Disney Interactive Studios Starts a New Holiday Tradition with Disney's A Christmas Carol Video Game Handheld Interactive Experience Inspired by the Upcoming Disney Feature Film "Disney's A Christmas Carol" Now Available Exclusively for Nintendo DS

BURBANK, Calif., Nov 03, 2009 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- For the first time a new generation of fans will use a stylus and mic to guide Scrooge on a thrilling adventure and help him discover the true meaning of Christmas. Disney Interactive Studios today announced Disney's A Christmas Carol video game is available now at all major retailers. Exclusive to the Nintendo DS(TM), Disney's A Christmas Carol is an exciting storybook adventure inspired by "Disney's A Christmas Carol," the Charles Dickens tale re-imagined by Robert Zemeckis as a major feature film starring Jim Carrey.

"Disney's A Christmas Carol video game brings a holiday classic everyone knows to a fun new interactive platform," said Craig Relyea, senior vice president of global marketing, Disney Interactive Studios. "The game is sure to provide hours of festive entertainment this holiday season for the entire family." In the game, players experience narrated animated scenes inspired by the film that unfold like an interactive storybook with amazing beauty and detail. The game utilizes many of the unique Nintendo DS features. Players will experience Scrooge's adventure by blowing and speaking into the microphone and using the Nintendo DS stylus to pull, shake, drag and tap the different environments. The English version of the Charles Dickens book is also included in the game, so that fans can read the original text while they play. The rest of the game can be enjoyed in English, Spanish, or French.

In addition, there are several fun holiday activities like singing carols, decorating with holiday ornaments, and cooking recipes from the Victorian era.

The game features 14 interactive mini-games that include coin tossing, playing the piano and fiddle, throwing snow balls, and a whole host of card games. As a bonus, the game allows up to four players to challenge each other with a variety of mini-games on one Nintendo DS system. For fans of Disney's A Christmas Carol, who may be new to video games, a poster included with the game offers easy to follow tips for the first level. Another plus is a real-time advent calendar with surprises that unlock every day from December 1 through Christmas 2009.

Disney's A Christmas Carol video game also includes DGamer, the online community exclusively for Disney gamers on Nintendo DS. DGamer enables players to chat with others and unlock additional items in their game. Disney's A Christmas Carol DGamer features include special holiday and Christmas greetings and in-game messages. From November 11 through December 23, players owning the game will receive weekly exclusive codes for special DGamer avatar accessories, so those who start playing the game earlier have the opportunity to collect the entire set sooner.

Disney's A Christmas Carol video game is available for $29.99 and is rated E for Everyone with Comic Mischief by the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB).

About the Film "Disney's A Christmas Carol," a multi-sensory thrill ride re-envisioned by Academy Award(R)-winning filmmaker Robert Zemeckis, captures the fantastical essence of the classic Dickens tale in a groundbreaking 3D motion picture event.

Ebenezer Scrooge (Jim Carrey) begins the Christmas holiday with his usual miserly contempt, barking at his faithful clerk (Gary Oldman) and his cheery nephew (Colin Firth). But when the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come take him on an eye-opening journey revealing truths Old Scrooge is reluctant to face, he must open his heart to undo years of ill will before it's too late. The film hits U.S. theaters on Nov. 6, 2009.

About Disney Interactive Studios Disney Interactive Studios, part of Disney Interactive Media Group, is the interactive entertainment affiliate of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS).

Disney Interactive Studios self publishes and distributes a broad portfolio of multi-platform video games, mobile games and interactive entertainment worldwide. The company also licenses properties and works directly with other interactive game publishers to bring products for all ages to market. Disney Interactive Studios is based in Glendale, California, and has internal development studios around the world. For more information, log on to http://www.disneyinteractivestudios.com.

(C) Disney. Product names, release dates and features may be subject to change Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=6089556&lang=en SOURCE: Disney Interactive Studios CONTACT: Disney Interactive Studios Ross Purnell, 818-553-5022 [e-mail] or Access Communications Christa Bailey, 415-839-3092 [e-mail] Copyright Business Wire 2009 -0- KEYWORD: United States

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