DISNEY BOOSTS SAFETY CARTOON PALS READY TO LEND A PAW TO HELP.

Byline: Greg Hernandez Staff Writer

The Walt Disney Co., plagued by several high-profile accidents at its Disneyland theme park in the last five years, unveiled a kid-friendly safety education campaign Thursday designed to enhance the safety of its attractions.

Disneyland and Disney's California Adventure in Anaheim and the Walt Disney World Resort theme parks in Florida have been upgraded with 10,000 new signs that feature specific rider instructions, warnings, as well as universal symbols for international visitors.

``As resort operators, keeping our properties safe has always been our top priority,'' Walt Disney Parks and Resorts President Jay Rasulo said in a statement. ``But even with a cast of thousands working around the clock, we can't do it alone. This program is a fun and effective way to give guests the information they need to partner with us and take an active role in their own safety.''

The campaign is part of a safety initiative that began last year which included the publishing of the first-ever Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Report on Safety. The report included a detailed accounting of measures taken to keep rides safe.

New signs, audio messages, ground markings and barriers also have been implemented under the initiative and the company appointed Disney veteran Greg Hale as its first theme parks chief safety officer.

``Last year when they appointed me, we decided to kind of lift the veil and start showing the public, guests and the press a little behind the scenes, the thousands of engineers that we have working on rides and attractions every day to make them safe,'' said Hale, who provides oversight for all aspects of safety programs.

Called ``Wild About Safety,'' the latest part of the campaign features the misadventures of Timon and Pumbaa from ``The Lion King'' at a Disney theme park.

The campaign, unveiled at an event at Florida's Walt Disney World on Thursday, uses commands such as ``Keep your paws behind the lines'' and ``no stampeding'' to communicate with kids. In addition to being on signs at each attraction, the safety tips also are featured in activity books, guide maps, trading pins, safety tip cards and on kids' menus at theme park eateries.

``We wanted to reach kids in a fun and engaging way and give parents tools to encourage safe behavior by using classic storytelling,'' Gale said.

Disneyland has had its share of accidents that have resulted in injury or death.

Nearly three years ago, a 4-year-old Santa Clarita boy suffered permanent brain damage when he was pinned under the Roger Rabbit Car Toon Spin ride. Disney reached an undisclosed financial settlement with the family of the boy, Brandon Zucker, which sued the theme park alleging that Disneyland negligently allowed the boy on an unsafe ride.

In a separate incident on the same ride, a 13-year-old Lake Forest girl bruised her foot when she stepped out of a moving car to retrieve a stuffed toy. Changes have since been made to the Roger Rabbit ride including the addition of warning signs and doors that latch.

Other Disneyland accidents include the 1998 death of a Washington tourist killed when he was hit in the head by a metal cleat which had snapped off the tall ship Columbia.

Despite these accidents, Disney officials point out that last year approximately 600 million rides were provided to its domestic theme parks guests on more than 250 attractions.

Underwriters Laboratories Inc., an independent nonprofit product safety certification organization, joins Disney as a founding participant in the program.

``We are fortunate to be joined in this effort by one of the most trusted names in safety,'' Rasulo said.

Greg Hernandez, [phone]

greg.hernandez(at)dailynews.com

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2 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color) Timon and Pumbaa from Disney's ``The Lion King'' help advise visitors to theme parks to put safety first.

(2) Disney's new safety signs, featuring Timon and Pumbaa from Disney's ``The Lion King,'' warn visitors not to get carried away. The new signs, part of Disney's ``Wild About Safety'' program, help warn visitors of accidents that could happen should they not play it safe at the theme park.