disney movie about transpacific yacht race

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Morning Light

March 12, 2009

Documentary, Sports

Fifteen rookie sailors have one goal in mind – to be part of her crew, racing in the most revered sailing competition on Earth, the Transpac Yacht Race. From start to finish, it's a rollercoaster ride of emotions and physical challenges, beginning with six months of intense training. Only eleven will survive to race in the grueling 2,225-mile Transpac.

Rated: PG Release Date: March 12, 2009

Directed By

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Morning Light: Making the Cut: Morning Light

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Live-action films
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PG-rated films

Morning Light

2 Production
4 External links

Synopsis [ ]

Morning Light is a documentary that follows the youngest crew (by average age) to compete in the Transpac. All crew members were between 18 and 23 at the time. The film follows the formation of the Morning Light sailing team, their six months of training in advance of the yacht race, and finally the weeklong Los Angeles to Honolulu race itself.

The crew numbered 15 young sailors of varied experience: Chris Branning, Graham Brant-Zawadzki, Chris Clark, Charlie Enright, Jesse Fielding, Robbie Kane, Steve Manson, Chris Schubert, Kate Theisen, Mark Towill (at 18, the youngest crew member), Genny Tulloch, navigator Piet van Os, Chris Welch, Kit Will, and the 21-year-old skipper, Jeremy Wilmot.

Production [ ]

Executive producer Roy Disney is a sailing enthusiast and Transpac competitor who has held several sailing speed records including the Los Angeles to Honolulu monohull time record, which he set on his boat Pyewacket in July 1999 . The concept for the film came from TP52 Class Association executive director Tom Pollock, who passed it on to former ESPN producer Leslie DeMeuse, who has worked with Disney on other sailing-related film projects.

In early 2006 , Roy Disney, longtime sailing master Robbie Haines and DeMeuse considered 538 applications and picked 30 finalists, from which 15 were chosen in a week of selection trials in Long Beach. Training began in Honolulu, Hawaii in January 2007 , for two weeks at a time through late June, with time off in May. The team tained aboard the Morning Light , which Disney purchased from software executive Philippe Kahn. Filming coincided with training and the race itself, which started July 15, 2007 and concluded ten days later.

Release [ ]

The film was released on October 17, 2008. Prior to theatrical release, private screenings were held for yacht racing enthusiasts, including one hosted by Roy Disney for U.S. Sailing on March 14 , 2008 in Newport, Rhode Island .

External links [ ]

Official website
An Interview with Roy Disney about the Morning Light Project
Account of filming at SailTexas.com
2 The Emotions

Morning Light (2008)

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Buddy-51 1 January 2010 6 /10 impressively shot documentary Since 1906, boaters from all corners of the globe have gathered to compete in the Transpacific Yacht Race, a two-week-long sailing competition that extends across more than 2,000 miles of open ocean, starting in Los Angeles and ending in Honolulu. In 2007, Roy Disney and a team of expert trainers sponsored a hand-picked crew of young sailors - ages 18 to 23 - to compete in the event (indeed, it was the youngest team in the history of the race). Named after the 52-foot boat on which they sailed, "Morning Light" is a documentary account of both the preparation for that race and the race itself. The movie spends much of the first half focusing on the grueling training the youngsters underwent as part of the process of whittling down the group of 15 hopefuls to a final crew of just 11. Directed by Mark Monroe, "Morning Light" is a wholesome, upbeat, fast-paced documentary with razor-sharp editing (by Monroe and Paul Crowder) that really gets the adrenaline pumping, and cinematography (by Josef Nalevansky) that truly makes you feel like you're a part of the action. Through interviews, we get to know a little about the youngsters themselves, what motivates them, what excites them about sailing, and what it means to them personally to make - and, indeed in some cases, to not make - the final cut. With its inspirational, shoot-for-the-stars pop-rock soundtrack, MTV-style editing techniques and "Real World" communal setup (albeit a squeaky-clean one), the movie is clearly aimed at a younger audience. And there are times when the film does feel a little too "Disneyfied" for its own good (did none of these young adults ever once swear?). But folks of any age will be able to thrill to this film, provided they have a spirit of adventure - armchair variety or not. 7 out of 9 found this helpful Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink
laraemeadows 20 October 2008 2 /10 The Slip and Slide of Cinema What happens if you put fifteen young, good looking adults in the same place, and make them compete to join a team that will participate in one of the most elite races in sailing? As it turns out, nothing but sailing in the documentary Morning Light. Roy Disney wanted to get young sailors in the TransPac race so he bought the Morning Light, and set off to get the best to man it. Fifteen mostly obscenely rich, mostly white, all good looking, young sailors, Chris Branning, Grahm Brant-Zawadzki, Chris Clark, Charlie Enright, Jesse Fielding, Robbie Kane, Steve Manson Chris Schubert, Kate Theisen, Mark Towill, Genny Tulloch, Pieter van Os, Chris Welsh, Kit Will and Jeremy Wilmont are chosen to vie for eleven spots on the Morning Light. They go sailing, talk about sailing and look at sail boats. A reasonable person would venture a guess that a bunch of young virile men in a competitive situation trapped in a small space with a couple of women might bring some sexual tension. It would be expected that directly competing to participate in one of the most elite races in sailing, the TransPac, would cause outbursts or the occasional jockeying for attention or recognition. The powerful part of competitive reality TVer movies is the strong emotional connection between the people on the screen. Watching Morning Light is like trying to swim on a slip and slide. While it is wet and you can move across it swiftly on your stomach, you can't drown in the story because the water is only there to lube you up. Nothing that would make the audience submerge into the depths of the people or circumstances even grace the screen. Morning Light has the emotional depth of a sociopath. We might as well be watching, "How to sail: A Step by Step Guide for the Rich and Moronic," because it offers equal levels of emotional expressiveness. They did not make me wonder or care about who would be selected to make the team, if they won the race or how they got along. Instead of asking myself questions of wonder during the movie, I often asked myself, "Who cares?" On the plus side, I do know far more about sailing than I ever did before, maybe enough to encourage me to buy a sail boat if I could afford one. Until then, I hope Disney leaves Morning Light out at sea. 18 out of 59 found this helpful Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink
kipper112 17 June 2009 10 /10 . Warning: Spoilers Morning Light came out in theaters at the end of 2008, only to meet sub-par reviews. The reviews seemed to have common themes critiquing the chosen sailors ethnicities, economic backgrounds, 'good looks', and the movie's lack of interpersonal conflicts that are to be expected in a cookie cutter reality-TV type movie. However, all of these statements seem to be based on the given persons mindset going into the movie. If you are looking for a show or movie with a range of personal backgrounds and a fair bit of drama, The Bad Girls Club or the vast majority of MTV shows currently airing would be a far superior choice to Morning Light. Morning Light is the documentary of 15 sailors, all between the ages of 18 and 22, as they train for, and embark on their first major ocean race. There has been some skepticism as to how the crew members were cast, but each and every one of those kids were chosen solely based upon their sailing ability in order for the kids to have the best, and safest, shot possible at completing, and doing well, in the transpac. A small bit was based upon who could act normal in front of a camera, but that was to avoid the interpersonal drama often associated with such movies. This is a very fun, very real look at ocean racing and although it can be enjoyed by all, people with a bit of past sailing knowledge are the ones who will really enjoy, and get the most out of, this movie. 7 out of 9 found this helpful Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink
zalaram 19 December 2009 9 /10 Remarkable Movie This movie is not for everybody, clearly, as judging from the previous comment! Let's start out by first mentioning that this movie is a sailing movie first and fore most, and it is a documentary. Those of you looking for Real Worldesque drama look elsewhere. Those of you looking for a well made documentary that captures the essence of a sport, look no further than Morning Light. The movie tells the tale of a contest set up by the late Roy Disney. Disney is a life long sailor, and having devoted his life to the sport of sailing, as well as bringing sailing to the youth, he came up with a way to bring a rich mans sport to the future of the sport, young college sailors. Roy Disney's ambitious goal is played out beautifully throughout the movie, and with the Walt Disney $$$ backing it, they have successfully made one of the best looking documentary's ever. Really the camera work was fairly remarkable. Non-sailors will not be able to understand the total lack of space aboard a Transpac vessel, and the shots that those camera workers got were remarkable. The greatest testimony I can give for this movie was when we showed it at the Yacht Club that I work at. We had a rainy day and were running out of ideas to keep the children at bay, but had this movie unopened in the office. The kids were really taken by it, and they learned that all the skills they were honing on the water in smaller boats can be translated directly to the larger ocean vessels. While sailing has for the most part been left to the "rich white men" (as the previous commenter put it) the sport has understood that and has made an elaborate effort to bring sailing to everyone. As the director at the largest sailing school in the midwest, I must say that movies like this are exactly what the sport needs. With gas prices at record highs and only going up, why wouldn't sailing be a popular sport in the future? Hopefully documentary's like Morning Light will continue to be made even after Roy Disney's passing. Rest in Peace sir! 3 out of 4 found this helpful Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink
lynde-1 17 October 2009 8 /10 Top Student Sailors selected for Difficult Transpac Ocean Race I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. It is a documentary movie about a group of young sailors who are brought together by a most benevolent and charitable Roy Disney, his beautiful and creative wife and their crack squad of sailing coaches. Ultimately, thirty elite sailors have to be pared down to the fourteen who will race the boat "Morning Light" in the difficult Transpac Ocean Race. The photography is gorgeous. The reasons the coaches give for choosing the lucky sailors who eventually take part in this challenging endeavour are as interesting as the hurdles which befell the young sailors along their journey such as safety, night sailing, mechanical repair and sheer endurance. This movie is a delight and is real life as opposed to a hokey drama. Well done! 4 out of 6 found this helpful Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink
snmhanson 2 September 2011 Mixed feelings about this one Warning: Spoilers Being a casual sailor I did enjoy the mechanics of this movie. It motivated me to want to spend more time on the water and push the limits of my own sailing. The camera work was impressive and the plot kept me interested for the most part as it provided a good balance between the sport and the interpersonal aspect of the team. I enjoyed seeing the process of training and then competing in the race as well as examining the strategic decision making process and the results of those decisions. Now, don't take the next part wrong, I did like the characters in the movie and for the most part they seemed like enjoyable and personable people. What threw me off though is that the crew consisted of what mostly appeared to be privileged kids that grew up sailing, at least half of which probably could have bought their way onto a TransPac boat if they really wanted to. Not that this isn't what I would expect in your typical high-caliber sailboat racing, since you do enter a race to win and you want an experienced crew. However, in this case it would have been nice to see more diversity and a mix of the experienced sailors sharing this experience with motivated, yet underprivileged kids. The one person who I think the experience would have had the most profound impact on didn't make the final cut. Another person who disregarded a suggestion to not go snowboarding between training sessions ended up breaking her arm and missing much of the training, but still did make it on the boat. Sure, there was probably a lot more that happened behind the scenes so I may not have the full picture, but that seems pretty representative of the inequities that many people face on a day-to-day basis and I think the film could have aimed a bit higher. I think it would have been a much better and motivating movie if it had more of a "breaking down the social and economic barriers" aspect to it, rather than just a bunch of experienced young sailors taking their sailing to the next level. To sum up, taking the age of the crew out of the equation, this was simply a documentary about putting an elite sailing team together to compete in an exclusive sailboat race. The fact that they were all in their late teens/early twenties (and probably in the best physical shape they will ever be in) wasn't a big deal to me. If you are intrigued by sailing and sailboat racing I would recommend this movie. If you are looking for a motivational feel-good movie, you may be a bit disappointed. Just my opinion of course. 2 out of 4 found this helpful Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink
johnhaydenjr 7 July 2021 10 /10 Throwback to sailing camp Haven't seen this movie in years but remember watching it on rainy days in sailing camp so it must have been good. 10/10. 0 out of 0 found this helpful Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink

DINUS » Movies » Disney » Morning Light

Morning Light

Last Updated on: June 26th, 2024

Posted By: Craig Smith

“Morning Light” is a Disney documentary film released in 2008. The film follows the journey of a group of young amateur sailors as they compete in the Transpacific Yacht Race, also known as the Transpac. The Transpac is a prestigious yacht race that covers over 2,200 nautical miles from Los Angeles to Honolulu.

The documentary begins with hundreds of young sailors applying for the chance to participate in the race. Out of these applicants, a group of 15 young men and women, all between the ages of 18 and 23, are selected to form the Morning Light team. They come from diverse backgrounds and levels of sailing experience but share a passion for the sport and a desire to prove themselves.

The film documents the intense and rigorous training that the team undergoes to prepare for the challenging race. They train on a specially designed racing yacht, learn the intricacies of sailing, and build camaraderie as they face the physical and mental demands of ocean racing.

As the Transpac race begins, the team faces various obstacles, including adverse weather conditions, technical issues, and the mental challenges of long-distance sailing. Throughout the journey, they learn valuable lessons about teamwork, perseverance, and the importance of following their dreams.

“Morning Light” offers a unique and immersive look at the world of ocean racing and the determination of young sailors who pursue their passion for sailing. The film captures the excitement and adventure of the race and showcases the beauty and power of the ocean.

Directed by Mark Monroe, “Morning Light” is a captivating documentary that combines stunning visuals, a compelling narrative, and a message of inspiration and empowerment. It celebrates the spirit of adventure and the pursuit of excellence while highlighting the potential of young people to achieve their goals through hard work and dedication.

Additional Details

Movie Studio: Disney
Year Released: 2008
Type of Movie: Live-Action
Box Office: 275,000
Directors: Mark Monroe
Producer: Morgan Sackett
Music: Ric Markmann, Dan Pinella and Chris Wagner

Movie Trailer:

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About the Author

Craig Smith

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Young sailors brave the open ocean in ‘Morning…

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Young sailors brave the open ocean in ‘morning light’.

THE CREW: These 15 young sailors set sail in the Transpacific Yacht Race in the Disney Motion Pictures' documentary "Morning Light."

AND THEY'RE OFF: Yachts departs Los Angeles at the beginning of the 44th Transpacific Yacht Race in a scene from "Morning Light."

OCEANIC CHALLENGE: A crew of 15 sailors spend 11 days racing across the Pacific in the documentary "Morning Light."

CREATOR: Roy E. Disney conceived the idea of a film about a crew of sailors with little racing experience testing themselves in the Transpacific Yacht Race.

"MORNING LIGHT": In Walt Disney Pictures' documentary, 15 young men and women embark on the adventure of a lifetime-racing a 52-foot sloop in the Transpac, the most revered open-ocean sailing competition.

"MORNING LIGHT": The film documents the adventures of a young crew of sailors as they compete in the 44th Transpacific Yacht Race.

THE CRAFT: The 52-foot sloop Morning Light is shown in 2006 at the Balboa Yacht Club in Newport Beach.

THE CREW: These 15 young sailors set sail in the Transpacific Yacht Race in the Disney Motion Pictures' documentary "Morning Light."

disney movie about transpacific yacht race

It was day three into the 2,500-mile race when the crew aboard the Morning Light caught a glimpse of another boat coming toward their vessel.

They were en route from Los Angeles to Hawaii – with nothing else in sight but the big, blue ocean – when the boat Samba Pa Ti came so close to their vessel at one point, they could have handed them a cup of coffee.

“We essentially had a drag race with them,” said Piet van Os, a sailor from La Jolla.

There was one big difference between the two competing boats, which sailed within eye sight for four days straight. One was filled with professional sailors. The other – aboard the 52-foot boat “Morning Light” – was crewed by about a dozen 20something sailors with little, if any, racing experience.

The dramatic moment in last year’s Transpacific Yacht Race was caught on film for a documentary called “Morning Light,” which premiered on the big screen this week in Hollywood and will be shown during a fundraiser at the Lido Theatre in Newport Beach on Oct. 15.

The development of the film started more than a year earlier, with a casting call to young sailing enthusiasts who wanted the chance to race across the ocean against some of the best sailors in the world.

The documentary was the brainchild Roy E. Disney, an avid sailor and former vice chairman of Walt Disney Co., who combined his loves of boating, youth sailing, and filmmaking for the project.

Disney – known in the boating world for decades of entering the Newport-to-Ensenada race and breaking records during the Transpac – started his career in the family biz in the film editing department. It was then Disney, nephew of Walt Disney, would listen to stories from a co-worker who would tell tall tales of the rough seas during the famed Transpac race.

In 1975, Disney struggled through his first Transpac race. Since then, he’s competed in 16 of the races, which are held every other year. He went into retirement before the last race in 2007 to focus on his vision for the “Morning Light” film.

Van Os remembers being off the coast of Chile on a sailing adventure when a friend sent him the casting call. He talked the boat captain into letting him use the Internet and sent in an application.

He had no interest in acting, or being famous. It was about the sailing. His grandfather had won the Transpac in 1961, and he grew up standing next to the trophy, dreaming of the day he’d be able to cross the ocean.

About 540 other sailors were selected, and eventually, that number was whittled down to 30 who competed in trials in Long Beach. Eventually, 15 were picked to train for six months in Hawaii before the race.

“I didn’t think I was going to get it,” said Van Os.

The film captures the entire process – from trials to finish – of the sailors picked from around the world. Being in front of the watchful eye of the camera 24 hours a day wasn’t easy, van Os said. He was camera shy for the first few days, but quickly got used to it, he said.

“It’s really weird to have a camera in your face the whole time,” he sad. “But you know what, they’re going to catch you at your worst times. You haven’t showered for 10 days. There’s no reason to hide from them.”

While the film follows the sailors while they take the 11-day journey across the ocean, the movie is more than just for boating enthusiasts.

“We didn’t try to make a movie just for sailing,” said Disney, via cell phone from Miami. “We wanted to make a movie for the rest of the world who don’t know much about it. You really go across the ocean with these kids, which most people don’t get to do.”

Disney is well known for his philanthropy for youth sailing programs, and his participation in the Transpac over the years has made the event what it is today, said Ric Sanders, boardmember of the Transpacific Yacht Club.

Disney said he wouldn’t describe the film as a “reality movie,” since that notion evokes the idea that someone gets voted off the boat.

“It really is a true story of these kids, who came together as strangers and wound up as a really cohesive team sailing a 52-foot, high-powered race boat across the ocean.”

The average age of the crew was 21, “which is sort of right at the place where they are being a kid one day, and an adult the next,” Disney said. “I think it gave them a kind of poise and self-assurance that they had accomplished something really meaningful, and they got to work together as a team.”

The bonding among the crew is what makes the movie what it is, von Os said. It wasn’t always pretty – they ate freeze-dried food for days, lacked showers, fought fatigue, and slept in very, very tight quarters.

“It’s about the team coming together. We could have done the same premise on any sport,” he said. “And the training was unreal, it was a fast track to ocean sailing.”

For Disney, he got the chance to get a glimpse into what the young sailors will be bringing to the sailing world.

“You profit by every experience you have in your life,” he said. “Just getting to know these kids and falling hopelessly in love with the next generation, it gives you faith in the possibilities of people.”

Contact the writer: [email protected] or 714-445-6678