OSCAR(R), EMMY(R), AND GOLDEN GLOBE(R) NOMINEE BRUCE DERN JOINS "DIARY OF A WIMPY KID" STAR, ZACHARY GORDON, AND BAILEE MADISON AS PRODUCTION BEGINS IN CANADA ON "PETE'S CHRISTMAS" PART OF "WALDEN FAMILY THEATER" A HALLMARK CHANNEL ORIGINAL MOVIE WORLD PREMIERE IN HOLIDAY 2013

Molly Parker and Rick Roberts Co-Star; "Walmart and P&G Present Walden Family Theater", A New Series of Family Movies Created By Walmart, P&G, Walden Media, and ARC Entertainment, To Air Exclusively On Hallmark Channel

An overshadowed middle child gets an unexpected second chance - and third, fourth and many more - to make his family's disastrous Christmas day perfect when he finds himself destined to live the day over and over again. Hallmark Channel announces Oscar(R), Emmy(R), and Golden Globe(R) nominee Bruce Dern ("Django Unchained", "Monster"), Zachary Gordon ("Diary of a Wimpy Kid"), and Bailee Madison ("Bridge to Terabithia", "A Taste of Romance") will star in "Pete's Christmas", a Hallmark Channel original movie set to premiere Holiday 2013.

The film is in production in Parry Sound, Ontario, Canada and will be part of Hallmark Channel's exciting new Friday appointment viewing night franchise, "Walden Family Theater", created in collaboration with Walmart, Procter & Gamble, award-winning family entertainment producer, Walden Media, and fast-growing independent studio, ARC Entertainment. "Walden Family Theater" is designed to further fill the void on TV for quality family entertainment.

At fourteen, Pete Kidder (Gordon) is sick of being the middle child in his family, always overlooked by his parents (Parker and Roberts). Unlike his brothers, jock Jake (Wesley Morgan, "The Rocker") and bookworm Kenny, (Peter DaCunha, "A Dark Truth), Pete hasn't yet developed a distinct personality that sets him apart, and he often feels left out. With the kids' grumpy grandfather (Dern) unexpectedly in town for Christmas, the pressure is on to make the day as great as Grandpa remembers with his late wife, but the holiday is filled with disastrous moments, including a toppling Christmas tree and a bout with food poisoning. Just when things can't get any worse, Pete wakes up the next day and realizes he's reliving December 25th all over again. Stuck repeating the day over and over, Pete panics, but slowly realizes, with the help of his new friend and next door neighbor, Katie (Madison), that he can use his unique gift for good and give this Christmas day the do-over it deserves.

"Pete's Christmas" is an Eh-Okay Productions / Pete's Christmas Productions Inc. in association with OutPost Media Inc. presented by Arc Entertainment, Walden Media, WalMart and Procter & Gamble. Heather Puttock and Michael Wright produced the film with Jason Netter and John Shepherd as executive producers. Nisha Ganatra directed from a script by Peter McKay.

Hallmark Channel, owned and operated by Crown Media Holdings, Inc., is a 24-hour basic cable network that provides a diverse slate of high-quality entertainment programming available in high definition (HD) and standard definition (SD) to a national audience of 87 million subscribers. Hallmark Channel is the nation's leading destination for quality family programming with an ambitious slate of original TV movies and specials, as well as some of television's most beloved sitcoms and series, including The Golden Girls, Frasier, and Happy Days. The channel is also home to a range of lifestyle programming, anchored by Home & Family, a daily two-hour live show shot in a fully functional house located on the Universal Studios lot, and Marie, a one-hour talk show hosted by iconic entertainer, Marie Osmond. Hallmark Channel's sibling network, Hallmark Movie Channel, also available in HD and SD, focuses on family-friendly movies with a mix of original films, classic theatrical releases, and presentations from the acclaimed Hallmark Hall of Fame library.