From introducing new characters in unexpected spaces to bringing fan favorites to iconic locations, The Walt Disney Company is bringing the magic of the movies to life across the globe.
Meeting fans where they are isn’t new for Disney; the company has a history of translating its iconic brands and franchises into new mediums and taking stories from the screen to the streets with real-life experiences. From early efforts like the creation of Disneyland to activations in DJ booths, sports broadcasts, and social feeds, Disney continues to expand where — and how — it keeps the conversation alive outside the movie theater.
Bringing Iconic Characters to Unexpected Places
This summer has brought about a new kind of movie trailer, one shaped by fan engagement and shared across social platforms.
Tom Lizard (voiced by Tom Law) was first shown to audiences in a post-credits scene after Disney and Pixar’s Elio hit theaters in June 2025. The brief clip was all the internet needed to turn Tom — and the sound of his repeated tapping of the “lizard” emoji on a cellphone using text-to-speech — into a meme that sparked widespread engagement across Instagram and TikTok.
Ahead of the release of Disney and Pixar’s Hoppers in March 2026, Tom began appearing across campaigns and activations throughout the company. The green lizard mascot found his way off the screen for the first time and onto a live taping of ESPN’s First Take, snapping selfies with talent and passersby before taking over a San Francisco DJ booth at The Midway SF.
Tom isn’t the company’s first animated character to cross into the world of sports.
A spot during the 2025 Super Bowl featured a certain mischievous little blue alien running amok across the field. Stitch evaded stadium staff and eventually commandeered a cart. The ad generated 173.1 million views in 24 hours, making it Disney’s most-viewed spot digitally at the time, which helped build excitement ahead of Disney’s Lilo & Stitch crossing $1 billion at the global box office a few months later.
ESPN’s partnership with animation teams across Disney has brought these characters and many more to the field. ESPN, Disney+, and the National Football League (NFL) have teamed up for three consecutive seasons to present Funday Football, each year adding new players to the roster: Toy Story Funday Football in October 2023, The Simpsons Funday Football in December 2024, and Monsters Funday Football in December 2025.
These crossovers give sports fans a chance to see Disney characters in all-new ways, without missing a minute of the game, while bringing in new fans.
Turning Public Spaces into Set Pieces
From New York to Singapore, Disney is transforming everyday spaces into moments worth sharing, giving each campaign a second life across social media.
The recent campaign “Disney’s Blockbuster Summer” elevated out-of-home advertising to new heights ahead of Lucasfilm’s Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu’s release in May 2026.
Grogu took Times Square with a 3D billboard campaign that showed the beloved character using the Force by levitating a piece of popcorn above New York City’s famed public square. Another experiential moment brought the Force to Toronto’s Sankofa Square, where Grogu raised his hand on a digital screen to “activate” the fountains below. These helped propel the film to No. 1 at the global box office during its opening weekend while showcasing one of Star Wars’ most beloved and adorable characters.
Not to be outdone by their fellow alien, the Little Green Men from Toy Story made their own appearance this summer thanks to a collaboration between Disney, Pixar, and Papa Johns. Four Papa Johns locations across Los Angeles, London, Madrid, and Seoul were transformed into Pizza Planets. Each pop-up featured themed décor, Toy Story 5-inspired menu items, and retro arcade games designed to generate buzz for the film’s record-breaking opening in June 2026.
Pizza Planet isn’t the only place from the long-standing franchise that fans were invited into. VivoCity’s Outdoor Plaza in Singapore was converted into Bonnie’s bedroom with carnival games and oversized installations that gave the young and the young-at-heart a chance to play.
Stepping Inside the Stories
The devil is in the details when it comes to inviting fans to experience their favorite films and franchises in real life. The Devil Wears Prada 2 premiered 20 years after the original film to $233.6 million worldwide in its opening weekend. To bring audiences back into the world of Runway, a 96-page edition of the fictional magazine was distributed at global pop-ups.
Featuring fashion spreads, real advertisements, and a letter from Runway’s indomitable editor-in-chief Miranda Priestly (played by Meryl Streep), the magazine made audiences feel as if their favorite feature editor may be just around the corner.
For Runway readers in New York, a series of pop-up carts across Manhattan served “The Devil’s Roast,” a specialty espresso martini made with Grey Goose vodka and paired with gold-dusted popcorn.
The collaboration was one of many that made up the film’s marketing campaign “groundbreaking,” as Miranda would say, which delivered historic results, including the most-watched trailer in 20th Century Studios’ history.
Blasting Off to Infinity and Beyond…
What began with Walt Disney’s idea of translating on-screen moments into real-life magic has only grown over the last 100-plus years. Disney Marketing is crafting cultural experiences, not just content drops.
From “you had to be there” events to digital media that reach audiences wherever they are in their communities and across their social feeds, fans are not taking a back seat to Disney’s stories. They’re showing up, sharing, and shaping how they’re experienced.
Fans sit at the heart of each new campaign, with fan-first moments — like advance screenings of Disney’s live-action Moana and community-driven premiere events — giving audiences the chance to experience the story before it reaches theaters.
That same fan-first approach took center stage at this year’s D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event presented by Visa®, where the connection between Disney and its fans came to life in one place — bringing together the creativity, stories, and communities that power every campaign.
This event is designed for our most passionate fans who connect deeply with our stories, characters, and experiences, and who want a front-row seat to our biggest announcements.
For more on the biggest news, behind-the-scenes look, and upcoming projects announced during D23, check out our hub for all things D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event.
