DisneyNature's Monkey Kingdom Supports Conservation International

 

DISNEYNATURE’S BIG-SCREEN ADVENTURE “MONKEY KINGDOM” SUPPORTS CONSERVATION INTERNATIONAL AND ITS EFFORTS TO PROTECT MONKEYS AND ENDANGERED SPECIES ACROSS SRI LANKA, CAMBODIA, AND INDONESIA

BURBANK, Calif. (April 24, 2015) – Thanks to support from moviegoers nationwide, Disneynature and Conservation International are pleased to announce the results of their conservation initiative tied to the new movie “Monkey Kingdom,” in theaters now. As part of the program, Disneynature committed a portion of opening week ticket sales (April 17-23, 2015) through the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund in support of conservation projects in Sri Lanka, Cambodia and Indonesia, including:

·  Programs working across 1 million acres of some of the world’s most biologically diverse ecosystems

·  Protection of important habitats for thousands of species, including 29 different types of primates and other wildlife such as Asian elephants, Javan leopards, sun bears and the giant ibis

·  Planting thousands of trees to create a “green wall” that protects two major national parks and a watershed that provides fresh water to more than 30 million people

·  Educating visitors, community members and school children about the importance of local conservation of nearby endangered habitat

·  Ranger training and patrols to monitor and protect 185 acres of endangered forests

·  Operation of a gibbon rescue-and-rehabilitation center

“Disneynature’s films help the audience care about and understand nature,” said Peter Seligmann, Chairman and CEO of Conservation International. “That alone is an incredibly important contribution to conservation. But Disneynature does more than tell a powerful, emotional story. It is committed to supporting programs in the field that directly benefit at-risk ecosystems, as well as the animals and people that depend upon them. This kind of support helps organizations like Conservation International create lasting impact on the ground.”

“Disneynature films are created to entertain and engage audiences while contributing in a meaningful way to the planet, and Monkey Kingdom succeeds in both,” said Paul Baribault, Vice President, Marketing, The Walt Disney Studios. “With these films, Disney is proud to support the work of leading organizations like Conservation International in preserving our natural world for future generations.”

The Disneynature conservation efforts surrounding “Monkey Kingdom” attracted support from within Disney and beyond.

·      Young fans unlocked an exclusive monkey costume on Disney Club Penguin to support Conservation International: www.clubpenguin.com

·      The Disney Music Group will contribute 20% of the purchase price of each single track download of Jacquie Lee’s “It’s Our World” song from the film to Conservation International

·      The Disney Store committed a portion of the sale of Maya and Kip character plush to Conservation International: www.disneystore.com

·      Disney Cruise Line made a contribution in celebration of the movie, which also premiered on the high seas

·      Regal Entertainment Group supported a gift card program in conjunction with “Monkey Kingdom” that resulted in a contribution to Conservation International: www.regmovies.com

 New York jewelry designer Alex Woo designed eco-friendly pendants inspired by the film, available in Sterling Silver & 14kt Gold—a portion of each sale benefits Conservation International: www.alexwoo.com

To learn more about the work Disneynature is supporting with Conservation International, go to: www.conservation.org/MonkeyKingdom

ABOUT THE MOVIE

Life is an adventure for Maya, the clever and resourceful blonde-bobbed monkey in “Monkey Kingdom,” Disneynature’s new feature film set among ancient ruins in the storied jungles of South Asia. Maya’s world is forever changed when she welcomes her son, Kip, into her complicated extended family. Like all families, Maya’s has more than its share of colorful personalities—and she’s determined to give her son a leg up in the world. When their longtime home at Castle Rock is taken over by powerful neighboring monkeys, Maya's whole family retreats, and she uses her street smarts and ingenuity to uncover untapped resources amidst strange new creatures and unsettling surroundings. Ultimately, they will all have to work together to reclaim Castle Rock, where Maya can hopefully realize her dreams for her son’s future.

Featuring a rich variety of characters, including a mischievous mongoose, simple-minded langur monkeys, predatory leopards and monitor lizards, “Monkey Kingdom” is narrated by Tina Fey (“30 Rock”), directed by Mark Linfield (“Chimpanzee,” “Earth”) and co-directed by Alastair Fothergill (“Chimpanzee,” “Bears”). With music from award-winning composer Harry Gregson-Williams ("The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe," “Shrek” movies), Disneynature’s eighth True Life Adventure—the follow-up to 2014’s “Bears”—swings into theaters April 17, 2015.

ABOUT DISNEYNATURE

Disneynature was launched in April 2008. Its mission is to bring the world’s top nature filmmakers together to share a wide variety of wildlife stories on the big screen in order to engage, inspire and educate theatrical audiences everywhere. Walt Disney was a pioneer in wildlife filmmaking, producing 13 True-Life Adventure motion pictures between 1948 and 1960, which earned eight Academy Awards®. The first five Disneynature films, “Earth,” “Oceans,” “African Cats,” “Chimpanzee,” and “Bears” are five of the top six highest overall grossing feature-length nature films to date, with “Chimpanzee” garnering a record-breaking opening weekend for the genre. Disneynature’s commitment to conservation is a key pillar of the label and the films empower the audience to help make a difference. Through donations tied to opening-week attendance for all five films, Disneynature, through the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund, has planted three million trees in Brazil’s Atlantic Forest, established 40,000 acres of marine protected area in The Bahamas, protected 65,000 acres of savanna in Kenya, protected nearly 130,000 acres of wild chimpanzee habitat, cared for chimpanzees, educated 60,000 school children about chimpanzee conservation and funded research and restoration grants in U.S. National Parks, supporting conservation projects across U.S. National Parks and protecting endangered species. For more information about Disneynature, like us on Facebook: facebook.com/Disneynature and follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/Disneynature.

ABOUT DISNEY WORLDWIDE CONSERVATION FUND (DWCF)

For 20 years, the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund has worked to save species and habitats and to connect kids to the wonder of nature.  To date, DWCF has granted more than $27 million to support conservation programs in 114 countries.  DWCF is a Disney initiative to conserve nature for future generations 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.

ABOUT CONSERVATION INTERNATIONAL

Since 1987, Conservation International has been working to improve human well-being through the care of nature. With the guiding principle that nature doesn't need people, but people need nature for food, water, health and livelihoods—CI works with more than 1,000 partners around the world to ensure a healthy, more prosperous planet that supports the well-being of people. Learn more about CI and the "Nature Is Speaking " campaign, and follow CI's work on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube .