HONG KONG, - Eastman Kodak Company will be the exclusive supplier of digital and traditional imaging products and services at Hong Kong Disneyland, in a multi-year agreement that expands the company's 50-year relationship with The Walt Disney Company.
Kodak will sponsor the Fantasy Gardens pavilion in Fantasyland, one of four themed lands at the park and a realm of imagination and enchantment where childhood dreams come true. Fantasy Gardens is a unique scenic attraction specially designed for Hong Kong Disneyland, where guests can meet, greet, and pose for photos in five themed gazebos with favorite Disney characters. Kodak Picture Spots around the park offer guests additionalthe chances to capture great photos with their friends and families.
The agreement willalso provides for digital photo printing stations, digital products and services, such as thrill-ride photo capture systems and supplies, in-park photographers, sales of traditional products, such as one-time-use cameras, and on-site photo processing.
Set to open Sept. 12, Hong Kong Disneyland is the first Disney resort in China.
"Hong Kong Disneyland will be the top world-class family vacation destination in the region offering entertainment experiences that are fun and exciting for the entire family," said Don Robinson, managing director of Hong Kong Disneyland. "We are pleased to be partnering with Kodak to inspire such magical moments and timeless traditions to all our guests, and create memories that will last a lifetime."
"This is a great opportunity for us to extend our relationship with The Walt Disney Company in this strategically important region, and provide innovative picture-taking products and services to guests at Hong Kong Disneyland," said Ying Yeh, chairman of Kodak's Greater China operations and a Kodak vice president. "As people across China and Asia discover the magic of Hong Kong Disneyland, they can capture and share their treasured memories with a full range of Kodak products."
Hong Kong Disneyland guests will be able to print photos from their digital cameras and mobile phone cameras using KODAK Picture Maker kiosks and order stations inside the park. Kodak will manage the walk-around photography at Hong Kong Disneyland, in which roving photographers - using proprietary technology from Kodak Event Imaging Solutions (EIS) - will take family snapshots that guests can select and print before they leave. Kodak digital memory cards, traditional products and same-day processing will also be offered at the park.
"Guests at Hong Kong Disneyland will find a lifetime's worth of great memories, and a full line of easy-to-use Kodak products to help them capture and share those memories in pictures," said Karen Smith-Pilkington, chairman and president, Greater Asia Region, and a Kodak senior vice president. "Our intent is to help guests not only take great photos of their Disneyland experience, but also to share those experiences with friends and family with real KODAK pictures."
Magic milestones
The agreement marks a milestone in Kodak's 50-year alliance with The Walt Disney Company. In May 2002, Kodak announced a multi-year agreement with The Walt Disney Company that renewed the company's long-standing relationship as the exclusive imaging supplier of imaging products and services at world-renowned Disney parks and resorts in the U.S and Paris, as well as for the Disney Cruise Line.
Kodak's relationship with The Walt Disney Company dates to 1955, when Kodak took part in the opening of the original Disneyland, where a little camera shop selling Kodak products appeared on Main Street that year. Kodak further expanded its relationship with Disney over the years to include Walt Disney World, Disneyland Paris and now, Hong Kong Disneyland. Other milestones in the relationship include:
Kodak, through its Cinesite digital film center, produced digital effects for the current Disney/Touchstone Pictures and Spyglass Entertainment feature hit, "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy." Cinesite also took part in a 1993 restoration of the 1937 Walt Disney feature film, "Snow White."
In 1980, Kodak and Disney announced plans to build the 4.5-acre Journey Into Imagination pavilion at EPCOT Center at Walt Disney World. Groundbreaking for EPCOT took place in 1979; the pavilion opened in October, 1982. Today, it serves as a showcase for innovations in digital photography.
Kodak sponsored Disney's "Wonderful World of Color" TV show in the late 1950's. During that program, Walt Disney appeared in a Kodak commercial and posed with Kodak cameras.
About Hong Kong Disneyland
The Hong Kong Disneyland project was announced in 1999 as a venture between The Walt Disney Company and the Hong Kong SAR Government. With the completion of reclamation for Hong Kong Disneyland Phase I by the Hong Kong SAR Government, theme park and resort construction began in January 2003, with the project now scheduled to open on September 12, 2005. At opening day, Hong Kong Disneyland will comprise a theme park and two hotels.
The Phase I build-out includes a projected 10 million annual visitor Disneyland-style theme park, 2,100 hotel rooms, and an area for retail, dining and entertainment. The project is estimated to create 18,000 new jobs at opening (both Disney and other employment) growing to 36,000 once the first park reaches build-out. The Hong Kong SAR Government estimated that the first phase of the project will generate a present economic value of HK$148 billion (US$19 billion) in benefits to Hong Kong over a 40-year period. For more information, please refer to the Hong Kong Disneyland website at www.hongkongdisneyland.com.
About Eastman Kodak Company
Kodak is the leader in helping people take, share, print and view images - for memories, for information, for business, and for entertainment. With sales of $13.5 billion in 2004, the company is committed to a digitally oriented growth strategy focused on four businesses: Digital & Film Imaging Systems - providing consumers, professionals and cinematographers with digital and traditional products and services; Health - supplying the medical and dental professions with traditional and digital imaging and information systems, IT solutions and services; Graphic Communications - providing customers with a range of solutions for prepress, traditional and digital printing, and document scanning and multi-vendor IT services; and Display & Components - supplying original equipment manufacturers with imaging sensors as well as intellectual property and materials for the organic light-emitting diode (OLED) and LCD display industries.
More information about Kodak (NYSE: EK) is available at www.kodak.com.
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