Illuminations in the three areas will be themed around Disney’s new film version of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, which will have its world premiere in London on the evening of Tuesday, November 3, when the lights will be turned on simultaneously.
The film, which stars Jim Carrey and Bob Hoskins and is directed by Back To The Future’s Robert Zemeckis, uses ground-breaking 3-D technology and is expected to be one of this Christmas’s biggest box office hits.
Boris Johnson, London’s mayor, will unveil the tie-up today at the Disney Store on New York’s Fifth Avenue, which has been redecorated as 19th century London for the occasion.
The unprecedented co-ordinated move has been designed to boost visitor numbers to London over the festive season. Around 40m people visit London between November and January and between them spend £1bn.
Mr Johnson said that the Christmas Carol theme will be echoed in tie-in events across London, such as concerts and an attempt to break the world record for carol singing. “It’s going to be one of the biggest festive celebrations the capital has ever seen,” he said.
Dick Cook, chairman of Walt Disney Studios, said: “In the spirit of Charles Dickens himself, there really can be no better place in the world than London to celebrate A Christmas Carol.”
The illuminations – which will use energy-efficient light bulbs – will be paid for by Disney, the Crown Estate and retailers via the New West End Company (NWEC) organisation.
Dame Judith Mayhew Jonas, chairman of NWEC, said that the group has been working for two years on the deal. She said that it is particularly aimed at attracting US shoppers to London. “The US tourist is still our biggest market and will remain so for at least five years,” she said.
Stuart Fraser, chairman of the City of London Corporation’s Policy and Resources Committee, said that the Disney deal is “unlike anything before it”.
Meanwhile, Virgin Media has signed a deal with Disney for content to be made available across its TV, online and mobile platforms.