Press Release

Disney Online and Compaq Computer Corporation Unveil the All-New ‘Mission: SPACE Launch Center’ Exhibit At INNOVENTIONS At Walt Disney World’s Epcot

By SpaceRef Editor
May 14, 2001
Filed under , ,

Disney Online, a business unit of Walt Disney Internet Group,
and Compaq Computer Corporation today unveiled an all-new high-tech
exhibit at Disney’s Internet Zone at INNOVENTIONS at Walt Disney
World’s Epcot®. Disney’s Internet Zone will feature the Mission:
SPACE Launch Center exhibit, presented by Compaq. The experience is a
precursor to the Mission: SPACE attraction, which will also be
sponsored by Compaq and is scheduled to open in 2003. Disney’s
Internet Zone provides a fun, family-oriented experience where guests
can interact with new technology and Internet focused products. At
INNOVENTIONS, Disney guests can experience the near future while they
test and try products that are leading our world through the new
millennium.

“In keeping with Walt Disney’s legacy as an entertainment
pioneer, we have created a technology playground for our guests at
Disney’s Internet Zone,” said Ken Goldstein, executive vice president
and managing director, Disney Online. “Our relationship with Compaq
coupled with our engaging content has allowed us to offer exciting
interactive entertainment at an attraction at a theme park that is
dedicated to creativity, inventiveness and imagination.”

“The Disney Internet Zone presented a fun opportunity for us to
use our innovative technology expertise to create an advanced,
interactive entertainment experience,” said Peter Blackmore, executive
vice president, worldwide sales and services, Compaq Computer
Corporation. “And we look forward to the many more projects that
Compaq and Disney have planned for the future.”

The Mission: SPACE Launch Center features several elements that
touch on the excitement and challenges of training for space travel,
including an interactive timeline, a Hubble space telescope display, a
multi-player maze game that lets guests guide a hovercraft around a
planet, the Hab Lab, which recreates a gravity-free environment, and a
model of the X-2 experimental rocket. Disney.com will produce an
original Web site with multi-player activities to accompany the
Mission: SPACE Launch Center, which is scheduled to be live later this
year.

Also at INNOVENTIONS, Disney’s I-ZONE features kiosks offering
guests interactive and engaging activities, including:

  • Mouse House Jr. is created especially for kids aged 3-6. Here
    kids use visual cues to interact with games that test
    concentration and encourage creativity in an environment filled
    with fun and discovery.

  • The Toy Lab provides families a fascinating and compelling
    introduction to the latest Internet games and digital toys
    available on the Web.

  • Toon Tag is a simulated multi-player game played over the
    Internet that allows each player to control his/her own computer
    generated Disney character as they play an interactive game of
    tag.

  • Video D-Mail allows guests to create a personalized video e-mail
    to send to their friends and families at home.

In November 2000, Walt Disney Internet Group and Compaq Computer
Corp. announced a three-year agreement naming Compaq as the preferred
technology provider to the Walt Disney Internet Group and partner in
delivering the Disney “magic” online. The agreement represented a
substantial commitment by Compaq to advertise on Walt Disney Internet
Group Web sites and a significant purchase of Compaq hardware and
technology services by Walt Disney Internet Group. The deal also
includes distribution of Walt Disney Internet Group content on Compaq
consumer products.

Walt Disney Internet Group is one of five business units of The
Walt Disney Company and manages many of the most popular Web sites and
services, including Disney.com, the number one Web site for kids and
families; ESPN.com, the leading sports site; ABC.com, the leading
broadcast network site; and ABCNEWS.com, one of the leading news
sites. Additional properties include Family.com, Mr.Showbiz,
Movies.com, Wall of Sound, DisneyAuctions.com, DisneyStore.com,
DisneyVacations.com, Soccernet.com and NFL.com. Walt Disney Internet
Group also produces Enhanced TV telecasts in conjunction with select
ABC Television and ESPN programming and includes the catalog
operations of The Walt Disney Company and 19 Disney-branded
international properties. Steve Wadsworth is the president of Walt
Disney Internet Group, which is headquartered in North Hollywood, CA,
and has operations in Bristol, CT; Seattle; New York; Tokyo; and
London.

Compaq Computer Corporation, a Fortune Global 100 company, is a
leading global provider of technology and solutions. Compaq designs,
develops, manufactures, and markets hardware, software, solutions, and
services, including industry-leading enterprise computing solutions,
fault-tolerant business-critical solutions, communication products,
and desktop and portable personal computers that are sold in more than
200 countries. Information on Compaq and its products and services is
available at www.compaq.com and its products and services are
available at www.compaq.com.

About INNOVENTIONS

Located in the heart of Epcot®, INNOVENTIONS continuously
transforms itself to represent the ever-changing world of technology.
Here, we celebrate the breakthroughs in science and technology that
inspire us in the new millennium — everything from exploratory
medicine, to personal global communications, to the ultimate in home
entertainment. At INNOVENTIONS, guests are entertained while they
discover tomorrow’s technology today through hands-on experiences that
activate the imagination and renew our hope for a better tomorrow.

About Epcot

Where can you travel to four continents, explore land and sea
adventures, experience future technologies today and journey into your
imagination – all in one vacation? Epcot, Walt Disney World’s
celebration of human achievement and discovery, is a one-stop vacation
spot for all of that.

At Epcot, guests are instantly transported into two unique
worlds: Future World, a high-energy, high-tech land where guests
interact with exhibits; World Showcase, a world of international
flavor and a dazzling display of countries that transports guests
through the magical worlds of 11 nations with just a few steps.

SpaceRef staff editor.