The Secret Is Out: Hershey's Chocolate World Attraction Will Launch The Only Show Of Its Kind In The World

Fans 'Sense' Excitement with the New 4D Experience

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Apr 18, 2013, 03:06 ET

HERSHEY, Pa., April 18, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The Hershey's^®Chocolate World^®Attraction is excited to announce that a new 4D Show will open in early May. As the first and only show of its kind, The Hershey's Great Chocolate Factory Mystery in 4D™ features groundbreaking digital technology from Jim Henson's Creature Shop™and the largest year-round team of digital puppeteers in the world. The new show also offers a unique real-time experience with over 100 possible outcomes, as the audience determines the direction of the story through live participation.

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The Hershey Company developed the new experience over a period of two years, working with the Oscar award-winning character and effects company, Jim Henson's Creature Shop,and Ty Granaroli of Granaroli Design & Entertainment to bring the show to life. The Henson Digital Puppetry Studio is a proprietary technology that allows the company's world-renowned puppeteers to perform animated characters in real-time, which creates an unparalleled level of spontaneity and interaction between the audience and Hershey characters.

"With iconic characters, state-of-the-art technology, and a real-time 4D experience, the new show is unmatched anywhere else in the world," said Amy Hahn, Vice President and General Manager of The Global Hershey Experience.

Premiering in May 2013, Hershey's Great Chocolate Factory Mystery in 4D allows audience members to help their favorite characters, Hershey^®, Reese^® and Kiss^®, as they embark on a mysterious adventure in Hershey's^® Chocolate Factory. "The cool thing about the new experience is that the audience is really the fourth star of the show," said Reese. "The fate of chocolate is in their hands."

To watch the show trailer and meet the sweet stars, visit Facebook.com/HersheysChocolateWorld.

About the Hershey Experience
The Hershey Experience is the direct-to-consumer and experiential marketing division of The Hershey Company including Hershey's Chocolate World Attractions in Hershey, Pennsylvania; Times Square; Chicago; Niagara Falls, Canada; Shanghai, China; Dubai and Singapore. The Hershey Experience also includes Hershey's Licensed Food and Merchandise and Hershey's e-commerce initiatives. Hershey's Chocolate World Attraction in Hershey, Pennsylvania is the flagship experience for The Hershey Company and is the most visited corporate visitor experience in the world, featuring Hershey's Great American Chocolate Tour^® ride, Hershey's Create Your Own Candy Bar attraction, Hershey's Chocolate Tasting Adventure™ attraction and the largest selection of Hershey's products found anywhere. HersheysStore.com is the online destination for unique chocolate products, gifts, apparel and collectibles. In addition, The Hershey Experience operates retail and e-commerce businesses for Hershey's premium brands including Scharffen Berger, Dagoba and Mauna Loa brands.

About The Hershey Company
The Hershey Company (NYSE: HSY) is the largest producer of quality chocolate in North America and a global leader in chocolate and sugar confectionery. Headquartered in Hershey, Pa., The Hershey Company has operations throughout the world and approximately 14,000 employees. With revenues of more than $6.6 billion, Hershey offers confectionery products under more than 80 brand names, including such iconic brands as Hershey's, Reese's, Hershey's Kisses, Hershey's Bliss, Hershey's Special Dark, Kit Kat, Twizzlers, Jolly Rancher and Ice Breakers. The company is focused on growing its presence in key international markets such as China, Mexico and Brazil while continuing to build its competitive advantage in the United States and Canada.

For more than 100 years, The Hershey Company has been a leader in making a positive difference in the communities where its employees live, work and do business. Corporate Social Responsibility is an integral part of the company's global business strategy, which includes goals and priorities focused on fair and ethical business dealings, environmental stewardship, fostering a desirable workplace for employees, and positively impacting society and local communities. Milton Hershey School, established in 1909 by the company's founder and funded by a trust administered by Hershey Trust Company, provides a quality education, housing, and medical care at no cost to children in social and financial need. Students of Milton Hershey School are direct beneficiaries of The Hershey Company's success.

About Jim Henson's Creature Shop^™Jim Henson's Creature Shop^™ provides performed digital visual effects, animatronic creatures, animation and soft puppets to the international film, television, theater, live concert and advertising industries. Based in Los Angeles and New York with satellite shop capabilities internationally, the Shop is known for designing and building some of the world's best-known characters including Elmo from Sesame Street, Miss Piggy from The Muppet Show, the Baby from Dinosaurs, Rygel from Farscape and the Skeksis from The Dark Crystal. Other credits include Where the Wild Things Are, The Hangover, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, the critically acclaimed television series Farscape, 101 Dalmatians, and Cats and Dogs. A recipient of more than 9 Emmy Awards^® for its outstanding work building puppets for Sesame Street, the Shop also received an Academy Award for its visual effects work on the film Babe and a Scientific and Engineering Academy Award^® for the Henson Performance Control System. The Shop's proprietary Henson Digital Puppetry Studio, a patented animation system that allows performers to puppeteer and voice digital characters in real time on a soundstage setting with multiple virtual cameras and a real time viewer, has received a Primetime Emmy^® Engineering Award as well as the Computer Graphics World Innovation Award and the prestigious Computerworld Honors 21^st Century Achievement Award, which recognizes innovative applications of technology that benefit society.