Raving Toy Maniac

HGTV and Disney Collaborate to Create "Electrifying Garden" Interactive Experience at Comic-Con International 2012

Shocking Garden Environment Inspired by Tim Burton's "Frankenweenie"

NEW YORK, July 10, 2012 -- HGTV has collaborated with Disney to create a garden inspired by Tim Burton's "Frankenweenie," a stop-motion animated feature film that was filmed in black and white. The event will take place at Comic-Con International, the largest comic book and popular arts convention, where the Hilton San Diego Gaslamp Quarter lawn will be transformed into a 3,500 square-foot HGTV Electrifying Garden from July 12-14. Open to visitors between 11 a.m. and 8 p.m. PT, the exhibit will showcase the beauty of black and white with more than 20 dark plants growing amid low-lying fog, pet tombstones and other striking oddities in the pet cemetery-themed garden.

Guests entering the garden will be enveloped in the ultimate Tim Burton fan experience as they wander the rolling hills and pathways of the New Holland Pet Cemetery – a key location in the film. Visitors to the exhibit can learn more about the plants featured in the garden; enjoy unique photo opportunities and other interactive elements.

"Comic-Con offers a perfect setting for us to recreate the plant life and outdoor spaces in the same tone as the distinctive and visually stunning 'Frankenweenie,'" said Denise Conroy-Galley, senior vice president, marketing and creative services, HGTV. "We couldn't pass up the opportunity to work with Disney to develop this extraordinary experience for fans of HGTV and Tim Burton. Our presence at Comic-Con is part of our larger experiential marketing strategy aimed at targeting occasional and new HGTV fans in unexpected places, in organic ways."

Throughout the HGTV Electrifying Garden, guests also will have the opportunity to view custom content from "Frankenweenie" and collect pins, seed packets and other premium gifts from HGTV and Disney.

Fans can follow HGTV's activities at Comic-Con 2012 on Twitter at #HGTVComicon.

About Disney's "Frankenweenie"

From creative genius Tim Burton ("Alice in Wonderland," The Nightmare Before Christmas") comes "Frankenweenie," a heartwarming tale about a boy and his dog. After unexpectedly losing his beloved dog Sparky, young Victor harnesses the power of science to bring his best friend back to life - with just a few minor adjustments. He tries to hide his home-sewn creation, but when Sparky gets out, Victor's fellow students, teachers and the entire town all learn that getting a new "leash on life" can be monstrous.

A stop-motion animated film, "Frankenweenie" was filmed in black and white and rendered in 3D. The talented voice cast includes: Catherine O'Hara, Martin Short, Martin Landau, Charlie Tahan, Atticus Shaffer, Robert Capron, Conchata Ferrell and Winona Ryder.

Presented by Disney, "Frankenweenie" is directed by Tim Burton, produced by Tim Burton and Allison Abbate, from a screenplay by John August, based on an original idea by Tim Burton. "Frankenweenie" releases in U.S. theaters on October 5, 2012.

About HGTV

America's leading home and lifestyle brand, HGTV features a top-rated cable network that is distributed to more than 99 million U.S. households and the HGTV website, HGTV.com, the nation's leading online home-and-garden destination that attracts an average of four million unique visitors per month. The brand also includes the HGTV HOME consumer products line which showcases exclusive collections of paint, flooring, soft goods and other home-oriented products, as well as HGTV Magazine, a new home and lifestyle publication published in partnership with Hearst Magazines.