With an elaborate production worthy of a first-run feature film release, Buena Vista Home Entertainment last night celebrated the upcoming DVD release of "Lost — The Complete First Season" in an appropriately remote, forested corner of Turtle Bay Resort.

Staying in character with the show, party planners brought in reporters and photographers from more than 50 media organizations around the world on a chain of shuttle carts decorated like Oceanic Airlines Flight 815, the ill-fated fictional flight that delivered the characters to the mysterious island in the show's debut season. Faux flight attendants passed out mints and warned of turbulence as the shuttles veered off the road and into the woods where, for added creepiness, the sounds of crashing trees and monstrous growls were piped in over loudspeakers.

Even the show's actors were surprised by how far Buena Vista went with the fete, which included a high-decibel party — in the dark — beneath a giant banyan tree.

Such a show of marketing force is rare for a DVD release, but expectations are high that this set will be one of the year's best-sellers, particularly given the show's surprising freshman success (which culminated in a small planeload of Emmy nominations) and the tangles of mysteries throughout the season. The DVD will be available Sept. 6 and is priced at $38.99 at Amazon.com.

"It's a different experience being able to sit down with a bowl of popcorn and watch all of the shows in a row and stop and start scenes," cast member Daniel Kim said. "It rewards people who watch closely."

Terry O'Quinn, who plays the enigmatic Locke, said the DVD is also a good chance for people who started watching the show late in the season or missed key episodes to get up to speed before the show kicks off its second season on Sept. 21.

(O'Quinn apparently feels confident that Locke will survive future adventures on the show. He and his wife are moving into a new home on the North Shore this week.)

Filming for the second season began last month. Cast and crew are in the middle of filming a three-episode arc that opens the season with many answers to mysteries raised last season — including what's in the mysterious hatch.

While none of the cast would drop even a hint about what specific surprises Season II holds in store, actor Matthew Fox — who co-stars with Evangeline Lilly —said fans won't be disappointed.

"It will blow your mind," Fox said. "It will knock you back on your feet with the information that comes out."

Reach Michael Tsai at mtsai@honoluluadvertiser.com.