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APHA
awards a special registration
DreamWorks'
"Rain" becomes official American Paint Horse
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FORT
WORTH, Texas-"Rain," the animated co-star in the popular
movie Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron, became an "official"
Paint Horse recently, when the American Paint Horse Association
(APHA) awarded her an honorary registration certificate.
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The
American Paint Horse Association issued its first honorary certificate
to "Rain," the animated Paint Horse star in Spirit:
Stallion of the Cimarron. |
Rain
is the first animated horse to receive a registration certificate
from APHA, which has registered more than 670,000 American Paint
Horses to date. About 70 percent of those horses have been registered
in the past 10 years, making the American Paint Horse one of the
fastest-growing horse breeds in the world.
APHA
chose to honor Rain with the certificate in recognition of the widespread
exposure the Paint Horse receives in the film, which generated more
than $65 million in gross box office sales in its first four weeks.
"Although
she may be only an animated version of a horse, in her own way,
Rain has exemplified the breed standards people have come to recognize
in a Paint Horse," said APHA Executive Secretary Jim Kelley.
"Not
only is she beautiful, but she is versatile, agile, strong and intelligent-just
like real American Paint Horses."
Kelly
Asbury and Lorna Cook, who co-directed the movie for DreamWorks
Pictures, said they considered APHA's registration of Rain a tribute
not only to the horse but to the entire movie production.
"APHA
has helped legitimize the film by honoring Rain this way,"
said Asbury.
Cook
added, "We needed to find a special horse to portray Rain in
the movie. And a Paint Horse was the most perfect choice because
of what they embody."
Over
450 animators worked for four years on the movie, which broke new
ground in vividly portraying one of the hardest creatures to animate-the
horse. Along with looking to live horses to help illustrate the
movie, DreamWorks also used specialists in horse physiology and
behavior to make the horses realistic.
One
copy of the honorary certificate will be displayed at DreamWorks'
offices in Glendale, Calif., while another will be a part of the
APHA's Heritage Center at the association's headquarters in Fort
Worth. The Heritage Center is under development and will include
artifacts, memorabilia, literature and artwork about the breed.
More
information about APHA and American Paint Horses
Established in 1962, APHA serves more than 100,000 members, who
are located in 36 nations and in every U.S. state. American Paint
Horses have been registered from 43 nations around the globe.
For
more information about the American Paint Horse and APHA, visit
www.apha.com, or call (817) 834-2742,
extension 788.
More
information about DreamWorks SKG
DreamWorks SKG was formed in October, 1994, by its three principal
partners-Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen-to
produce live-action motion pictures; animated feature films; network
and cable television programming; home video entertainment; records;
books; toys; and consumer products.
For
more information on DreamWorks or Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron,
visit www.dreamworks.com.
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