Disney Online Design Enhancements Bring to Life the Online Theme Park

Business Wire, Oct 20, 2003

Business Editors

NORTH HOLLYWOOD, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 20, 2003

Immersive Entertainment Web Destination Now Includes "Disney Motion"

Broadband Technology for Fast Delivery of Video Storytelling

Disney Online, part of the Walt Disney Internet Group (WDIG) and creator of the number 1 kids' entertainment and family community online destination (www.disney.com), today launched its newly designed homepage and navigational elements, bringing a 3-D look and feel to its online theme park concept. Included in the launch is a sneak peek at Disney Motion, a free application that airs exclusive editorial and entertainment content including clips of Disney's latest music, videos, movie releases and television shows. Disney Motion allows broadband users to view high-quality video, embedded in the homepage which automatically launches when a consumer visits the page.

In November, full interactivity and original character animation will be added to Disney Motion, at which point it will be made available to advertisers as an online medium for television-like commercials.

Disney Motion is an extension of DIG Motion, a proprietary and patent-pending technology that WDIG originally launched on ESPN.com in February. Since that time, ESPN Motion has been activated by more than 1.9 million ESPN.com visitors and the technology has been extended to ABC.com and Movies.com.

"When we launched our previous design over three years ago, we set out to redefine our online world to convey a sense of place," said Ken Goldstein, executive vice president and managing director, Disney Online. "With the 3-D approach we are introducing today, we have taken the next significant step in creating a unique suspension of disbelief that allows our guests to enter this very magical place we continue to build."

When a guest clicks on one of the nine homepage neighborhoods, they are transported on a "zoom-in" 3-D ride through the doorway of their destination. The distinctive neighborhoods are viewed in perspective, as part of one inviting theme park spread out under a sunny blue sky and the famous Disney monorail.

One new neighborhood has been added: Inside Disney, an area of editorial content geared for adults which includes Disney Archives, the Walt Disney Family Museum and corporate information on The Walt Disney Company. Guests will also enjoy animated surprises that emerge from the new homepage pre-roll segments that often carry over into integrated elements of the neighborhoods and their surroundings. All of the existing neighborhoods have been redrawn to allow a full sense of exploration.

Disney Motion

After a one-time activation process, the Disney Motion application automatically launches full-motion video clips, typically lasting one to three minutes, when a consumer visits the Disney homepage. In an all new expansion of the underlying DIG Motion technology, the Disney Motion window can be expanded to near full-screen size to provide an even richer guest experience. Video is pre-downloaded directly to guests' computers so there is no buffering, streaming or waiting. Because the video is embedded directly in web pages, a secondary video window or media player window is not required. For advertisers, it offers an effective online ad vehicle with the same video and audio quality of broadcast television, which does not require development of Internet-specific advertising assets.

Disney Motion is available at no cost to PC users with a broadband connection and does not impact narrowband users' experience. Motion video clips, created using Macromedia Flash MX, will be pushed several times a week directly to the user's computer and will play automatically when logging on to Disney.com.

About Disney Online

Disney Online (www.disney.com) produces the number one kids' entertainment and family community destinations on the Internet that consistently reflects the magic that has come to be expected of Disney. Its "neighborhoods", specifically designed for each member of the family, include Disney's Blast (www.disneyblast.com) and Disney's Toontown Online (www.Toontown.com), both premium subscription services, as well as Disney Store, Destinations, Playhouse Disney, Kids Island, Entertainment, FamilyFun and Inside Disney.

Disney Online also produces FamilyFun.com (www.familyfun.com), the premier online family resource for great ideas, practical advice and fun stuff to do, and Movies.com (www.movies.com), a leading site that provides a broad array of reviews and information to help movie fans make the right choice on movie night. Disney Online is a part of The Walt Disney Internet Group, which provides integrated strategic and operational Internet services for The Walt Disney Company's (NYSE:DIS) Internet initiatives.