BURBANK, Calif. (April 15, 2010) – “OCEANS” won’t open till Earth Day, yet 400,000 moviegoers have already bought tickets to catch the movie in its opening week and protect coral reefs in the process. The “See ‘OCEANS,’ Save Oceans” initiative has bolstered ticket sales for the film; Disneynature’s pledge to make a contribution in honor of everyone who sees the motion picture between April 22-28 has already translated to more than 790 acres of marine protected area in The Bahamas—and that number is still growing with advance ticket sales on the rise and the April 22-opening just a week away.
“With 400,000 tickets sold so far, Disneynature’s second film is making a huge splash and saving coral reefs along the way—and ‘OCEANS’ hasn’t even opened yet,” said Chuck Viane, president, distribution, Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. “Coral reefs are essential to the global ecosystem; we’re already on our way to establishing more than 790 acres of new marine protected areas—that’s the equivalent of about 600 football fields or nearly the size of New York City’s Central Park—and sales are still going strong.”
SEE OCEANS, SAVE OCEANS
Disneynature will make a contribution to one of the largest conservation organizations in the world, The Nature Conservancy, to save coral reefs in honor of each moviegoer who sees OCEANS during opening week (April 22-28). Through the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund, Disneynature and The Nature Conservancy will help establish new marine protected areas in The Bahamas. For more details on Disneynature’s collaboration with The Nature Conservancy, please visit: www.disney.com/Oceans.
“The environmental community of The Bahamas is excited about Disney’s commitment to preserving our precious coral reefs,” said Eleanor Phillips, Northern Caribbean program director for The Nature Conservancy. “No matter where you live, everyone depends on our oceans for many of our most basic needs like food and medicine. After witnessing decades of exploitation and neglect of our coral reefs, it honestly makes my heart sing to see so many people working together to advance this important cause.”
The 700 islands that comprise The Bahamas contain miles of vital coral reefs, which are the foundation of a healthy ocean environment, providing shelter, nurseries and feeding grounds for hundreds of marine species, including dolphins, sea turtles and a wide range of fish. Scientists estimate that the coral reefs of the Caribbean could be gone within 50 years without a network of well-managed marine protected areas.
With generous support from Disneynature, The Nature Conservancy has recently launched its Adopt-a-Coral-Reef program (adopt.nature.org/coralreef/) in The Bahamas. The Nature Conservancy is working to protect the coral reefs in The Bahamas and other critical locations throughout the Caribbean and around the world. As a leading global conservation organization, The Nature Conservancy manages more than 100 marine conservation projects in 31 countries and in all U.S. coastal states.
ABOUT THE MOVIE
Disneynature, the studio that presented the record-breaking film “Earth,” brings OCEANS to the big screen on Earth Day, 2010. Nearly three-quarters of the Earth’s surface is covered by water and OCEANS boldly chronicles the mysteries that lie beneath. Directors Jacques Perrin and Jacques Cluzaud dive deep into the very waters that sustain all of mankind—exploring the harsh reality and the amazing creatures that live within. Narrated by Pierce Brosnan and featuring spectacular never-before-seen imagery captured by the latest underwater technologies, OCEANS offers an unprecedented look beneath the sea in a powerful motion picture that unfolds on April 22, 2010. For more information, visit disney.com/Oceans, become a fan on Facebook: facebook.com/Disneynature or follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/Disneynature.
ABOUT THE NATURE CONSERVANCY
The Nature Conservancy is a leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. The Nature Conservancy and its more than 1 million members have protected nearly 120 million acres worldwide. Visit The Nature Conservancy on the Web at www.nature.org.
ABOUT DISNEY WORLDWIDE CONSERVATION FUND
The Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund has advanced Disney’s legacy of conservation to inspire people and partnerships to protect the world’s wildlife. To date, the DWCF has granted more than $14 million in 110 countries. DWCF is a Disney initiative to support conservation and animal welfare and is not a US 501(c)(3) public charity. More information about DWCF’s efforts for wildlife, wild places and the people linked to their survival, is available at www.disney.com/conservation.
