Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment’s Hop will get its own Doodle Jump Easter Egg

UNIVERSAL CITY, CA, January, 27, 2011 – Apple’s recently announced number one all time top paid U.S. iPhone application, Doodle Jump, will soon receive a visit from E.B., the star of Universal and Illumination Entertainment’s upcoming live action/CG-animated comedy Hop. Set for release in February, the free software update will allow Doodle Jump users to unlock a secret Easter level within the game and play as the film’s leading character.

Hop is the second film from Universal and blockbuster filmmaker Chris Meledandri’s (Despicable Me) Illumination Entertainment. Blending state-of-the-art animation with live action, Hop tells the comic tale of Fred (James Marsden), an out-of-work slacker who accidentally injures the Easter Bunny (Russell Brand) and must take him in as he recovers. Hop is helmed by Tim Hill, director of the blockbuster film Alvin and the Chipmunks and produced by Chris Meledandri’s Illumination Entertainment. The film will be released April 1, 2011.

In Doodle Jump, players guide a lovable character, Doodle The Doodler, on his journey up a sheet of graph paper. Using some of the most subtle and accurate tilt controls in existence, players help Doodle spring up to towering heights as they compete for high scores. Spoofed by Jimmy Fallon on Late Night, used as a fashion statement by a Lady Gaga dancer, mentioned on The Big Bang Theory, and obsessively played by celebrities from Rainn Wilson to the Jonas Brothers, Doodle Jumphas permeated pop-culture since its release in March 2009.

“A movie as creative as Hop calls for an equally creative launch into consumers’ consciousness,” said Director of Mobile for Universal Partnerships & Licensing Calvin Lim. “Lima Sky has captured people’s imagination with their apps, and partnering Lima’s Doodle The Doodler with E.B. is a character match made in heaven.”

“We are honored to be affiliated with this amazing film and accomplished studio. Knowing that a project like this has never been done before adds an extra level of pride to the new ground we’ll break together,” said Igor Pusenjak, president and founder of Lima Sky. “To have Doodle Jump involved with the launch of a major motion picture demonstrates how influential apps have become in just a few short years.”

Lima Sky, the independent iPhone game developer that ushered in app crossovers after its collaboration with Pocket God (number three on Apple’s All-Time Top Paid iPhone App list), is both proud and excited to open its doors to the Hollywood studio’s feature film.

About LimaSky

Lima Sky, the creators of Doodle Jump, Apple’s #1 All-Time Top Paid U.S. iPhone App, is an iOS development studio and publisher dedicated to creating entertaining, innovative and educational games and apps, with a special focus on the youth market. Founded in July 2008 by Igor Pusenjak, a graduate and faculty at the MFA interactive design program at Parsons School of Design in New York, and Marko Pusenjak, a veteran mobile applications developer, Lima Sky has established itself as the leading independent publisher for the iOS platform.

About Universal Partnerships & Licensing

UP&L oversees Universal’s consumer product licensing, film and home entertainment promotions, and all corporate alliances for Universal’s theatrical, home entertainment, theme parks and stage productions. This dedicated division is also responsible for monetizing the Studio’s vast library of films and characters through licensing, branding and marketing opportunities. UP&L is part of NBC Universal, one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience. Formed in May 2004 through the combining of NBC and Vivendi Universal Entertainment, NBC Universal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group, and world-renowned theme parks. NBC Universal is 80%-owned by General Electric,with 20% owned by Vivendi.