Ready, Set, Launch!
Every month, some 25 million kids, tweens, adults, and, yes, even grownup geeks click a “favorites” button or just type www.Disney.com into a browser window. When they do, they’re met with what the designers of the site like to call “a regal and majestic load” or a homepage startup chock full of information about all things Disney.
With the approach of one of this year’s most eagerly anticipated films, the Disney/Pixar release of WALL•E, the designers and engineers began to wonder what, besides linking to the film’s web pages, they could do to make the little Waste Allocation Load Lifter • Earth class robot more of a part of the Disney.com experience.
“What would happen if WALL•E tried to start our site?” Disney.com Creative Director Sandro Corsaro asked. After all, most of the teaser material from the film frequently shows WALL•E struggling to make out the purpose of mountains of consumer goods left behind on an earth choked in its own commercial refuse.
With that question in mind, Corsaro contacted the folks at Pixar in Emeryville and a concept for a short vignette featuring WALL•E, a remote control and a space age computer screen, emerged.
“We’ve never done anything with Pixar,” Corsaro said, “and we want this to be the first of many things we do.”
Beginning the first thing next Tuesday—at 12:01 p.m. PDT—when you go to Disney.com, you’ll be greeted by a star field. “WALL•E is buzzing along and he comes across this remote.” As he passes, he glances back and is fascinated by the remote. He picks it up and clicks on it.
And the rest…well, you’re just going to have to visit Disney.com next week to find out what happens. We will tell you it takes a woman to resolve WALL•E’s predicament for him.
Concept artwork for WALL•E takeover of Disney.com startup page.
Click picture for larger image.
Image copyright© Disney. All rights reserved.
Synergy Hits Disney.com
WALL•E’s takeover of the Disney.com homepage will follow a special weekend of firsts for ABC, The Disney Channel, ABC Family, and Disney.com
On Monday, June 23, Disney.com will stream the Disney Channel Original Movie Camp Rock following its television premiere on June 20, with additional airings on ABC on June 21 and ABC Family on June 22. The Disney.com Camp Rock online event will include unique interactive content so fans can chat and play games while watching. Fans can also watch a full-screen experience featuring Camp Rock trivia and an interactive map of the camp. To join in, visit www.Disney.com/CampRock.
This summer, Disney.com will “for the first timer ever” stream full-length movies online, featuring selections from the Wonderful World of Disney.
The films will first air on ABC as part of the network’s weekly Wonderful World of Disney presentation on Saturday nights throughout the summer of 2008. The full-length films will then be available for free-streaming on Disney.com (www.Disney.com/WonderfulWorld) for the week following the network presentation.
Wonderful World of Disney television and online schedule:
- Haunted Mansion– airs on ABC Saturday, June 28 at 8pm; available on Disney.com June 30-July 4
- Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen– airs on ABC Saturday, July 5 at 8pm; available on Disney.com July 7-11
- Princess Diaries 2– airs on ABC Saturday, July 12 at 8pm; available on Disney.com July 14-18
- Freaky Friday– airs on ABC Saturday, July 19 at 8pm; available on Disney.com July 21-25
- Peter Pan– airs on ABC Saturday, Aug. 2 at 8pm; available onDisne y.com August 4]8
