Emil and the Detectives (Disney) (1964)

“NAME THE DETECTIVE’ CONTEST Run a contest to see who can submit the longest list of detectives of fact and fiction — from real life, motion pictures, books, TV, radio, etc. Under the rules, each list must include the name of Emil Tischbein, super sleuth and star of Walt Disney’s ‘‘Emil and the Detectives.” All prizes are to be awarded at the theatre on the opening day of your engagement. Make sure there is plenty of advance publicity on this point. For extra exposure, tie in with a supermarket chain and have ‘‘wanted”’ signs announcing the contest printed on their grocery bags. For extra interest, appoint the local police chief or other law enforcement officer to be an honorary contest judge. FORM AN ‘EMIL AND THE DETECTIVES SOCIETY All kids love to belong to ‘‘secret’”’ clubs and societies. Invite them to join an “Emil and the Detectives’’ Society with privileges that include membership identification and many fun-filled activities, culminating with your engagement of the moton picture. Announce the formation of the Society through posters, heralds, smallspace ads on the comic pages and ‘‘public announcements”’ at your theatre and over children’s radio and TV programs. Identify your theatre as ‘‘headquarters.” Have the kids come down to headquarters for their membership cards (including the name of the Society, a place for the member’s name, the name of your theatre and the dates of your ‘‘Emil and the Detectives’ engagement). Keep a list of the members’ names. The Society’s activities can include coloring contests, scavenger hunts, drawings for prizes, attendance at live TV programs, etc. All prizes are to be awarded at your theatre on the opening day of your engagement. Make sure all winners names are announced in the newspapers in advance of your opening, and look for publicity coverage of the presentation of prizes. GAG SIGNS Get a word-of-mouth campaign started early by posting gag signs all over the community. The signs need not be elaborate— just unusual and funny. For example: e Put up little signs that say, ‘‘Think Skrink.’”’ This same message can be spread verbally, tacked onto your radio and TV commercials, newspaper ads, posters, etc. Your campaign should wind up with an invitation to the public to see ‘‘Emil’’ at your theatre and find out what “Think Skrink’’ means and how much fun it can be. ¢ If your engagement is during the holidays, print up signs for stores saying, ‘‘This store closed Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. We’re going to the Palace Theatre to see Walt Disney’s ‘Emil and the Detectives.’ Season’s Greetings.”’ The same sign can be adapted for Sundays and other days the stores are closed. oh ‘WHAT’S A SKRINK?’ CONTEST Run a ‘‘Skrewy Definitions’ contest to see who can come up with the funniest definition, or the longest list of funny definitions, for the word “Skrink.’’ Start the ball rolling with this definition: ‘“‘A SKRINK is a SKRewball in front and a fiNK in back.” Make sure your contest publicity includes stories that explain how “skrink’’ is used in ‘‘Emil and the Detectives”’ (see publicity pages), as well as an announcement of your engagement so that people can see for themselves exactly how ‘“‘skrinks’”’ operate. Make this a real off-beat contest by announcing some funny contest prizes along with the standard ones. COLORING CONTEST The coloring contest on page 18 of this pressbook is especially valuable as an introduction to the characters in the motion picture. It shows Emil on the run, the ‘‘dectectives’’ on the trail, and the ‘‘skrinks’’” marching along, pictured in the style of an offbeat rogues’ gallery portrait. Use this contest to introduce the motion picture to your young patrons by distributing it in herald form at every children’s performance prior to the opening of “‘Emil.’”’ oe CO-OP AD The merchants’ co-op ad on page 17 of this pressbook is filled with catching fun, and should have strong youngster appeal as well as general shopper appeal. So run a co-op herald ad stressing toys, children’s wear, etc., aS well aS a newspaper co-op ad for adults. The childrens’ appeal is especially important if your engagement is at Christmas time or during any other gift-giving period. BLACK & WHITE STILLS Black-and-white photographs are your bread-and-butter accessory for newspaper publicity, in-theatre display and specialized posting, such as school and library bulletin boards. Your Exchange sets of 8x10 stills are prepared to help you meet these needs. Order sets ‘‘A”’ and ‘‘B’”’ from National Screen Service, now! MISSING SKRINK MANHUNT Have all the.kids in town, especially the members of your ‘‘Emil and the Detectives’’ Society (see top of page) scour the community for a real live skrink. MISSING SKRINK Have someone dress up like one of the skrinks from the motion picture, SCAVENGER HUNT preferably The Mole, who wears a gaudy costume (see scene cuts on public ity pages). Give daily clues as to what the skrink looks like, or where he was As a switch on the ‘‘manhunt”’ idea last seen, via the newspapers, radio and TV. The kid who “‘arrests” the skrink (at left), appoint a noted member of must do so “‘in the name of ‘Emil and the Detectives,’ ’’ whereupon the the community as the skrink, and skrink gives the winner a ‘‘certificate of arrest,’’ which can be turned in for a send the kids out on a day-to-day scavenger hunt for clues to his iden prize at your theatre. Some ideas: Tie in with a supermarket chain and have the skrink ‘‘spotted’’ tity. at a different store in that chain each day. Make sure the skrink is ‘‘arrested”’ Choose the M.C. of a children’s TV frequently so that you can announce a continuous list of winners. Have the show or a disk jockey to be your skrink make appearances on live TV shows and at your theatre. Skrink. The clues should be fairly simple, such as the letters in the person’s name, not necessarily in the right order. The location of these clues should be given daily over the radio, over TV or in the newspapers. Some of the clues can be right at your theatre (such as the third letter in your marquee), or at a local store (giving good basis for a tie-in), or CONTEST PRIZES Three perfect prizes for your ‘‘Emil’’ contests are described on page 19 of this pressbook. They are all obtainable through the contact names listed on that page, and provide a good range of prices to fit into your promotional budget. These items are: ¢ The novel on which the motion picture is based, in hard cover edition. ¢« A comic book version of the story. ¢ A Disneyland Storyteller album, narrated by Walter Slezak. MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR FILM CLIPS Your entertainment film clips (see facing page) are an important part of your promotional campaign, and are yours free, to be televised free over your local TV stations. PLEASE NOTE: These 3 clips are to be used in their numerical order under all circumstances. If used together in this order they give a vivid outline of the order of events in the motion picture. Used individually, Clip #1 gives the best opening impact, and will strengthen the impact of Clip #2 if #2 is used subsequently. The same is true if Clip #3 is used after Clip #2. any other popular public place. Again, there can be many winners—the more winners the more excitement!