http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/walt-disney-picturesrsquo-and-jerry,795327.shtml

BURBANK, Calif. - (Business Wire) A team of secret government operatives are infiltrating Major League Baseball this season. Their mission? Give away one million tickets to see their movie G-FORCE on its opening day. From Walt Disney Pictures and Jerry Bruckheimer Films comes G-FORCE, a 3-D high-octane comedy adventure about a covert government program in which guinea pigs are trained to work in espionage. The film, opening nationwide July 24, teams up with MLB for the unprecedented G-Force Grand Slam Sweepstakes. If a grand slam is hit during the All-Star Game on July 14, the first million people who have entered on Disney.com will win a free ticket to see G-FORCE on its opening day.

 

The program marks the most comprehensive promotional sponsorship of Major League Baseball by a major motion picture ever and the first movie promoting its debut during the Major League Baseball All-Star Game since Disneys Angels in the Outfield in 1994.

G-FORCE is a hilarious 3-D comedy that family audiences will love, said Jim Gallagher, president of marketing for Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. We hope one of the All Stars hits a grand slam, because what better way to launch the release than with a million enthusiastic sports fans showing up as part of opening day!

Grand slams are on the rise with 18 grand slams having been hit so far this season, well ahead of the normal pace.

By teaming the most significant sporting event of the summer with the most anticipated family movie of the summer, we hope to give fans a little something more to cheer for when they tune-in to the All-Star Game, said Tim Brosnan, Major League Baseball executive vice president, business. Delivering tried and true forms of family entertainment, Disney and Major League Baseball are a perfect team.

We think that G-FORCE hits a grand slam with comedy, adventure and innovative 3-D, and were excited to share the fun with audiences of all ages," said producer Jerry Bruckheimer.

The first million people who enter online at Disney.com between April 22 and midnight on July 14 will receive a code redeemable for one free ticket to the movie on its opening day (July 24) at participating theaters if a grand slam is hit during the All-Star Game, which will air live on FOX at 8 p.m. ET. on July 14. Additionally, the more than 46,000 attendees of the All-Star Game, which takes place in St. Louis Busch Stadium, will each receive a promotional card with a ticket code redeemable for a free ticket on opening day if a grand slam is hit.

This new promotional relationship follows last weeks announcement that four sponsors of Major League Baseball are returning along with three new sponsors in Japan.

The movie takes a front-row seat in the effort to select the starting lineups for this years MLB All-Star teams. As the exclusive sponsor of in-stadium All-Star balloting, G-FORCE will appear on more than 20 million ballots distributed at the 30 MLB ballparks, at more than 100 Minor League ballparks, and through in-stadium messaging and announcements. Major League Baseball and Disney will select a child from local Boys & Girls Club of America chapters to participate in the in-stadium All-Star balloting launch ceremony.

Prior to the All-Star Game, 29 MLB Clubs will host Walt Disney Pictures G-FORCE Days including G-FORCE-themed trading card giveaways and movie ticket/prize-pack giveaways during the games.

For the G-Force Grand Slam Sweepstakes Official Rules, go to Disney.com/g-force. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited.

ABOUT THE MOVIE

Producer Jerry Bruckheimer brings his first 3-D film to the big screen with G-FORCE, a comedy adventure about the latest evolution of a covert government program to train animals to work in espionage. Armed with the latest high-tech spy equipment, these highly trained guinea pigs discover that the fate of the world is in their paws. Tapped for the G-FORCE are guinea pigs Darwin (voice of SAM ROCKWELL), the squad leader determined to succeed at all costs; Blaster (voice of TRACY MORGAN), an outrageous weapons expert with tons of attitude and a love for all things extreme; and Juarez (voice of PENELOPE CRUZ), a sexy martial arts pro; plus the literal fly-on-the-wall reconnaissance expert, Mooch, and a star-nosed mole, Speckles (voice of NICOLAS CAGE), the computer and information specialist. Along the way, the G-FORCE encounters myriad other members of the animal kingdom, including pet shop layabout Hurley (voice of JON FAVREAU) and the rabidly territorial hamster Bucky (voice of STEVE BUSCEMI).

Directed by Academy Award^®-winning visual effects master Hoyt YeatmanG-FORCE takes audiences on a high-octane thrill ride, proving once and for all that the world needs bigger heroes.

ABOUT 2009 MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL ALL-STAR GAME

The 80^th Major League Baseball All-Star Game will be played on Tuesday, July 14^th in St. Louis and will feature the best of the American League taking on the top players of the National League. Building up to the excitement of the All-Star Game, Major League Baseball will conduct a wide variety of special events and charitable activities for fans both inside and outside of Busch Stadium. At the ballpark, the events will include Taco Bell All-Star Sunday on Sunday, July 12^th featuring the XM All-Star Futures Game and the Taco Bell All-Star Legends & Celebrity Softball Game, and Gatorade All-Star Workout Day on Monday, July 13^th featuring the State Farm Home Run Derby. Outside of the ballpark, fans will have an opportunity to experience All-Star Summer through a variety of special events including Major League Baseball All-Star FanFest, the five-day interactive fan festival; the All-Star Concert benefiting Stand Up To Cancer, a free concert for fans under the St. Louis Arch; and the All-Star Game Red Carpet Parade presented by Chevy, a free parade of All-Stars leading into Busch Stadium. The Midsummer Classic will be televised nationally on FOX Sports and will be shown around the world by Major League Baseball International.

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures/Burbank
Jasmine Madatian
Senior Vice President, Publicity
818-560-5610
or
Major League Baseball
Matt Bourne, 212.931.7882