By SHEL SEGAL
Those who stay for the credits at the movies this weekend might hear some local voices. Thanks to the nonprofit Crayon Collection, the Willard Elementary School choir in the Pasadena Unified School District was invited to sing for the closing credits of “The Hero of Color City,” an animated film that was just released in the theaters.
“The Hero of Color City” tells the story of crayons who jump into their magical Crayon Box that transports them to their home in Color City, a world of dazzling hues, soaring fantasy and the whimsy of childhood.
This land is fed by an enchanted rainbow and waterfall that provides the city and its citizens with color.
Students from Willard had the opportunity to sing on the soundtrack for the film because of the school’s partnership with Islands Restaurant and the Crayon Collection, a national charity initiative that re-purposes millions of crayons every year.
Billions of crayons are thrown away each year in the United States, and more than 200 million of those come from family-style restaurant chains. Crayon Collection pairs kid-friendly chain restaurants and other organizations with local Title I recipient schools that are in desperate need of supplies.
Crayon Collection also uses the process of re-purposing gently used crayons as a tool for teaching young children the benefits of recycling, reusing and reducing waste. Consequently, those unused crayons from Islands Restaurant end up in the hands of Willard Elementary students.
Willard students can also be heard on a public service announcement for the Crayon Collection. Exodus Film Group and voices on the film, Owen Wilson, Jessica Capshaw and Christina Ricci, donated their time and voices to a public service announcement that is set to release at the end credits of “Hero of Color City.”
The PSA will also appear in the film’s marketing initiatives, with the hopes of raising national awareness and further expanding the program across the country.
(Shel Segal can be reached at ssegal@beaconmedianews.com. He can be followed via Twitter @segallanded.)
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