Disney Brings Happiness to Children’s Hospitals this Summer

“I don’t know why, but I’ve always enjoyed the idea of summer and sun, and all things hot!” — Olaf 

Summer is often thought of as a care-free time for kids and families, filled with sunny, outdoor recreation and enrichment. But for kids with serious illnesses, this often means days, weeks, or months spent in the hospital, missing out on popular summer activities. So, this season, Disney brought exclusive events, immersive murals, and special deliveries of toys and books to kids in hospitals around the world. 

These activations are part of Disney’s ongoing support for seriously ill children, following a recently fulfilled $100 million global commitment to help reimagine the patient experience in children’s hospitals and pediatric places of care. Through this work, Disney has delivered comfort and joy to children in nearly 1600 hospitals around the world. 

Disney Movie Moments & Disney+: Favorite Stories, Films, and Shows 

With a number of highly-anticipated summer releases, kids in hospitals got to experience Disney movie magic all summer long. Disney and Pixar’s Elio, Marvel Studios’ The Fantastic Four: First Steps, and Disney’s Freakier Friday were all available on Disney Movie Moments for pediatric patients around the world who were unable to visit theaters. 

In the UK and Ireland, Disney debuted the brand-new “Magic of Movies” campaign and Public Service Announcement (PSA) supporting long-time collaborator MediCinema, a UK-based charity that brings state-of-the-art cinemas to hospitals.  

Through MediCinema and complimentary access to Disney Movie Moments and Disney+, Disney works to ensure engaging content is available to kids in hospitals to help bring comfort and a sense of normalcy when it’s needed most. 

Disney Movie Parties: Lilo & Stitch and Elio

Disney also hosted parties for children’s hospitals around the world, timed to the release of Lilo & Stitch and Elio. Movie parties consist of themed toys, books, and other fun treats for patients and their families to enjoy, along with watching a new film while it’s still in theaters. 

Bay Area children’s hospitals and pediatric places of care enjoyed Elio movie parties – and more. Pixar artists visited four facilities, taking drawing requests from patients at the parties and making bedside visits for those watching the film from the comfort of their hospital rooms. 

Medical professionals at hundreds of additional hospitals in the U.S. and Australia also received a Movie Party in a Box for Lilo & Stitch and Elio, complete with a curated assortment of themed products and activities to host their own local movie parties. 

Disney Deliveries: Hospital Gowns, Toys, and More 

Along with Movie Party in a Box, Disney, with the help of Starlight Children’s Foundation, delivered themed toys, books, and games to children’s hospitals across the U.S. and Australia. Additionally, new sets of Mickey & Friends and Star Wars-themed Starlight gowns and pants are now available to Starlight’s network of more than 800 hospitals in the U.S. 

One of the most stressful experiences in a child’s hospital journey is transitioning from their personal clothes into a hospital gown, so Disney works with Starlight to deliver collections inspired by beloved Disney characters to help provide comfort and familiarity to pediatric patients. 

For Spider-Man Day on August 1st, The Walt Disney Company Australia and New Zealand and the Fair Fight Foundation also launched a new Supertee: Marvel Edition with ‘Spider-Man’ design. 

The Supertee is a medical garment intended to help empower and support sick children in Australian hospitals. Spider-Man is the third Marvel Avenger character in the Supertee: Marvel Edition collection, adding to ‘Captain America’ and ‘Captain Marvel’ designs, available since 2022. 

Magical Moments: Disney Parks

Disneyland Resort

In July, Disney brought the joy of the 70th Celebration at Disneyland Resort to Children’s Hospital of Orange County (CHOC). Patients and families were invited to make crafts, play games with Disneyland Ambassadors and Disney VoluntEARS, draw with a Disney sketch artist, and meet Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Goofy, and Pluto.

A few weeks later, CHOC hosted its annual CHOC Walk in the Park presented by Disneyland Resort, welcoming over 7,000 participants to take part in a 5k route through both Disneyland park and Disney California Adventure park – raising a record-breaking $2.9 million to support the hospital’s vital programs and research. Since the Walk began 35 years ago, more than $46 million has been raised through this event alone.

Disney has a long legacy of support for CHOC, dating back to Walt Disney’s time on the hospital’s founding board and his fundraising efforts to help bring CHOC to life. This has grown into a longstanding relationship between Disneyland Resort and CHOC that continues today. 

Hong Kong Disneyland Resort 

In celebration of Hong Kong Disneyland’s 20th anniversary, the resort hosted magical parties at several local hospitals. Over 300 young patients, families, and medical staff at Tuen Mun Hospital and Hong Kong Children’s Hospital got to enjoy these enchanting events.

The resort also launched “PlayWell with Disney,” an initiative that features colorful decor, mini-game booths, singing and dancing performances, and character visits. Additionally, eight public hospitals in Hong Kong are receiving Disney-themed murals and Disney Mobile Movie Theatres with complimentary Disney+ access.

Reimagining Spaces: Disney Mural Installations 

Along with those in Hong Kong, Disney murals were installed this summer for four additional hospitals in Asia and Europe. In Japan, Disney unveiled murals and interactive wall art to brighten the Proton Beam Therapy Center at University of Tsukuba Hospital for kids being treated for pediatric cancer. 

Designed by Disney artists and featuring familiar characters from beloved stories, Disney murals and art are placed in important areas across patient floors to help ease anxiety and bring comfort and joy to children and their families. 

Disney’s Legacy of Support

In 2018, Disney committed $100 million to help reimagine the patient experience in children’s hospitals, and has since created scalable, meaningful impact for children and families.  

From the very beginning, Disney teams across the company, including the 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. Hospitals received enchanting installations, themed hospital gowns, complimentary access to Disney+ and new theatrical releases, toy deliveries, hospital visits, and more – all of which continue to be made available to pediatric places of care around the world. 

The impact on the individual patient’s experience is often cited as one of the most meaningful outcomes of Disney’s work. While there are millions, each individual moment of comfort, empowerment, joy, or hope has made a lasting impact on kids and their families, when it’s needed most.   

Learn more about Disney’s commitment to delivering moments of happiness and joy at Joy.Disney.com.