NIGHTWISH mainman/keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen has issued the following update from Peru regarding his The Life And Times Of Scrooge McDuck project:

"It was back in 1999, during the Oceanborn tour, that I remember first having the idea of writing a 'soundtrack' to my all-time favorite piece of Disney comic, The Life And Times Of Scrooge McDuck, by Don Rosa, the apparent heir of the almighty Carl Barks. This book has had such an overwhelming effect on me throughout these years, and finally I have the means and the time to make that dream a reality.

It all started with a story called Last Sled To Dawson, which was published in a Finnish Donald Duck - magazine in the late 80`s. It instantly became one of my favorite Scrooge/Donald - stories and also introduced Mr. Don Rosa to my Disney universe. This story is not part of the actual Life And Times - opus, though, but 'a companion story', set in between the chapters #8 and #9. Then when the massive 12 - chapter piece was released in mid 90`s I was completely and utterly hooked. It was similar to reading The Lord Of The Rings as an 8-year-old, or seeing Raiders Of The Lost Ark for the first time. Adventure, fun and the strangely familiar feeling of home.

With Scrooge there was also a much deeper level hidden between the stories and the gags.

This is a book about Life itself. What an unfathomable privilege it is, what are the things that truly matter during our existence. It`s about the immense beauty of the world and its possibilities seen through the eyes of a very relentless, honest and complex character. It`s about love & family, gain & loss, darkness & rebirth.

And on top of that, well, it`s just your good old fashioned storytelling fun!

I have been twiddling around with certain themes for some months now and have an idea for 5 songs, but I will start working on this project 24/7 after the Australian leg of the tour, in February 2013. The demo recordings are scheduled for May 2013, just before the festival season starts and we`re off with Nightwish again. The actual recordings then start in August - September and should be finished by the end of the year, making a release during the first half of 2014 a possibility.

Mr. Pip Williams has agreed to do the orchestral and choral arrangements and we will use pretty much the same London session musicians as we did on Imaginaerum. Troy Donockley will bring Scrooge`s Scottish origins to life with his pipes and whistles, and there will also be a few more guest musicians and singers involved.

This journey is very, very dear and personal to me and I`m honored to have Mr. Rosa`s approval on the project. It`ll be a beautiful storytime, once again!

Have a peaceful Yuletide everyone."