A Powerful and Inspiring True Life Adventure from
Walt Disney Pictures and Roy E. Disney
Morning Light
Coming to Blu-rayTM Hi-Def and DVD on June 16, 2009
Burbank, Calif., May 1, 2009 – Fifteen novice sailors compete for a once-in-a-lifetime experience in
Morning Light, a bracing documentary coming to Blu-rayTM Hi-Def and DVD on June 16, 2009 from Walt
Disney Studios Home Entertainment. Producers Roy E. Disney and Leslie DeMeuse present a true-to-
life, unscripted account of the selection and training of a crew of young adults for the oldest and most
prestigious open sea race in the world, the Transpacific Yacht Race from Los Angeles to Honolulu,
Hawaii. Both Blu-ray and DVD versions include bonus features that take viewers behind the scenes of
the absorbing and highly competitive world of open sea racing.
Sometimes called the Indianapolis 500 of blue water ocean racing, the Transpac is a grueling
competition that covers nearly 2,500 miles of ocean between Los Angeles and Honolulu. First held in
1906, the Transpac attracts elite competitors from all over the world, in a renowned ocean-going battle
that can last well over a week.
Both passionate sailors, Disney and Demeuse first participated in the Transpac more than 30 years ago.
Disney held the mono hull record for the race from 1997 to 2005. In 2007, the two producers conceived
of an unprecedented project….to assemble and film a group of young sailors to crew the Morning Light,
a 52-foot racing sloop, in the Transpac. They would be among the youngest crews ever to sail this
grueling race. In Morning Light, writer-director Mark Monroe and editor and co-producer Paul Crowder
(Dogtown and Z-Boys, Amazing Journey: The Story of The Who) document the team’s selection,
preparation, emotional journey, and sea-going adventures in a fast-paced, rhythmic style.
BONUS FEATURES FOR MORNING LIGHT
Both the Blu-ray Hi-Def and DVD Editions of Morning Light include these exciting bonus features:
• Stories from the Sea with host Jason Earles (“Hannah Montana”)
• ESPN Special: Morning Light – Making the Cut
• Dylan and Cole Sprouse - Blu-ray is Suite! (DVD only)
Fifteen young sailors...six months of intense training…one chance at the brass ring. A group of intrepid
and determined young men and women on the cusp of adulthood embark on their first great adventure
AS they vie for a berth on a high-performance racing sloop. Morning Light is an exhilarating and
uplifting documentary that traces their path from initial selection to final competition in the 2007
Transpacific Yacht Race, the most revered of open-ocean sailing competitions. Chosen from over 500
applicants, the group OF 15 spends six months in intensive training sessions conducted by world-class
teachers before they choose from among themselves the 11-member crew that will sail Morning Light in
an exhausting and thrilling test of their endurance. Captained by 21-year-old Jeremy Wilmot, the story of
Morning Light and her youthful crew is a fascinating look at both a unique and challenging sporting
event, and, at its heart, the story of the formation of the unbreakable bond that makes a team so much
greater than the sum of its parts.
Morning Light has a suggested retail price of $29.99 on DVD and $39.99 on Blu-ray DiscTM.
BLU-RAY STREET DATE: June 23, 2009
Direct prebook: April 21, 2009
Distributor prebook: May 5, 2009
Pricing: Blu-ray Disc: $39.99 SRP
DVD: $29.99 SRP
Feature run time: 97 minutes
Rated: PG for Some Language (Bonus Materials Not Rated)
Technical specifications may only apply to feature.
Blu-ray Disc
Aspect ratio: 1080ph Hi-Definition (2.35:1)
Sound: English 5.1 DTS –HD 48 kHz/24bit, French 5.1 Dolby Digital
Languages: English SDH, Spanish and French Subtitles
DVD:
Aspect ratio: Widescreen (1.85:1) Enhanced for 16X9 Televisions
Sound: English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
Languages: French language track, Spanish and French Subtitles
Walt Disney Pictures and Roy E. Disney
Morning Light
Coming to Blu-rayTM Hi-Def and DVD on June 16, 2009
Burbank, Calif., May 1, 2009 – Fifteen novice sailors compete for a once-in-a-lifetime experience in
Morning Light, a bracing documentary coming to Blu-rayTM Hi-Def and DVD on June 16, 2009 from Walt
Disney Studios Home Entertainment. Producers Roy E. Disney and Leslie DeMeuse present a true-to-
life, unscripted account of the selection and training of a crew of young adults for the oldest and most
prestigious open sea race in the world, the Transpacific Yacht Race from Los Angeles to Honolulu,
Hawaii. Both Blu-ray and DVD versions include bonus features that take viewers behind the scenes of
the absorbing and highly competitive world of open sea racing.
Sometimes called the Indianapolis 500 of blue water ocean racing, the Transpac is a grueling
competition that covers nearly 2,500 miles of ocean between Los Angeles and Honolulu. First held in
1906, the Transpac attracts elite competitors from all over the world, in a renowned ocean-going battle
that can last well over a week.
Both passionate sailors, Disney and Demeuse first participated in the Transpac more than 30 years ago.
Disney held the mono hull record for the race from 1997 to 2005. In 2007, the two producers conceived
of an unprecedented project….to assemble and film a group of young sailors to crew the Morning Light,
a 52-foot racing sloop, in the Transpac. They would be among the youngest crews ever to sail this
grueling race. In Morning Light, writer-director Mark Monroe and editor and co-producer Paul Crowder
(Dogtown and Z-Boys, Amazing Journey: The Story of The Who) document the team’s selection,
preparation, emotional journey, and sea-going adventures in a fast-paced, rhythmic style.
BONUS FEATURES FOR MORNING LIGHT
Both the Blu-ray Hi-Def and DVD Editions of Morning Light include these exciting bonus features:
• Stories from the Sea with host Jason Earles (“Hannah Montana”)
• ESPN Special: Morning Light – Making the Cut
• Dylan and Cole Sprouse - Blu-ray is Suite! (DVD only)
Fifteen young sailors...six months of intense training…one chance at the brass ring. A group of intrepid
and determined young men and women on the cusp of adulthood embark on their first great adventure
AS they vie for a berth on a high-performance racing sloop. Morning Light is an exhilarating and
uplifting documentary that traces their path from initial selection to final competition in the 2007
Transpacific Yacht Race, the most revered of open-ocean sailing competitions. Chosen from over 500
applicants, the group OF 15 spends six months in intensive training sessions conducted by world-class
teachers before they choose from among themselves the 11-member crew that will sail Morning Light in
an exhausting and thrilling test of their endurance. Captained by 21-year-old Jeremy Wilmot, the story of
Morning Light and her youthful crew is a fascinating look at both a unique and challenging sporting
event, and, at its heart, the story of the formation of the unbreakable bond that makes a team so much
greater than the sum of its parts.
Morning Light has a suggested retail price of $29.99 on DVD and $39.99 on Blu-ray DiscTM.
BLU-RAY STREET DATE: June 23, 2009
Direct prebook: April 21, 2009
Distributor prebook: May 5, 2009
Pricing: Blu-ray Disc: $39.99 SRP
DVD: $29.99 SRP
Feature run time: 97 minutes
Rated: PG for Some Language (Bonus Materials Not Rated)
Technical specifications may only apply to feature.
Blu-ray Disc
Aspect ratio: 1080ph Hi-Definition (2.35:1)
Sound: English 5.1 DTS –HD 48 kHz/24bit, French 5.1 Dolby Digital
Languages: English SDH, Spanish and French Subtitles
DVD:
Aspect ratio: Widescreen (1.85:1) Enhanced for 16X9 Televisions
Sound: English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
Languages: French language track, Spanish and French Subtitles
