Sphere Announces First Movie Studio Collaboration With Dreamworks Animation For Trolls Band Together
Campaign Transforms Sphere’s Exterior LED Screen – the Exosphere –
In Celebration of DreamWorks Animation’s New Film, Trolls Band Together, in Theaters Nov. 17,
And the Release of*NSYNC’s New Single, “Better Place”
LAS VEGAS, NV (September 27, 2023) — Sphere Entertainment Co. (NYSE: SPHR) today announced that DreamWorks Animation is the first movie studio to launch a brand campaign specifically designed for the Exosphere – the fully programmable LED exterior of Sphere in Las Vegas – in support of DreamWorks’ action-packed new film in the Trolls musical blockbuster franchise, Trolls Band Together, which hits theaters nationwide on November 17.
“We’re thrilled to have the innovative and imaginative DreamWorks Animation be the first movie studio to collaborate on a bespoke marketing campaign for the Exosphere,” said David Hopkinson, President and Chief Operating Officer of MSG Sports, who oversees brand partnerships across Sphere Entertainment. “The Exosphere’s larger-than-life canvas has become the premier platform for brands looking to tell their stories on an unparalleled scale, reaching audiences across the globe from the heart of Las Vegas.”
The third installment in the blockbuster Trolls franchise, Trolls Band Together, not only brings fan-favorite characters Poppy and Branch back to the big screen, but also reunites the band *NSYNC for their first new song in more than two decades. In celebration, DreamWorks collaborated with Sphere Studios, Sphere’s in-house creative studio, to develop custom animated content featuring beloved characters from the movie alongside kaleidoscopic art from the film. The week-long campaign began September 25, and will include a special takeover of the venue on the night of September 28 to countdown to the release of *NSYNC’s new single “Better Place” on September 29, which will be featured in Trolls Band Together.
The largest LED screen on Earth, the Exosphere consists of approximately 1.2 million LED pucks across 580,000 square feet of surface. Each puck contains 48 individual LED diodes, with each diode capable of displaying 256 million different colors – creating an unmistakably vivid landmark on the Las Vegas skyline. The Exosphere displays a wide range of custom artistic and branded content, attracting not only the attention of the more than 40 million visitors to Las Vegas each year, but also worldwide interest as a result of the venue being photographed and shared widely on social media daily.
DreamWorks Animation’s previous Trolls films—2016’s Trolls and 2020’s Trolls World Tour—have sung and danced their way to record-breaking success, earning an Oscar® nomination for Best Original Song and fueling one of the largest and most beloved entertainment brands in the world.
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After two films of true friendship and relentless flirting, Trolls Poppy (Anna Kendrick) and Branch (Justin Timberlake) are now officially, finally, a couple (#broppy)! As they grow closer, Poppy discovers that Branch has a secret past. He was once part of her favorite boyband phenomenon, BroZone, with his four brothers: Floyd (Golden Globe nominated electropop sensation Troye Sivan), John Dory (Eric André; Sing 2), Spruce (Grammy winner Daveed Diggs; Hamilton) and Clay (Grammy winner Kid Cudi; Don’t Look Up). BroZone disbanded when Branch was still a baby, as did the family, and Branch hasn’t seen his brothers since.
But when Branch’s bro Floyd is kidnapped for his musical talents by a pair of nefarious pop-star villains—Velvet (Emmy winner Amy Schumer; Trainwreck) and Veneer (Grammy winner and Tony nominee Andrew Rannells; The Book of Mormon)—Branch and Poppy embark on a harrowing and emotional journey to reunite the other brothers and rescue Floyd from a fate even worse than pop-culture obscurity.
Featuring Trolls’ signature psychedelic joy-bomb of new and classic pop hits, Trolls Band Together stars a dazzling cast of musical superstars and comedic powerhouses as new franchise characters, including four-time Grammy nominee and Latin Grammy winner Camila Cabello (Cinderella) as Viva; Zosia Mamet (The Flight Attendant) as Crimp; and 12-time Emmy winning drag icon RuPaul Charles as Miss Maxine.
The returning cast includes Grammy, Emmy and Golden Globe nominee Zooey Deschanel as Bridget; Christopher Mintz-Plasse as Gristle, the Icona Pop duo Aino Jawo and Caroline Hjelt as Satin and Chenille, Grammy winner Anderson .Paak as Prince D, comedian Ron Funches as Cooper, SAG nominee Kunal Nayyar as Guy Diamond and Emmy winning Saturday Night Live legend Kenan Thompson as Tiny Diamond. Trolls Band Together is steered by returning director Walt Dohrn and producer Gina Shay, and is co-directed by Tim Heitz (head of story, Trolls World Tour).
About Sphere
Sphere is a next-generation entertainment medium that will bring wonder to the world and redefine the future of live entertainment. A venue where the foremost artists, creators, and technologists will create extraordinary experiences that take storytelling to a new level and transport audiences to places both real and imagined. The venue will host original Sphere Experiences from leading Hollywood directors; concerts and residencies from the world’s biggest artists; and premier marquee events. The first Sphere venue in Las Vegas is expected to open on September 29, 2023. It will be a new Las Vegas landmark, powered by cutting-edge technologies that ignite the senses and enable audiences to share experiences at a never-before-seen scale. More information is available at thespherevegas.com.
About Sphere Entertainment Co.
Sphere Entertainment Co. (NYSE: SPHR) is a premier live entertainment and media company. The Company includes Sphere, a next-generation entertainment medium powered by cutting-edge technologies to redefine the future of entertainment. The first Sphere venue in Las Vegas is expected to open on September 29, 2023. In addition, the Company includes MSG Networks, which operates two regional sports and entertainment networks, MSG Network and MSG Sportsnet, as well as a direct-to-consumer and authenticated streaming product, MSG+, delivering a wide range of live sports content and other programming. More information is available at sphereentertainmentco.com.