsteady truce and form an unlikely superteam to save their homes.

The PSAs will run in donated time and space, per the Ad Council's model. The assets are available in TV out-of-home formats nationwide. Previous Ad Council promotional partnerships with Sony Pictures include PSAs featuring A Dog's Way Home and Shelter Pet Adoption, Spider-Man™: Into the Spider-Verse and Bullying Prevention, and Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation and Fatherhood Involvement.

To learn more, join the  @SheCanSTEM community on Instagram or visit the She Can STEM  website.

The Angry Birds Movie 2 debuts in U.S. theaters on August 14. 

About The Angry Birds Movie 2
The flightless Angry Birds and the scheming green piggies take their beef to the next level in The Angry Birds Movie 2! When a new threat emerges that puts both Bird and Pig Island in danger, Red (Jason Sudeikis), Chuck (Josh Gad), Bomb (Danny McBride), and Mighty Eagle (Peter Dinklage) recruit Chuck's sister Silver (Rachel Bloom) and team up with pigs Leonard (Bill Hader), his assistant Courtney (Awkwafina), and techpig Garry (Sterling K. Brown) to forge an unsteady truce and form an unlikely superteam to save their homes.

The film is directed by Thurop Van Orman with a screenplay by Peter Ackerman and Eyel Podell & Jonathon E. Stewart. It is produced by John Cohen, and stars Jason Sudeikis, Josh Gad, Leslie Jones, Bill Hader, Rachel Bloom, Awkwafina, Sterling K. Brown, Eugenio Derbez, Danny McBride, Peter Dinklage, Pete Davidson, Zach Woods, Dove Cameron, Lil Rel Howery, Nicki Minaj, Beck Bennett and Brooklynn Prince.

About Rovio Entertainment
Rovio Entertainment Corporation is a global, games-first entertainment company that creates, develops and publishes mobile games which have been downloaded over 4.5 billion times. The company is best known for the global Angry Birds brand, which started as a popular mobile game in 2009, and has since evolved from games to various entertainment and consumer products in brand licensing. Today the company offers multiple mobile games, animations and has produced The Angry Birds Movie, which opened number one in theaters in 50 countries, and the sequel to which is set for theatrical release in 2019. Rovio is headquartered in Finland and the Company's shares are listed on the main list of the NASDAQ Helsinki stock exchange with the trading code ROVIO. ( www.rovio.com)

About Sony Pictures Animation
Sony Pictures Animation produces a variety of animated entertainment for audiences around the world. The visually groundbreaking and critically acclaimed "Spider-Man™: Into the Spider-Verse" is the studio's latest release, and the winner of the 2019 Academy Award® for Best Animated Feature. The division is also behind hit film series such as "The Smurfs," "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs," and "Hotel Transylvania." Next for Sony Pictures Animation are "The Angry Birds Movie 2," the original feature comedy "The Mitchells vs. The Machines" produced by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, and the studio's first-ever animated musical "Vivo," featuring original songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda. Sony Pictures Animation, which was founded in 2002, is a division of the Sony Pictures Motion Pictures Group for Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Tokyo-based Sony Corporation.

About Sony Pictures Entertainment
Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) is a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sony Corporation. SPE's global operations encompass motion picture production, acquisition, and distribution; television production, acquisition, and distribution; television networks; digital content creation and distribution; operation of studio facilities; and development of new entertainment products, services and technologies. SPE's Motion Picture Group production organizations include Columbia Pictures, Screen Gems, TriStar Pictures, Sony Pictures Animation, Stage 6 Films, AFFIRM Films, and Sony Pictures Classics. For additional information, visit http://www.sonypictures.com/corp/divisions.html.

About the Ad Council
The Ad Council brings together the most creative minds in advertising and media to address the most worthy causes. Its innovative, pro bono social good campaigns raise awareness. They inspire action. They save lives. To learn more, visit  AdCouncil.org, follow the Ad Council's communities on  Facebook and  Twitter, and view the creative on  YouTube.

ⁱ U.S. Department of Commerce: Women in STEM: 2017 Update. Available at:  https://www.commerce.gov/sites/commerce.gov/files/migrated/reports/women-in-stem-2017-update.pdf

 

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SOURCE The Ad Council