Bradford firm branches out onto big screen (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Bradford firm branches out onto big screen

11:40pm Saturday 7th November 2009

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Bradford-based Hallmark Cards has moved into the world of film-making in its latest bid to bring the magic of Christmas to life.

The company, which has headquarters in Bingley Road, Heaton, has just launched an online movie called When Magic Really Happens.

The Christmas adventure film is available to view via the forever friends.co.uk website.

Hallmark said the enchanting animation would draw people into the snow-covered world of the teddy bears on Christmas Eve, carrying people away on a magical journey.

New items for Christmas 2009 also include a hand-illustrated Christmas storybook.

To celebrate the release of the story, Hallmark has launched 25 new and exclusive designs into its online card collection.

Meanwhile, Hallmark’s Forever Friends brand is also aiming to hit the charts this Christmas with a two-disc compilation CD called Just for You.

The CD, from Sony, features songs from artists such as Michael Jackson, Britney Spears and Westlife.

Rabeea Zia, Forever Friends brand manager, said: “This Christmas we wanted to do something extra special for Forever Friends which is why we decided to bring the When Magic Really Happens story to life in our very first Forever Friends short movie.

“It really is an enchanting Christmas journey, perfect to get everyone in the mood for Christmas.

“The new movie can be downloaded for free on our website, while the full When Magic Really Happens story is available in shops in a beautifully illustrated book.

“We’ve even treated Forever Friends fans to a collection of Christmas cards inspired by the short movie, which can be personalised and sent from the website.”

As reported in the Telegraph & Argus earlier this year, Hallmark’s new £12 million warehouse and distribution centre has put Bradford at the forefront of the European greetings card industry.

The new 200,000 sq ft distribution centre uses computerised technology to pick, sort and pack up to 30,000 boxes of cards an hour for shops and major chains.

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