DISNEY CELEBRATES 100 YEARS OF FRIENDSHIP WITH WONDER OF FRIENDSHIP: THE EXPERIENCE  

25 January 2023: As the Walt Disney Company marks its 100th anniversary, Disney Consumer Products, Games and Publishing unveils the first look at its Wonder of Friendship: The Experience, which launches in London from 12 May to 21 May 2023, before opening in Berlin and Paris.

Early ticket access is available to H&M members in UK and France for two weeks from today: https://www2.hm.com/en_gb/member/info.html.

Targeted at Young Adults, Wonder of Friendship: The Experience transports fans into a completely new, socially shareable world of beloved classic Disney stories. Guests are encouraged to playfully explore their own friendships, whilst celebrating dynamic duos such as Lilo & Stitch or inseparable pals like Mickey & Donald.

Groups of friends will be able to venture through 1,000 square metres of different experiences and installations set across four themed rooms, including Alice in Wonderland, The Lion King, Mickey & Friends, and Lilo & Stitch. Using Snapchat's Augmented Reality technology, visitors can bring Disney stories to life by scanning QR codes in each exhibition room.

Between 25 January to 8 February 2023, H&M members will receive early access to an exclusive two-week window to purchase tickets via See Tickets for London and Paris. Tickets for London, Paris and Berlin will go on general release on 9 February 2023, also through See Tickets, costing £17.50 per person. *

With 6 in 10 millennials visiting experiences to create memories with their friends, and 88% believing it's important to be able to reminisce about shared past experiences when it comes to forming friendships, guests can expect to make incredible memories and celebrate their own friendships whilst immersed in their favourite Disney character’s world.

Dr Miriam Kirmayer, Clinical Psychologist & Friendship Expert said: “Nostalgia is a powerful, social emotional experience. The things that make us feel nostalgic tend to be those we have shared with the people we care most about. Reminiscing about shared memories increases the closeness we feel and encourages us to embrace that which initially brought us together. Disney’s Wonder of Friendship: The Experience gives friends the chance to reminisce and connect in a meaningful way as they explore timeless Disney characters and stories that they grew up with in a fun and dynamic environment.”

About Wonder of Friendship: The Experience

The magic starts as soon as guests enter, with a series of immersive installations as they journey around the space, all tracked via an RFID*** key. As groups of friends finish the experience, the key will reveal which iconic Disney friendships they share, with a special Disney Wonder of Friendship printout.

· Fans will enter the topsy-turvy world of the Garden of Mystery, inspired by Alice in Wonderland. Paying homage to Alice’s sense of adventure, guests will be asked to mirror the unforgettable journey Alice took with her new friends down the rabbit hole. Guests will need to trust their friends and not their senses as they journey past towering flowers, Bread-and-Butterflies, Mome Raths and the Queen’s Card Guards into the dense and vibrant atmosphere of a haze-filled maze in the Garden of Mystery

· Visitors can enjoy the tropical sights, sounds and scents of Lilo & Stitch’s Ohana Bay. Dive into island life and take a stroll down Lilo’s memory lane by visiting the beach and jumping on a surfboard

· In The Lion King’s Orchestral Oasis room, the jungle-themed atmosphere is brought to life by graphic bugs and butterflies, immersing groups into Simba, Timon and Pumbaa’s world on Hakuna Matata musical swings

· Guests will come face-to-face with life-sized statues of Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy Goofy and Pluto in the Mickey & Friends Wonderverse room. When guests interact with the characters they trigger the characters motion sensor which starts that characters unique live art animation on one of the giant LED screens within the room. The more guests engage, the bigger, brighter and bolder the animations appear on screen, demonstrating the power of togetherness in this illuminated interconnected art piece.

Guests will also be able to attend various retail pop-ups including an experience powered by Creator Studio, where they can create an exciting and original piece of clothing using AR technology.

Sarah Fox, VP Marketing & Comms, Disney Consumer Products, EMEA, said: “Throughout our one hundred years, Disney stories have shown the importance of friendship and appreciating the differences in others, so we couldn’t think of a better theme to celebrate our milestone anniversary. From Alice in Wonderland’s flower walkway to Lilo and Stitch’s photo frame opportunity, there'll be plenty of social media moments to share with your best friends and relive for years to come.”

Wonder of Friendship: The Experience is produced by Haygarth. With more markets to be announced, the current line-up of exhibitions includes:

· London, UK: 180 The Strand, event dates: 12 to 21 May 2023

· Berlin, Germany: Radsetzerei, event dates: 9 to 18 June 2023. Tickets will go on general release from 9 February 2023

· Paris, France: CENTQUATRE-PARIS, event dates: 30 June to 9 July 2023

ENDS

For more information or images, contact disney@herebedragons.co

Notes to Editors

1. *H&M members will access this offer through their membership rewards in the H&M app or at hm.com. Terms and conditions apply.

2. ** This survey was conducted by OnePoll on behalf of The Walt Disney Company EMEA on 6th – 11th July 2023 to 1,000 U.K. adults aged 18-30, to learn more about what makes a friendship last a lifetime.

3. In the UK, Wonder of Friendship: The Experience will be located at the Strand 180, London. The opening hours will be from 12:00pm until 10:00pm between Friday 12 May 2023 until Sunday 21 May 2023.

4. This event is recommended for 18+ years. Anyone under the age of 18, must attend with an adult.

5. The H&M Membership is a digital loyalty programme where you collect points with every purchase, both in store and online. When collecting points, you unlock special offers, rewards, exclusive event invitations and much more.

6. ***RFID is an intelligent barcode system that uses electromagnetic fields to identify and track data on “tags” containing stored information. The information then passes through radio waves.

About Disney Consumer Products, Games and Publishing

Disney Consumer Products, Games and Publishing (CPGP) brings the magic of The Walt Disney Company’s brands and franchises—including Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic, and more—into the daily lives of families and fans around the world through products and experiences across more than 100 retail categories from toys and t-shirts to apps, books, video games, and more. A division of the Disney Parks, Experiences and Products segment, CPGP’s global operations include: the world’s largest licensing business, one of the biggest children’s publishing brands, a leading licensor of interactive games across platforms, and the shopDisney e-commerce platform.

About Disney 100 Years of Wonder

Disney 100 Years of Wonder celebrates The Walt Disney Company’s 100th anniversary. The largest company-wide event in Disney’s history, Disney100 celebrates the impact of Disney’s unparalleled storytelling and experiences both on global culture and audiences, along with the creators, employees, and cast members who have brought those stories to life. Disney will celebrate its fans with new experiences, products, special events, films, programming, livestreams, exhibits, and more from across its vast portfolio of beloved brands. Disney100 will honor the company’s past and present, while setting the stage for the next 100 years of Disney magic, as the company creates a larger and more connected magical Disney universe for families and fans around the world.