New United Airlines Super Bowl Ad Views Business Travel Through Child's Eyes

New United Airlines Super Bowl Ad Views Business Travel Through Child's Eyes

'Dragon' Tells the Story of Frequent Business Travelers Through Stop Motion Animation and Puppetry

CHICAGO, Feb. 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- "Dragon," the first United Super Bowl ad in at least a decade, debuted during Sunday's Super Bowl XL game in Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington, D.C., leaving an indelible impression on the hearts and minds of business travelers across the country.

Vividly portrayed through a dream sequence using stop motion animation and puppetry, "Dragon" thoughtfully illustrates a young boy's interpretation of his father's life at work. Alluding to the obstacles business travelers face and United's commitment to helping in the pursuit of personal and work-life success, "Dragon" transforms the veracity of corporate life into a phantasmal world of adventure and triumph.

"The quality and uniqueness of the creative used to breathe life into this piece helps United share the customers' story in a thoughtful and differentiated way," says Dennis Cary, United's senior vice president - Marketing. "Through relevant advertising, we strive to strengthen our connection with our valued customers and demonstrate United's commitment to building lasting relationships with them."

Each figure and element of the set was hand-painted and individually assembled -- including the installation of small hinges for movement before being brought to life through the complex, seven-month filming process. Puppets were "rigged" to the set and the camera shot each of the 1,440 individual frames to create movement. Following filming, the rigs were digitally removed from the animation. "Dragon" was directed by Jamie Caliri of the production company Duck Studios.

"Dragon" will appear nationally in cable rotation with "The Meeting," the first of United's 2006 television brand advertisements, which debuted Jan. 23. "Dragon" will also air in high definition during the Winter Olympics and in select cinemas in United's five hub markets beginning in March. Also in March, the advertisement and documentary on the making of "Dragon" will be shown in-flight, systemwide. To view both the ad and documentary go to ftp://username@fileblast.fallon.com/, user name is unitedd and password is g3tm0v.

About Fallon

Fallon Worldwide, one of the world's most critically acclaimed, creatively driven branding companies, manages the consumer voice of some of the world's leading brands, including Citi, Sony, Nestle Purina, Nordstrom, TIME Magazine, United Airlines, National Car Rental and Alamo Rent a Car. Fallon Worldwide is a global network of Publicis Groupe, based in Paris, and has more than 500 employees worldwide. The company has full-service offices in Minneapolis, London, Singapore, Hong Kong, Sao Paulo and Tokyo. Additional information can be found at http://www.fallon.com/ .

About United

United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAUA) operates more than 3,400 flights a day on United, United Express and Ted to more than 200 U.S. domestic and international destinations from its hubs in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Denver, Chicago and Washington, D.C. With key global air rights in the Asia- Pacific region, Europe and Latin America, United is one of the largest international carriers based in the United States. United is also a founding member of Star Alliance, which provides connections for our customers to 790 destinations in 138 countries worldwide. United's 57,000 employees reside in every U.S. state and in many countries around the world. News releases and other information about United can be found at the company's Web site at http://united.com/ .

Worldwide Press Office:
Days: 847.700.5538
Evenings/Weekends: 847.700.4088

Source: United Airlines

CONTACT: United Airlines Worldwide Press Office, Days, +1-847-700-5538,
or Evenings-Weekends, +1-847-700-4088

Web site: http://www.united.com/
http://www.fallon.com/

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