Square is going to the movies. The company announced that it is producing the "first computer-generated, animated motion picture with photo-real human characters," called Final Fantasy: The Movie.

　　Columbia Pictures will distribute the movie worldwide (except for Japan and Asia) when it arrives to the silver screen in 2001. "Those of us who have witnessed the phenomenal success of Final Fantasy VII on the PlayStation game console are delighted to be part of bringing the film version to the public," stated Chris Lee, president of production at Columbia Pictures."

　　Square says that the movie will be set on Earth circa 2065 and will be inspired by the Final Fantasy series of game titles in a story about life and death. Considering the recent successes of titles like Ants and its computer animation predecessors, Final Fantasy: The Movie has the potential to be an even bigger success since it has such a long history. Square's ambitious goal is to be the first to simulate human emotions and movements through computer graphics.

　　"Final Fantasy: The Movie will be the realization of a dream to create a brand-new form of entertainment uniting computer games and motion pictures, using the latest in CG animation technology," said Hironobu Sakaguchi, director of Final Fantasy: The Movie and president of Square USA. "With this film, I want to create entertainment that touches the imagination of new generations by setting the viewer on an exciting voyage of personal discovery."

　　Production of the movie is taking place in Honolulu, Hawaii.