Buena Vista Worldwide Home Entertainment Announces First Wave of Blu-ray(TM) Releases for 2007

Buena Vista Worldwide Home Entertainment Announces First Wave of Blu-ray(TM) Releases for 2007

All Titles Released in January to Be 50GB and Include Casanova, Chicago, The Guardian and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

BURBANK, Calif., Nov. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- Buena Vista Worldwide Home Entertainment (BVWHE) President Bob Chapek today announced BVWHE's first wave of Blu-ray Disc(R) releases for 2007. These 50GB, dual-layer titles include Casanova, Chicago, The Guardian and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and will be in stores on January 23, 2007. Most Blu-ray titles from BVWHE will be available for $34.99 SRP.

Commenting on the announcement, Chapek stated, "BVWHE is thrilled to kick off 2007 with this 50GB slate of Blu-ray releases. We're moving forward into an exciting future with these dual-layer discs, which offer the maximum capacity for bonus materials and expanded content. We continue to forge new frontiers with our Blu-ray discs and to further explore the seemingly limitless boundaries of creativity the format allows. We've just begun to cultivate the future growth of our industry with Blu-ray."

The Blu-ray release of the Academy Award(R)-winning musical Chicago (Renee Zellweger, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Richard Gere) will feature a host of exciting bonus materials, including audio commentaries from director Rob Marshall and screenwriter Bill Condon; a deleted scene with optional commentary; the featurettes "Behind the Scenes," "From Stage to Screen: The History of Chicago," "An Intimate Look at Director Rob Marshall" and "When Liza Minnelli Became Roxie Hart"; extended versions of classic musical numbers including "And All That Jazz," "When You're Good to Mama," "Cell Block Tango" and more; and a Movie Showcase highlighting some of the most spectacular dance numbers.

Casanova's Blu-ray bonus materials will include audio commentary from director Lasse Hallstrom; a "Blu-scape" featurette created specially for the Blu-ray release by noted director/cinematographer Louie Schwartzberg titled "Reflections of Venice"; and the featurettes "Creating an Adventure" and "Dressing in Style."

The Blu-ray release of The Guardian will contain a host of bonus materials including deleted scenes; an alternate ending; audio commentaries by director Andrew Davis and writer Ron L. Brinkerhoff; and the featurettes "The Guardian: Making Waves" and "Unsung Heroes: So Others May Live."

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy will arrive on Blu-ray with bonus materials including audio commentaries; deleted scenes; and the featurettes "The Making of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" and "Sing Along: So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish."

BVWHE's Blu-ray titles feature advanced new menus offering seamless navigation and on-the-fly preference selection; dynamic and unparalleled high-definition picture quality; new layer-coating technology that provides a scratch-resistant surface; Movie Showcase which highlights the most impressive high definition picture and sound moments on the disc; and new, sleek packaging. Other Disney Blu-ray feature technologies being developed include unmatched interactive features and compelling online content utilizing web connectivity, which will allow users to connect to live events hosted by the studio.

Blu-ray Disc is the next-generation optical disc format for high-definition video and high-capacity software applications. A single-layer Blu-ray Disc will hold up to 25GB of data, and a double-layer Blu-ray Disc will hold up to 50GB of data. Blu-ray Disc is supported by the world's leading consumer electronics, personal computer and gaming companies, and, with seven of eight Hollywood studios releasing their high-definition content on Blu-ray Disc, Blu-ray will deliver the widest variety of high-definition, home entertainment content.

About Buena Vista Worldwide Home Entertainment

Buena Vista Worldwide Home Entertainment, a recognized leader in the home entertainment industry, is the marketing, sales and distribution company for Walt Disney, Touchstone, Hollywood Pictures, Miramax and Buena Vista DVD, Blu-ray Disc and electronic distribution product. Buena Vista Worldwide Home Entertainment is a division of Disney Enterprises, Inc.

Source: Buena Vista Worldwide Home Entertainment

CONTACT: Eric Maehara of BVWHE, +1-818-295-4841; or Alan Amman of mPRm
Public Relations, +1-323-933-3399, aamman@mprm.com, for Buena Vista Worldwide
Home Entertainment

-------
Profile: intent