Press.disney.co.uk
● The nation’s favourite bear, Winnie the Pooh, now has his first Sleep Story™ exclusively available on Calm – the number one app for sleep, meditation and relaxation globally
● Famed Marvel actor, Tom Hiddleston also makes his Calm debut, narrating Disney’s Winnie the Pooh: Tales of Friendship Treasury to millions of users
● The Sleep Story launches in line with new research revealing the majority of the UK struggle to get to sleep
● 1,000 families at Make-A-Wish® UK – Disney’s charity partner - will be gifted a free subscription to Calm for three years to help bring comfort whilst waiting for their wish
● Disney Winnie the Pooh products curated to help practise mindfulness and settle into a sweet slumber are available to view here
“Instead of an approving snore, there was only silence. Piglet turned towards the tree where Pooh liked to nap. But there was no bear napping there. In fact, there was no bear there at all!”
- Winnie the Pooh: Tales of Friendship Treasury
Wednesday 15 June 2022, London: Winnie the Pooh’s adventures and his much-loved words of wisdom have provided comfort and calm to readers for nearly a century. Today, for the first time, millions of Calm subscribers can listen to award-winning actor Tom Hiddleston narrate the latest soothing Sleep Story™.
Taken from Disney’s Winnie the Pooh: Tales of Friendship Treasury, the story is a heart-warming collection of adventures with the lovable bear and his best friends, as they discover the value of true friendship. It has been specially selected to help adults and kids alike sleep more soundly with tales of Pooh’s famous optimism and positivity.
The award-winning actor has fond memories of Winnie the Pooh, having been first introduced to the characters and stories on long car journeys as a child with his family.
“I loved Winnie the Pooh growing up and I’m so grateful to be able to revisit happy childhood memories through this Calm Sleep Story. There’s a lot of wisdom and calming reassurance in the stories of Winnie the Pooh, which we can all learn from. What better way to listen and reflect on the warm-hearted nature of Pooh’s character and stories than as we settle in for a good night’s sleep."
The launch follows new Disney research which reveals that adults* all across Britain struggle with sleepless nights; with fewer than one in 10 (8 per cent) regularly sleeping without waking through the night, and three quarters (70 per cent) struggling to achieve the recommended eight hours’ sleep. This nightly tossing and turning is blamed on anxiety (39 per cent), stress (37 per cent) and pressures at work (30 per cent).
In support of the launch, Disney has released a selection of new illustrations to go alongside some of Pooh’s famed ‘Poohisms’ – simple and memorable words of wisdom such as ‘What’s wrong with knowing what you know now and not knowing what you don’t know now, until later’ - as well as bespoke sketches of Tom Hiddleston with Pooh, celebrating the inaugural partnership between the pair. An assortment of these colourful visuals, along with snippets of the Sleep Story, will be available to view for free on Disney’s social media channels.
Sarah Fox, Vice President of Marketing and Communications, Disney Consumer Products, Games & Publishing EMEA, said: “Winnie the Pooh has been comforting adults and children for over 95 years. There is no other bear who holds the same place in our hearts. His kind-hearted stories combined with a special selection of cosy products will help families and fans to relax, and drift into a sweet slumber. We’re excited to see Pooh’s wise words of care and friendship come to life with the help of Tom Hiddleston’s soothing tones.”
As part of Disney’s collaboration with Calm, 1,000 families at Make-A-Wish UK - Disney’s global charity partner of over 40 years which sees magical Wishgranters create life changing wishes - will be gifted a free subscription for three years to enjoy the new Winnie the Pooh Sleep Story helping to bring comfort and calm.
Sleep Stories on Calm have proven to be a reliable way to not only help people fall, but remain asleep. A recent Calm Science study suggests that over 9000+ adults who use Calm at night, reported that the app helps them to fall asleep (92%), get a restful night sleep (79%), and stay asleep (70%).
Tom Hiddleston joins other notable names on the app including Harry Styles, David Walliams and Matthew McConaughey.
Disney’s Winnie the Pooh: Tales of Friendship Treasury Sleep Story is now available on Calm to all subscribed users, with supporting Winnie the Pooh products best suited to help fans relax, unwind and practise mindfulness available for purchase from leading retailers, nationwide.
Calm is available to download on the App Store and Google Play.
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For more information or images please contact the Disney press office at The Academy on 020 7100 7100 or winniethepooh@theacademypr.com
Information on the selection of sleep, relax and mindfulness-themed Winnie the Pooh products are available to view here. Samples available on request.
NOTES TO EDITORS
Fly Research conducted the study of 1,000 British adults aged 18+ in April 2022
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, Star Wars, Marvel, 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, Disney store locations globally, and the shopDisney e-commerce platform.
The Walt Disney Company UK’s Social Responsibility
At The Walt Disney Company, our purpose is to inspire a better world through the power of stories. As part of this, we are committed to operating our businesses responsibly and with integrity, taking care of our people and doing good in our world. This includes investing in the health and well-being of people and the planet and our partnership with Make-A-Wish UK is another example of our continued efforts in this space, leveraging our storytelling to help make a difference. Our commitments, goals and progress is reported annually in The Walt Disney Company CSR report here. For more information on our programmes and our long-standing charitable partners, please visit https://thewaltdisneycompany.eu/
ABOUT CALM
Calm is the leading mental wellness brand with the #1 App for Sleep, Meditation and Relaxation™, designed to help you manage stress, sleep better and live a happier, healthier life. With hundreds of hours of original audio content available in seven languages, Calm supports users in more than 190 countries. Apple’s 2017 iPhone App of the Year and one of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies of 2020, Calm boasts over 100 million downloads to date, with more than 4 million paying members.
ABOUT MAKE-A-WISH UK
Make-A-Wish UK is part of a global movement that was established in the UK in 1986 to create life-changing wishes that revive the childhood that critical illness often takes away.
A wish brings light and joy to children and their loved ones at the darkest of times, leaving a profound and lasting impact on all their lives. However, Make-A-Wish can’t currently be that light for everyone. Your generous support helps us step that much closer to achieving our ambition: to grant a wish for every eligible child. Together, we have the power to light up the darkness.
Make-A-Wish is a registered charity which receives no Government funding - charity numbers: 295672 in England and Wales, SC037479 in Scotland.
To find out more about Make-A-Wish please visit www.make-a-wish.org.uk follow @makeawishuk on social media or sign up to receive our regular newsletter here: https://www.make-a-wish.org.uk/subscribe-our-newsletter/
Contact: Holly Edwards, PR Manager Make-A-Wish UK holly.edwards@makeawish.org.uk. 07510 374 564
Notes to editors:
• Please refer to us as Make-A-Wish® UK in the first instance to distinguish us from affiliates in other countries and hyperlink to our website when you mention the charity online: www.make-a-wish.org.uk
• We do not use the phrase ‘terminally ill’ and ask that you follow suit because some children recover from condition, and others are not made aware of the exact nature of their diagnosis. We want to respect their family’s approach to their own situation.
• For information on our statistics, please see this report: “Estimating Current and Future Prevalence of Children and Young People who would be eligible for the Make-A-Wish Foundation” was published in November 2020 with research by Deborah Gibson-Smith, Stuart Jarvis & Lorna Fraser from the Department of Health Sciences, University of York & by Paul Norman from the School of Geography, University of Leeds. There are more details on this here: https://www.make-a-wish.org.uk/about-us/media-centre/research-shows-63000-eligible-wishes/