ESPN2 to Broadcast One-Hour Special on Oct. 8-9, 2008, Featuring the Prequel to Walt Disney Pictures' Upcoming True-Life Sailing Documentary "Morning

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Conceivers, producers and executive producers Roy E. Disney and Leslie DeMeuse recruited 15 young sailors to take on the challenge of a lifetime — the 2,500-mile open-ocean Transpac sailing challenge featured in the upcoming true-life documentary “Morning Light,” which hits theaters nationwide Oct. 17. The story of how those 15 made the team is captured in a one-hour special “Morning Light: Making the Cut,” airing on ESPN2 Oct. 8-9, 2008.

“The ESPN2 special is a compelling depiction of 30 kids — all passionate about sailing — who travel to California in hopes of being selected for an incredible opportunity,” says DeMeuse. “But only half of them will ultimately be selected to spend six months of their lives training under world-renowned coaches and have a chance to sail what’s perhaps the most revered of open-ocean sailing competitions, the Transpac,” says DeMeuse.

Adds Disney, “The special captures what these kids had to do to prove themselves as sailors, as individuals and most importantly, as members of a team. It leaves viewers wanting more and beginning October 17, ‘Morning Light’ will tell the rest of the story.”

The special is slated to air during primetime on the East Coast on Wednesday, Oct. 8, at 8 p.m. ET (7 p.m. CT, 6 p.m. MT, 5 p.m. PT and 2 p.m. in Hawaii). It airs during primetime on the West Coast Thursday, Oct. 9, at 9 p.m. PT (6 p.m. Hawaii, 10 p.m. MT, 11 p.m. CT and midnight 10/10 ET). The program will also air across a variety of ESPN International networks, including Australia, Africa, Middle East, Israel, Caribbean and Canada.

About The Movie

Fifteen young sailors… six months of intense training… one chance at the brass ring. This exciting true-life documentary tells the inspiring story of a group of intrepid and determined young men and women, on the cusp of adulthood, as they embark on life’s first great adventure. Racing a high-performance 52-foot sloop in the TRANSPAC, the most revered of open-ocean sailing competitions, the crew of “Morning Light” matches wits and skills in a dramatic 2500 mile showdown against top professionals. From their earliest training sessions in Hawaii conducted by world-class teachers through their test of endurance on the high seas, they form an unbreakable bond in the process of becoming a singular team that is greater than the sum of its parts. Directed and edited by two of the key filmmakers responsible for the recent rock documentary “Amazing Journey: The Story of the Who,” MORNING LIGHT will appeal to the sense of adventure in everyone.

About ESPN, Inc.

ESPN, Inc., The Worldwide Leader in Sports, is the leading multinational, multimedia sports entertainment company featuring the broadest portfolio of multimedia sports assets with over 50 business entities. Sports media assets include ESPN (launched in 1979), ESPN on ABC, five additional domestic cable television networks (ESPN2; ESPN Classic; ESPNEWS; ESPN Deportes; ESPNU), ESPN HD, ESPN2 HD and ESPNEWS HD (high-definition simulcast services of ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNEWS, respectively), ESPN Regional Television, ESPN International (34 international networks and syndication), ESPN Radio, ESPN.com, ESPN The Magazine, ESPN Enterprises, ESPN PPV, ESPN Zones (sports-themed restaurants), and other growing new businesses including ESPN360.com (Broadband), ESPN Mobile Properties (wireless), ESPN On Demand and ESPN Interactive. Based in Bristol, Ct., ESPN is 80 percent owned by ABC, Inc., which is an indirect subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company. The Hearst Corporation holds a 20 percent interest in ESPN.

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures/Burbank
Jasmine Madatian
Senior Vice President, Publicity
818-560-5610
or
ESPN Communications
Kim Jessup, 407-566-2175
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