Disney Announces "DisneyQuest," a Breakthrough Concept in Family Regional Entertainment.

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 6, 1997--

Disney's "Interactive Adventure" Scheduled for Grand Opening in

Orlando in Summer 1998, Chicago in Summer 1999

Climb aboard a real river raft, grab a paddle and shoot the rapids in a virtual prehistoric world.

Buckle into a motion simulator and ride a roller coaster of your own design. Don a special visor and engage in hand-to-hand battle with Disney's most notorious villains. These are only a few of the adventures that await guests at DisneyQuest, a breakthrough concept in family regional entertainment announced Wednesday by The Walt Disney Co.

DisneyQuest combines the magic of Disney with the most engaging interactive technologies to create an entertainment adventure for guests of all ages. DisneyQuest's worldwide launch of its 100,000-square-foot facility will be in Orlando, Fla., at Walt Disney World Resort in the summer of 1998, and Chicago in the summer of 1999. Future sites will open in other major domestic and international destinations.

Company Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Michael Eisner said, "DisneyQuest combines the excitement of the Disney brand with innovation, design, technology and story-telling to create a vibrant venue for interactive entertainment that provides a dynamic new kind of Disney experience for the entire family."

According to Art Levitt, president of the company's newly launched subsidiary, Disney Regional Entertainment: "Within a two to three hour visit, guests can embark on adventures that let them actually `enter the story' and become a part of it. DisneyQuest showcases many of Disney's beloved characters and places and presents them in a bold new way using advanced technology to turn fantasy into reality."

Guests entering DisneyQuest begin their journey at the Ventureport, a crossroads which leads to four distinct entertainment environments: the Explore Zone, a virtual adventureland where guests are immersed in exotic and ancient locales; the Score Zone, a superhero competition city where guests can match their gameplaying skills against the best; the Create Zone, a private "Imagineering" studio for artistic self-expression and invention; and the Replay Zone, a carnival on the moon where guests experience a retro-futuristic spin on classic rides and games.

Adventurers can enjoy a respite in two areas: The Wired Wonderland Cafe, featuring indulgent desserts, drinks and a proprietary Internet-based attraction, and FoodQuest, which offers a quick gourmet fix of fresh sandwiches, salads, pizza and fun foods operated by The Cheesecake Factory through a new Express concept.

Even in its logo graphic featuring "Hurricane Mickey," a swirling variation of the classic mouse icon, DisneyQuest promises to be something dynamic, forward-moving and altogether different from the company's previous entertainment experiences, as well as from all other location-based entertainment offerings.

Joining Walt Disney Imagineering in the execution of DisneyQuest are American Express, official card of DisneyQuest and developer of the stored value card system, the primary payment method throughout the facility; Hughes-JVC Technology, provider of high performance video and graphics projection systems; Silicon Graphics Inc., provider of high-end workstations for the delivery of real-time computer graphics attractions; Tandem Computers Inc., server provider for the stored value system and the Internet-based attraction, and principal content producer for the DisneyQuest Web site.

Disney Regional Entertainment was established in 1996 to create breakthrough entertainment concepts for urban and suburban markets, both domestically and abroad. These businesses will include srs and other businesses capitalizing on the crlif., in February 1997.

CONTACT: Disney Regional Entertainment

Denise Villanueva, 818/526-1026

or

Baker/Winokur/Ryder Public Relations

Paulette Kam, 310/277-6200