LUCASFILM JOINS FORCES WITH EIGHT ICONIC BRANDS TO LAUNCH UNPARALLED PROMOTIONAL CAMPAIGN IN SUPPORT OF STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER

LUCASFILM JOINS FORCES WITH EIGHT ICONIC BRANDS

TO LAUNCH UNPARALLED PROMOTIONAL CAMPAIGN IN SUPPORT OF

STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER

PORSCHE, BOSE, UNITED AIRLINES, GENERAL ELECTRIC, MCDONALD’S,

SAMSUNG MOBILE, GENERAL MILLS, AND DANNON JOIN THE INITIATIVE

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIF. (October 2, 2019)—Lucasfilm announced today that they are joining forces with eight of the world’s most iconic and best-in-class  brands—Porsche, Bose, United Airlines, General Electric, McDonald’s, Samsung Mobile,  General Mills, and Dannon—for the launch of a massive global promotional campaign in support of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, hitting theaters on December 20.  

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is the ninth episode in the Skywalker saga and the concluding chapter in this iconic series after over 40 years of storytelling. To celebrate the highly anticipated release, Lucasfilm and the film’s eight promotional partners have joined forces via a coordinated social moment to reveal a first look at Babu Frik. The tiny droidsmith, first glimpsed in toy form during the Triple Force Friday livestream event, works among the Spice Runners of Kijimi and can reprogram or modify virtually any droid, regardless of the security measures protecting its systems. The social moment consisted of the brands posting a piece of the exclusive image to their social handles that then drove fans to the Star Wars Blog to see the full image. 

The brands are also teaming up to offer fans the chance to enter an exciting sweepstakes. The sweepstakes winner will be among the first to see the film at the World Premiere of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker,  as well as receive a pair of already sold-out Jedi Master ticket packages to Star Wars Celebration 2020! To see the new image, and for official rules and how to enter the sweepstakes, go to https://www.starwars.com/the-rise-of-skywalker-sweepstakes-official-rules. (General sweepstakes information can be found at the end of this release.)

“We are thrilled to be working with these world-class brands as we celebrate global Star Wars fandom and the conclusion of the epic Skywalker saga. As true fans themselves, these brands will deliver innovative and integrated programs that will delight and engage Star Wars fans everywhere,” said Asad Ayaz, President of Marketing at The Walt Disney Studios.

Lylle Breier, SVP, Global Marketing Partnerships says, “When we set out to craft our promotional campaign for Star Wars, we wanted to align with brands that were not only best-in-class, but also unparalleled Star Wars fans themselves. The truly organic fit allowed for the development of unique and inspired creative, and as a result we are very proud of the exciting and distinct campaigns that will emerge from this collaboration.”

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker promotional-partner campaigns:

Porsche: Porsche is excited to collaborate with Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. The timeless design of these iconic brands will be celebrated in a way that is sure to ignite enthusiasm among two of the most passionate fan-bases in the galaxy. The collaboration coincides with both the release of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, and the U.S. launch of the all-new, fully electric Porsche Taycan, marking a seminal moment in the history of Porsche. For more information on Porsche or the Taycan visit www.porsche.com/usa or follow @Porsche on social media.

United Airlines: This fall, United Airlines is inviting guests to fly the friendly galaxy. Check out special nods to Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker featured on board, at upcoming film inspired experiential activations and fabulous first of its kind programming for fans across the galaxy to enjoy. United Airlines will debut a special aircraft design in celebration of the conclusion of the Skywalker saga this November, taking to the skies among approximately 4,950 flights a day to 358 airports across five continents as part of the world's most comprehensive route network.

  

Bose: Bose will provide audio augmented reality experiences through the official Star Wars app, bringing fans closer to the saga than ever before. With Bose AR-enabled wearable devices, fans can unlock an all-new, 360-degree audio storytelling journey into the Star Wars universe.  Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700, Bose QuietComfort 35 wireless headphones II, and Bose Frames each have Bose AR capabilities built in, with motion sensors embedded inside that can detect a user’s head orientation and body movement.  The Star Wars app, enhanced with Bose AR, will use that information to deliver deeply immersive audio content. For more information visit Bose.com/AR

Samsung Mobile: Samsung Mobile celebrates the release of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker with a special collaboration that showcases a connected world powered by Galaxy. Samsung mobile’s vision is to be the innovator of new mobile experiences that inspires the world and shapes the future with transformative ideas and technologies. For more details, please visit https://www.samsung.com/global/galaxy/campaigns/star-wars-ix-collaboration/.

General Electric: GE Appliances will harness the Force of Innovation with its GE Profile series to help families make their homes and lives easier through meaningful advances in smart technology for the kitchen and laundry room. GE Profile is joining forces with Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker to bring fans special film engagement opportunities with appliance retailers around the country, as well as a national advertising spot. GE Appliances is driven by the force to create “good things, for life.” Find more on the latest home solutions at geappliances.com/The-Force-of-Innovation

McDonald’s: McDonald’s is inviting families to celebrate Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker with an out-of-this-world Happy Meal experience. Each Happy Meal will include 1 of 16 exclusive, stylized Star Warscollectible characters. Plus, there’s an exciting surprise with each toy: when opened and lit up, each one reveals one of four Star Wars hologram images with a unique connection to that character. Families in the U.S. will have the opportunity to extend the excitement with a sweepstakes opportunity with each Happy Meal!

General Mills, Inc.: Big G Cereals, Chex Mix, and Nature Valley have teamed up for Do Good in the Galaxy, an interactive campaign that benefits Feeding America. Between October 15, 2019 and May 14, 2020, scan participating packages or the character tattoo found inside Big G Cereals to unlock a special activity in the official Star Wars app. Complete the game to trigger a 10 cent donation from General Mills to Feeding America, enough to help secure one meal, up to a maximum donation of $100,000. https://www.generalmills.com/

Dannon: Danone North America, the leading maker of yogurt in the U.S., is celebrating the incredible release of Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker with families across the country.  Danimals®, the No. 1 kids brand in the dairy aisle, along with family favorites YoCrunch® and Dannon®, will be dressed up as your favorite characters from Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker. Danimals® is proud to continue fueling kids’ adventures by bringing from across the galaxy 6 amazing Star Wars Smoothie bottles to collect! YoCrunch® is bringing the magic of the light side and the dark side to families with out of this world custom Star Wars-themed toppers. Dannon® non-fat yogurt drinks will include 4 intergalactic Star Wars characters for adults to collect too! Danimals®, YoCrunch® and Dannon® Star Wars items will hit shelves nationwide November 2019 in the dairy aisle. http://danimals.com/

GENERAL SWEEPSTAKES INFORMATION:

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. Open only to legal residents of the 50 United States and District of Columbia, age 21 and older. All entry tweets must be submitted between 12:00am ET on October 1, 2019 and 11:59pm ET on October 7, 2019. Entries must be submitted via Twitter using entrant’s registered account. One entry per person per day only. ARV of the prize is $4,925. Odds of winning depend on the number of eligible entries received. All portions of this sweepstakes, including tweet content requirements and restrictions, are subject to the Official Rules located at https://www.starwars.com/the-rise-of-skywalker-sweepstakes-official-rules.  Sponsored by: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, 500 S. Buena Vista Street, Burbank, CA 91521. Sweepstakes is not sponsored, endorsed or administered by Twitter.

About Lucasfilm Ltd. 

Lucasfilm Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is a global leader in film, television and digital entertainment production. In addition to its motion-picture and television production, the company's activities include visual effects and audio post-production, cutting-edge digital animation, interactive entertainment software, and the management of the global merchandising activities for its entertainment properties including the legendary STAR WARS and INDIANA JONES franchises. Lucasfilm Ltd. is headquartered in northern California.

Lucasfilm, the Lucasfilm logo, STAR WARS and related properties are trademarks and/or copyrights, in the United States and other countries, of Lucasfilm Ltd. and/or its affiliates. ©2019 & TM Lucasfilm Ltd. All Rights Reserved. 

About Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

Lucasfilm and director J.J. Abrams join forces once again to take viewers on an epic journey to a galaxy far, far away with Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, the riveting conclusion of the seminal Skywalker saga, where new legends will be born and the final battle for freedom is yet to come.

The film stars Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Anthony Daniels, Naomi Ackie, Domhnall Gleeson, Richard E. Grant, Lupita Nyong’o, Keri Russell, Joonas Suotamo, Kelly Marie Tran, and Billy Dee Williams.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is directed by J.J. Abrams and produced by Kathleen Kennedy, Abrams and Michelle Rejwan. Callum Greene, Tommy Gormley and Jason McGatlin serve as executive producers. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker was written by J.J. Abrams & Chris Terrio and opens in U.S. theaters on December 20.   

Sasaki Time's Review of the 2016 Mazda 6 i Grand Touring - The Family Car with the Heart of a Sports Car!

It's time to check out the amazing 2016 Mazda 6 i Grand Touring in glorious Soul Red! The awesome building in the background is the Oakley Building. Yes, the same Oakley that makes amazing quality sunglasses and more!

The aggressive lines of the Mazda 6 i Grand Touring just screams speed and style! This sleek car turned heads everywhere I drove for a week!

The LED headlights are super bright and light up your drive in any driving condition. There are also LED daytime running lights as well as LED fog lights.

The 19-inch alloy wheels are large and really stand out on an already eye catching vehicle.

I love the dual colored parchment leather seats! The black and white look felt really retro and made the car feel even sportier!

A well laid out steering wheel puts all the controls easily within reach.

Easy to read gauges in direct sunlight as well as at night.

This is the second car that I have driven with a HUD (heads-up display). It makes me feel like a fighter pilot with all of the critical information floating right below my direct line of sight. Not only can I easily see my speed but all of my navigation information is displayed there as well. You can also see the radar cruise control. Essentially you preset a speed and the system will maintain a safe following distance between you and the preceding vehicle.

The center console reminds me of a BMW's. It is very elegantly laid out and all of the controls for the entertainment/navigation system are easily within reach on the center console.

The 7-inch color touch screen is easy to read and use. The navigation system is colorful and updates quickly. The Bose 11-speaker system is powerful and dynamic. The rearview camera is impressive with a wide sensor range. This was extremely helpful with large SUVs parked next to me. The alert system made me aware of vehicles behind me that I could not even see.

The dual-zone climate control system is simple to use.

Taking in the beautiful clouds through the large sunroof.

The large comfortable spaces of the rear passenger seats!

There is an unbelievable amount of trunk space here! It was easy to load up with luggage for my trip to Northern California with my friend Brian. There was also more than enough room for a trip to Costco on the way home.

There is a full size spare tire.

We are ready for the drive to Northern California!

I drove up to Northern California for the wedding of one of my college friends! The power of the Skyactiv 2.5L engine easily took us up and over the Grapevine and the 400-plus miles to Sacramento, CA. The gas mileage was quite impressive as well! We made it to Sacramento from Anaheim with one tank of gas and still about a quarter of a tank to spare! We averaged 36 MPG city/highway, which is above the 32 MPG city/highway figure given to us by Mazda.

Here I am with my amazing friend Beth on her wedding day! Best friends since college and I would not miss her special day for anything in the world!

The Soul Red makes this the perfect vehicle for an Angels fan! Just another perfect day to go to the ballpark!

Amazingly good looks, a strong sense of style, a wide range of safety features, a powerful engine with great gas mileage and a wide range of features makes this one of the best family vehicles on the road!

My final verdict is to give the 2016 Mazda 6 i Grand Touring an "A"! You owe it to yourself to get behind the wheel of this vehicle, a comfortable, luxurious vehicle with the heart of a sports car!