Disney Interactive Releases First-of-Its-Kind, Free Movie 'Prequel'; Online Multi-Player PC Game Offers Fully-Immersive, 3D Introduction to Back Story and Characters of 'Disney's Atlantis: The Lost Empire' Two Months Before Film Opens; 12,000,000 Prequ.Business/Entertainment Editors & High-Tech Industry Writers BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 2, 2001 Imagine being given a glimpse into a mysterious lost world shrouded shroud n. 1. A cloth used to wrap a body for burial; a winding sheet. 2. Something that conceals, protects, or screens: under a shroud of fog. 3. a. in legend, danger and adventure. Now imagine exploring that world, interacting simultaneously with hundreds, thousands, even millions of people -- all as part of the experience of an upcoming Disney animated feature, but two months before the film opens. That's the expedition Disney Interactive is embarking on with "Disney's Atlantis: The Lost Empire -- Search for the Journal," a specially created, free, 3D multi-player game "prequel pre·quel n. A literary, dramatic, or cinematic work whose narrative takes place before that of a preexisting work or a sequel. [pre- + (se)quel.] " to "Disney's Atlantis: The Lost Empire," which opens nationwide on June 15. The most massive free distribution of an interactive game to date, "Disney's Atlantis: The Lost Empire -- Search for the Journal" fuses advanced PC technology -- processing speed See MHz. , 3D video cards and online multi-player capabilities -- with Disney animation, creativity and story telling to introduce the film's characters and tell its back story: a compelling tale of exploration and adventure that takes place 13 years before the film begins. Beginning in April, more than 12,000,000 prequel games will be distributed through mass-market outlets and companies including Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Kellogg USA, Kodak through Walgreens Photo Center, Disney Adventures magazine, and both the Disneyland(R) and Walt Disney World Noun 1. Walt Disney World - a large amusement park established in 1971 to the southwest of Orlando Orlando - a city in central Florida; site of Walt Disney World (R) resorts. "Disney's Atlantis: The Lost Empire -- Search for the Journal" marks the first time The Walt Disney Noun 1. Walt Disney - United States film maker who pioneered animated cartoons and created such characters as Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck; founded Disneyland (1901-1966) Disney, Walter Elias Disney Company or any major studio has given consumers a window into the heart of an upcoming feature film this far in advance of the film's release, and at this level of dissemination. "We believe the future of interactive media is convergence, and we want to make the future happen now, for this film," said Jan Smith, president, Disney Interactive. "By creating a movie prequel in the form of an interactive game, playable online with mass distribution, we bring millions of people into a new kind of entertainment experience. While millions of people have enjoyed Disney movies in theaters and at home, now people from all over the world, simultaneously, can interact inside a 3D world of Atlantis -- almost becoming virtual cast members. This is a breakthrough experience in the world of entertainment, and Disney is uniquely positioned to deliver it." 'Disney's Atlantis: The Lost Empire -- Search for the Journal' 'Prequels' Retail Game Too "Disney's Atlantis: The Lost Empire -- Search for the Journal" also serves as the "prequel" to "Disney's Atlantis: The Lost Empire -- Trial By Fire," the follow-up, expanded retail version of the game, launching May 15 for a suggested retail price of $29.99 (consumers who play the prequel may purchase the full retail title with a $5.00 rebate). Through a unique combination of game design, technology and the compelling nature of the Disney property, both first-person action-adventure titles are designed to appeal to experienced gamers, while still inviting casual, even novice players to delve into the mystery of Atlantis interactive gaming. The titles feature an original animation sequence created exclusively for the games by Walt Disney Feature Animation, with the retail product containing additional film footage. Titles are playable in traditional single-player mode and online multi-player mode. Games are compatible with Windows(R) 95/98 or later PC systems, and require a Pentium II The successor to the Pentium Pro from Intel. Pentium II refers to the CPU chip or the PC that uses it. Code named "Klamath," the Pentium II was a Pentium Pro with MMX multimedia instructions. 266 MHz (MegaHertZ) One million cycles per second. It is used to measure the transmission speed of electronic devices, including channels, buses and the computer's internal clock. A one-megahertz clock (1 MHz) means some number of bits (16, 32, 64, etc. or faster processor, 64MB of RAM and an 8MB video card. 'Disney's Atlantis: The Lost Empire' Film Synopsis An inexperienced young adventurer becomes the key to unraveling an ancient mystery when he joins up with a group of daredevil explorers to find the legendary lost empire of Atlantis. At the center of Disney's exciting new animated feature is naive-but-determined museum cartographer, Milo Milo, athlete of ancient Greece Milo (mī`lō) or Milon (mī`lŏn), fl. 500 B.C., athlete of ancient Greece, b. Crotona. Thatch (voice of Michael J. Fox), who dreams of completing the quest begun by his late grandfather, a famous explorer. When a long-lost journal surfaces, providing new clues to the location, and an eccentric billionaire agrees to fund an expedition, the action shifts into high gear. Milo ultimately leads Captain Rourke (voice of James Garner) and his team to the elusive undersea kingdom, but what they find there defies their expectations and triggers an explosive series of events that only Milo can resolve. Walt Disney Pictures' "Atlantis: the Lost Empire" will be released in theaters nationwide on Friday, June 15. Product Descriptions 'Disney's Atlantis: The Lost Empire -- Search for the Journal' (Prequel) After centuries of concealment, the mystery of Atlantis is finally unveiled. The Shepherd's Journal, an ancient book holding all the secrets to finding the lost city of Atlantis, is hidden somewhere in Iceland. With Captain Rourke in charge, a team of skilled adventurers must travel deep within the snowy country to find the guarded journal. Players unlock the secrets of an ancient Viking labyrinth labyrinth (lăb`ərĭnth), intricate building of chambers and passages, often constructed so as to perplex and confuse a person inside. to battle keepers and capture the journal in this first-person, single- and multi-player PC action game. 'Disney's Atlantis: The Lost Empire -- Trial by Fire' (Retail Product) Captain Rourke's exploration team has been reassembled to travel deep within the Earth's core to find the lost city of Atlantis in this compelling, first-person, single- and multi-player PC action-adventure. With the Shepherd's Journal safe within their control, key members of the expedition aid players as they fight off the vicious water-dwelling Leviathan leviathan (lēvī`əthən), in the Bible, aquatic monster, presumably the crocodile, the whale, or a dragon. It was a symbol of evil to be ultimately defeated by the power of good. , fire-infested mazes, diabolical traps and other formidable denizens of Atlantis, before reaching the outskirts of the city. But the adventure doesn't end there. With Rourke's ambition and greed threatening to destroy the ancient empire, players must stop his escape through a dormant volcano A dormant volcano is a volcano which is not currently active (that is, not erupting nor showing signs of unrest), but is believed to be still capable of erupting. This contrasts with an extinct volcano, where it is believed that no eruptions will occur for the foreseeable future. , find and activate the four mystical stones of Atlantis, and save the city from a cataclysmic cat·a·clysm n. 1. A violent upheaval that causes great destruction or brings about a fundamental change. 2. A violent and sudden change in the earth's crust. 3. A devastating flood. volcanic eruption and certain destruction. 'Disney's Atlantis: The Lost Empire -- Search for the Journal' Prequel Distribution Beginning in April, "Disney's Atlantis: The Lost Empire -- Search for the Journal" will be distributed free to consumers through the following companies and outlets: -- Kellogg USA -- Beginning in April, specially marked boxes of Kellogg's(R) Corn Pops cereal will feature the prequel CD-ROM inside the box. -- Buena Vista Home Entertainment -- Consumers who purchase Buena Vista Home Entertainment's DVD release of Walt Disney Pictures' "The Emperor's New Groove," available May 1, will receive a separate prequel CD-ROM with their DVD package. -- Kodak through Walgreens Photo Center -- Beginning May 13 and exclusively at Walgreens stores, consumers who bring their film in for development and choose Walgreens Quality Processing will receive a prequel CD-ROM with their prints. -- Disney Adventures -- Copies of the prequel will be poly-bagged with May 2001 issues of Disney Adventures magazines, both through subscription and newsstand editions. -- Disneyland Resort, Walt Disney World Resort and Disney Cruise Line -- Consumers can receive a copy of the prequel at selected locations within the theme parks, resort hotels and cruise ships. Disney Interactive Guides Consumers Through Online Multi-Player Gaming Both "Disney's Atlantis: The Lost Empire -- Search for the Journal" and "Disney's Atlantis: The Lost Empire -- Trial By Fire" invite advanced, casual and even novice gamers to experience first-person action-adventure gameplay
Gameplay includes all player experiences during the interaction with game systems, especially formal games. Proper use is coupled with reference to "what the player does". in a multi-player format. To ensure an optimal interactive game experience for consumers, Disney Interactive has aligned with GameSpy Industries' GameSpy Arcade This Article needs sources or references that appear in reliable, third-party publications. Alone, primary sources and sources affiliated with the subject of this article are not sufficient for an accurate encyclopedia article. , one of the industry's most popular online gaming See gaming. destinations, and broadband leader Speakeasy Speakeasy - Simple array-oriented language with numerical integration and differentiation, graphical output, aimed at statistical analysis. ["Speakeasy", S. Cohen, SIGPLAN Notices 9(4), (Apr 1974)]. ["Speakeasy-3 Reference Manual", S. Cohen et al. 1976]. .net to accommodate the vast number of simultaneous users expected online. In addition, GameSpy will host the multi-player games for Disney's "Atlantis: The Lost Empire," serving as "matchmaker Matchmaker - A language for specifying and automating the generation of multi-lingual interprocess communication interfaces. MIG is an implementation of a subset of Matchmaker. " to help players set up new games, find games in progress and organize games with friends -- the key to a fun online multi-player gaming experience. And for those potential gamers who've been wanting to get online and launch into gaming, but who may not have an Internet service provider Internet service provider (ISP) Company that provides Internet connections and services to individuals and organizations. For a monthly fee, ISPs provide computer users with a connection to their site (see data transmission), as well as a log-in name and password. (ISP (1) See in-system programmable. (2) (Internet Service Provider) An organization that provides access to the Internet. Connection to the user is provided via dial-up, ISDN, cable, DSL and T1/T3 lines. ), "Disney's Atlantis: The Lost Empire -- Search for the Journal" will help players sign up with Speakeasy.net, EarthLink or SegaNet for Internet access See how to access the Internet. , so they can get online in a matter of moments. About Disney Interactive Disney Interactive, part of the Disney Consumer Products division of The Walt Disney Company, develops, markets and globally distributes a wide variety of interactive entertainment, educational and sports CD-ROMs and video games See video game console. . For more information on Disney Interactive's products, visit www.disneyinteractive.com. |
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