The fledgling Lions GateFamily Entertainment has announced its first feature project Foodfight!, a 3D animated story about the after-hours antics ofa supermarket that features the voices of Hilary and Haylie Duff.

Lions Gate is co-producing with Larry Kasanoff's Threshold Animation Studiosand has acquired North American rights for an autumn 2006 release.

Kasanoff is directing the project based on a story he co-wrote with JoshuaWexler. Brent Friedman, Rebecca Swanson and Sean Derek co-wrote the screenplayand Kasanoff is producing with George Johnsen.

Lions Gate Films Releasing president Tom Ortenberg is serving as executiveproducer with Wexler, and Gregory Cascante and Daniel Suh serve as co-executiveproducers.

Lions Gate Family Entertainment executive vice president Ken Katsumoto isoverseeing for the studio. Family Entertainment is an expanded form of theformer Family Home Entertainment label and is headed up by Anne Parducci.

"The new 3D animation technology used in Foodfight!, powered by Threshold's association with IBM, willcreate a world unlike anything seen before and give audiences an extraordinaryride in the process," Katsumoto said in a statement.

"We are very excited that this groundbreaking film is the first bigproject launched under the new Lions Gate Family Entertainment banner."

"Lions Gate's passion and innovation are what filmmaking is allabout," Kasanoff added. "Plus, they love a squashy anvil drop and agood pie in the face. I'm very excited to be working with them on Foodfight! Butmost of all I am absolutely thrilled to have Hilary and Haylie Duff as part ofthe cast."

The sisters will provide the lead voices in the story of a store that comes tolife when the customers are gone. In a move that should ensure a long line ofpromotional partners, the filmmakers claim to have acquired the rights to use"nearly every" consumer packaged goods company's characters in the picture.

Threshold's animation and digital effects work include Mortal Kombat.

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