• The New York Times, Tuesday, December 18, 2007 12 PM

Mickey Mouse and other Disney animated characters like "Cars" star Lightning McQueen and the Disney Princesses will beat the drum exclusively for Rayovac batteries as part of a wide-ranging deal between Rayovac's parent, Spectrum Brands and the Walt Disney Company.

As part of the deal, Disney will buy millions of Rayovac batteries, which will become the only battery brand that can be bought by visitors at the six Disney theme parks and water parks in the United States. Spectrum will license from Disney the rights to use the animated characters on packages of Rayovac batteries sold at the Disney parks, as well as at retail chains like Target and Wal-Mart.

The Disney-Spectrum deal also includes advertising for Rayovac in Disney magazines and on Disney television networks, including ABC Family and ESPN; promotions and sweepstakes; a sponsorship by Rayovac of the DVD release of the Disney movie "Enchanted," which is scheduled for home video in February; and potential tie-ins between Rayovac and Walt Disney Studios, the film division.

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