Out of This World Consumer Demand for Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Ignites Expanded Merchandising and Retail Program In Time for DVD Release

KIDdesigns, Funko, Hot Wheels, Her Universe, Mad Engine, and ThinkGeek Among Licensees Debuting New Merchandise for the Epic Space Adventure This December

Glendale, Calif. (December 2, 2014) — Following the monumental box office success of Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, Disney Consumer Products will launch a power-packed lineup of new merchandise including toys, apparel, accessories, electronics, home goods, collectibles, and more this holiday season just in time for the highly anticipated DVD and Blu-Ray launch on Tuesday, December 9th. The merchandising program will feature best-in-class partners who have lined up to help fuel fans’ love of all things Groot, Gamora, Rocket, Drax, and Star-Lord.

Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy hit theaters in July to massive success from fans and critics alike, grossing over $768 million worldwide and becoming the highest-grossing domestic film of 2014. The already highly-anticipated sequel has been announced for May 2017.

The new Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy product lineup will be led by a stellar array of new toys and collectibles including KIDdesigns’ much buzzed about Dancing Groot toy. Other key products include Funko’s POP! Marvel: Dancing Groot Bobble-head, Funko’s Fabrikations Guardians of the Galaxy – Rocket Raccoon collectible, Hot Wheel’s Star-Lord and Rocket Raccoon Character Cars, Just Play’s Rocket Raccoon Plush, and Dragon’s Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Star-Lord Model Kit.

Marvel will also be ramping up the franchise’s apparel offerings with t-shirts for kids and adults from Mad Engine, C-Life, Hybrid-Jem Sportswear, and Freeze and boys’ pajamas from AME. New accessories to hit retail include ThinkGeek’s Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy jewelry line, watches from MZ Berger and Accutime and BBC Rocket Raccoon slippers. Fans have been clamoring for more Gamora and Nebula merchandise and this holiday season Marvel is responding with tees from Her Universe and other exciting products. Rounding out the new offerings are party goods from American Greetings, home goods from Jay Franco, and drinkware from Vandor.

“The demand for Guardians of the Galaxy merchandise has been truly out of this world,” said Paul Gitter, senior vice president, licensing, Marvel at Disney Consumer Products. “Our merchandising and retail partners are doing a tremendous job of providing creative and innovative ways for fans to continue interacting with these popular characters and showcase their fandom year round.”

An action-packed space adventure, Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy expands the Marvel Cinematic Universe into the cosmos, where brash adventurer Peter Quill finds himself the object of an unrelenting bounty hunt after stealing a mysterious orb coveted by Ronan, a powerful villain with ambitions that threaten the entire universe. To evade the ever-persistent Ronan, Quill is forced into an uneasy truce with a quartet of disparate misfits—Rocket, a raccoon with a space-blaster, Groot, a tree-like humanoid, the deadly and enigmatic Gamora and the revenge-driven Drax the Destroyer. But when Quill discovers the true power of the orb and the menace it poses to the cosmos, he must do his best to rally his ragtag rivals for a last, desperate stand—with the galaxy’s fate in the balance.

Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, which first appeared in comic books in Marvel Super-Heroes, Issue #18 (Jan. 1969), stars Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, featuring Vin Diesel as the voice of Groot, Bradley Cooper as the voice of Rocket, Lee Pace, Michael Rooker, Karen Gillan, Djimon Hounsou, with John C. Reilly, Glenn Close as Nova Prime Rael and Benicio del Toro as The Collector.

About Marvel Entertainment, LLC
Marvel Entertainment, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is one of the world’s most prominent character-based entertainment companies, built on a proven library of more than 8,000 characters featured in a variety of media over seventy years. Marvel utilizes its character franchises in entertainment, licensing and publishing. For more information, visit marvel.com.© MARVEL

About Disney Consumer Products
Disney Consumer Products (DCP) is the business segment of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) that delivers innovative and engaging product experiences across thousands of categories from toys and apparel to books and fine art. As the world’s largest licensor, DCP inspires the imaginations of people around the world by bringing the magic of Disney into consumers’ homes with products they can enjoy year-round. DCP is comprised of three business units: Licensing, Publishing and Disney Store. The Licensing business is aligned around five strategic brand priorities: Disney Media, Classics & Entertainment, Disney & Pixar Animation Studios, Disney Princess & Disney Fairies, Lucasfilm and Marvel. Disney Publishing Worldwide (DPW) is the world’s largest publisher of children’s books, magazines, and digital products and also includes an English language learning business, consisting of over 40 Disney English learning centers across China and a supplemental learning book program. DPW’s growing library of digital products includes best-selling eBook titles and original apps that leverage Disney content in innovative ways. The Disney Store retail chain operates across North America, Europe and Japan with more than 350 stores worldwide and is known for providing consumers with high-quality, unique products. Disney’s official shopping portals online are www.DisneyStore.com and www.DisneyStore.co.uk. For more information, please visit Disney Consumer Products www.DisneyConsumerProducts.com or follow us at www.YouTube.com/DisneyLivingwww.Facebook.com/DisneyLiving, www.Twitter.com/DisneyLiving and www.Pinterest.com/DisneyLiving and www.Instagram.com/DisneyLiving.

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For More Information Contact:
Jeffrey Klein, Brian Reinert
DKC for Marvel
212-981-5189/212-981-5198
Jeff_klein@dkcnews.com
brian_reinert@dkcnews.com

Lauren Purnell
Disney Consumer Products
818-544-0393
lauren.b.purnell@disney.com

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