Enchantails Flows from Creator Mark Viniello
It’s not enough these days to come up with the ‘next big thing’, you need people to help execute every last detail. When Mark Viniello began entertaining his daughters with stories about mermaids and the various ‘waters’ in which they live, little did he know that he’d be sharing his vision on a global scale at the Licensing Expo 2014, complete with a real-life mermaid in a tank and a supporting cast of artists that reads like the who’s who of Hollywood design and special effects talent.
Viniello’s oldest daughter fell in love with the idea of being a mermaid. So he did what any dad, who is a 20-year veteran of the creature effects industry, would do and fashioned a mermaid tail for her. Then since Viniello and his wife Tristy have, not one but, four daughters each with distinct and utterly diverse personalities, the idea continued to grow with their demands for unique characters and intricately appropriate surroundings with each and every tale. His stories became more defined and included custom created props and accessories, much to his daughters’ delights. And this eventually lead him to create the Enchantails property and the first, and only, patented mermaid tail sleeping bag.
Today the world is invited to share in the Realms of Enchantails, as they are introduced at the Licensing Expo 2014 to prospective animators, publishers, and manufacturers of toys, room décor, apparel and accessories. Seeing a market niche that follows Disney’s Ariel, Enchantails is a world of intricate underwater mermaid characters and bold stories that appeal to the 5-12 year olds. In fact, there are 12 realms in the world of Enchantails, as well as, 12 mermaid characters and 12 courageous adventures slated for timed releases. Just as every girl is different, every mermaid is unique and has her own personality and set of special mystical powers, so young girls will be able to find and play with the one they relate to most!
The first three limited edition Realms to be released, are The Mariana, The Antarctica and The Polynesian Realms. All stories are being developed to tie the characters and geographic areas together into an unimaginably beautiful and authentically detailed world based on real life locations, topography and sea life.
Viniello, who himself has nearly 20 years in make-up effects with A-list credits such as LORD OF THE RINGS, JURASSIC PARK 3 and WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE, actually has the experience and colleagues to bring such an intricate world to (sea)life. The Enchantails team includes Alliance Studio’s Eddie Yang and Steve Wang, creating character artwork, Randy Ogle as art director, and Cory Mahler, senior designer for Target, as product manager. This team has envisioned and implemented every miniscule detail of each realm, so that licensors who come on board can work with them to create everything from media and publishing to toys and Realm décor products for girls’ rooms.
Viniello then had a custom tank measuring 7 feet long x 4 feet wide and 3 feet deep to display real the beautiful real-life mermaid, Linden Wolbert (www.mermaidsinmotion.com), in 600-700 gallons of water during the Licensing Expo. Come meet the team at Booth #A167, and call ahead to schedule appointments or interviews and learn more about the captivating realms of Enchantails.
Enchantails Team
Ø Tristy Viniello is the VP of Overactive Imaginations. She brings an artistic eye and unique perspective to the property. Tristy ultimately was the driving force to make Enchantails a reality.
Ø Steven Wang has been designing characters for motion pictures and television since he was in his teens. Steve is responsible for some of the most iconic characters in movie history. Together with Eddie Yang, Alliance Studios continues to lead the pack in character design and creation.
Ø Eddie Yang has been creating characters in Hollywood for over 20 years. A few years ago, he partnered with Steve Wang to form Alliance Studios. Together they continue to be at the forefront of creating unique 2D and 3D designs for films and the video game industry.
Ø Randy Ogle has over 20 years’ experience as a graphic designer. He has headed up projects in many different media, from print production, web design, and video editing to CG animation.
Ø Cory Mahler has been a practicing designer for over 15 years for major retailers in the home and youth accessory market. Her previous positions have ranged from being a Senior Designer for Target to a Professor in Textiles at Savannah College of Art and Design in Georgia.
