THE KING OF ICE CREAM

JOHN KAROLEFSKI

Disney's new animated musical, "The Lion King," opens in theaters in New York and Los Angeles on Wednesday. Hollywood insiders predict a giant summer hit movie for kids of all ages. It will be a while before the film is offered for sale on videocassette. But, as a preview, Disney's "The Lion King" already has made somewhat of a debut in the supermarket.

Nestle Ice Cream Co., Columbus, Ohio, last month introduced Cool Creations, a five-product line of frozen treats featuring Disney characters. One of the products is the Cool Creations Special Movie Edition Ice Cream Cone, featuring "The Lion King." The cone is embossed with a lion paw print, and the ice cream is topped with colorful candy-coated chocolate chips. A box of six has a suggested retail of $3.49.

The other products, including ice cream sandwiches and ice pops, feature Disney characters Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Goofy and Donald Duck. The special movie edition line results from a strategic alliance that Nestle entered into last year to develop new products and promotionally tie in with Disney.

"We changed the brand name to Cool Creations and relaunched the entire product line because we wanted to be able to do special items, like 'The Lion King' cone," said Tom Marchese, group product manager.

"We expect 'The Lion King' cone will be a great complement to the movie. From the colorful candy sprinkles on top, to the paw print on the side of the cone, this product will add to the fun and excitement of a very special Disney summer," he said.