Delivering Joy When It's Needed Most
Disney creates immersive experiences and personal moments that deliver joy and comfort to children facing illness and the people who care for them.
Providing Transformative Wish Experiences
For nearly 45 years, Disney and Make-A-Wish® have worked together to deliver joy when it’s needed most to wish kids and their families. Since the very first official wish was granted at Disneyland® Resort, Disney has helped Make-A-Wish fulfill the wishes of more than 155,000 children living with critical illnesses. We continue to grant thousands of wishes annually in collaboration with wish-granting organizations around the world, including theme park and resort vacations, cruises, shopping sprees, studio visits, talent meet-and-greets, sports-themed experiences, and more.
Celebrating our 150,000th wish granted together with Make-A-Wish
A Legacy of Support for Kids and Families
Since Walt Disney first brought animators and characters to visit hospitalized children, Disney stories have inspired hope for seriously ill children.
In 2018, Disney announced a global commitment of $100 million to help reimagine the patient experience in children’s hospitals and pediatric places of care. Teams across the company, including our world-renowned Walt Disney Imagineers, worked with a global network of experts to identify unique experiences Disney could provide to ease the fear and anxiety of a hospital stay. Since 2018, we have supported more than 1,300 children’s hospitals and pediatric places of care in 45 countries with Disney content, experiences, and products.
“Disney stories and characters provide a shared vocabulary between our young patients and their medical team. The magic of Disney restores some childhood innocence during a very difficult time and allows us as caregivers to be at our very best.”
Dr. James B. Fahner
Endowed Division Chief, Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, at Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital/Spectrum Health
Immersive Experiences & Personal Moments
Enchanting Installations
Visually stunning interactive wall art draws children into the vibrant worlds of Disney’s storytelling. Delightful digital screens such as the magic window and magic art will spark to life with favorite characters and offer patients and their families mesmerizing views into the worlds of Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, and 21st Century Fox.
Empowering Character-themed Starlight Hospital Gowns and Pants
Children’s hospital wear is reimagined with familiar characters and designs from Marvel, Star Wars, Pixar, Frozen, Encanto, Mickey & Friends, ESPN, and Disney Princesses, providing patients with their choice of fun and comfortable gowns and pants to wear during their hospital stay.
Complimentary Content Access
Movies currently playing in theaters are made available to children’s hospitals through the Disney Movie Moments Program. Child Life Teams share these movies and Disney+ content often on a Disney-designed mobile movie theater to help ease the fear and anxiety of a hospital visit.
Delightful Deliveries
Packages of themed toys, books, games, and more from across the Disney family of brands bring patients moments of delight and a sense of the familiar during their hospital stays. Delivered by Starlight Children’s Foundation, bundles come in varying sizes and are available to hospitals throughout the year.
Support for Hospital Staff
Disney-themed badges and customized training provided by Disney Institute equip hospital leaders and staff of all levels with engagement tools and personalized knowledge to enhance patients’ and families’ experiences.
Heartwarming Hospital Visits
Our beloved characters, talent, and VoluntEARS delight patients with fun-filled movie parties, toy delivery events, and other special visits, allowing young patients to participate in childhood fun.
1.7M+
Toys and books delivered in the U.S. since 2018
1,300
Hospitals and places of care supported globally since 2018
500+
Hospitals receiving complimentary Disney+ access globally
155K+
Magical wishes granted globally with Make-A-Wish since 1980
Providing Comfort & Inspiration For More Than 90 Years
2023
Disney and Make-A-Wish celebrated 150,000 magical wishes granted together on World Wish Day with celebrations around the world including a first-of-its-kind window dedication to Make-A-Wish on Main Street, U.S.A. at Disneyland Resort.
2022
Through the award-winning My Wish series, ESPN has collaborated with Make-A-Wish since 2006 to fulfill 75 sports-themed wishes for children facing critical illnesses.
2021
Disney+ announced expansion of complimentary Disney+ access to Child Life Teams in children’s hospitals and places of care in more than 30 countries.
2020
Disney celebrated 145,000 magical wishes granted with Make-A-Wish globally.
2018
Disney announced in 2018 a $100 million commitment to help reimagine the patient experience in children’s hospitals and in 2019, the new experiences were piloted at Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston.
2017
Disney-themed Starlight Gowns are introduced.
2014
Disney Movie Moments program was launched to bring new movies that are still in theaters to hospitalized children and their families.
2001
Disney and Starlight Children’s Foundation began delivering toys, books, games, and more to seriously ill children to add normalcy to a child’s hospital stay.
1980
The first-ever official wish request from Make-A-Wish included a trip to Disneyland. Since then, Disney has grown to grant half of all wishes by Make-A-Wish in the United States in a typical year.
1930
Disney’s early support of children’s hospitals dates to the 1930s, when Walt Disney would visit with recuperating children, sometimes screening his studio’s films for them. Later, more elaborate programs with Disney characters and artists would also be employed to provide children with additional moments of comfort and joy.
