Disney is expanding movie marketing into real-world experiences, social media and unexpected cultural spaces, turning characters, stories and fan engagement into campaign extensions designed to keep films in the conversation beyond the cinema.

The Walt Disney Company says its marketing teams are increasingly focused on “crafting cultural experiences, not just content drops”, with campaigns spanning sports broadcasts, social feeds, public spaces, pop-ups and fan events. 

The approach, as articulated in a company statement yesterday, is designed to give audiences new ways to interact with franchises while creating moments that can travel organically across social platforms.

One example is Tom Lizard, a character from Pixar’s ‘Elio’, who became an online meme after appearing in a post-credits scene. 

Ahead of ‘Hoppers’, the character was brought into the real world through appearances on ESPN’s ‘First Take’ and at a San Francisco DJ booth.

Disney has also used sports as a marketing platform. A 2025 Super Bowl spot featuring Stitch from ‘Lilo & Stitch’ generated 173.1 million digital views in 24 hours, which Disney said made it its most-viewed digital spot at the time. 

The company has also partnered with ESPN and the NFL on ‘Funday Football’, bringing characters from ‘Toy Story’, ‘The Simpsons’ and ‘Monsters, Inc.’ into live sports broadcasts.

For ‘The Mandalorian and Grogu’, Disney turned public spaces into extensions of the film’s universe. A 3D billboard in New York’s Times Square showed Grogu using the Force to levitate popcorn, while an activation in Toronto featured the character appearing to activate fountains. 

The film went on to open at No. 1 globally, according to Disney.

The strategy has also involved commercial partnerships. For ‘Toy Story 5’, Disney and Pixar worked with Papa Johns to transform four outlets in Los Angeles, London, Madrid and Seoul into Pizza Planets, complete with themed décor, film-inspired menu items and arcade games.

For ‘The Devil Wears Prada 2’, Disney created a 96-page version of the fictional Runway magazine, complete with fashion spreads, advertisements and a letter from Miranda Priestly. 

Pop-up carts in Manhattan also served a themed drink called ‘The Devil’s Roast’. Disney said the wider campaign delivered the most-watched trailer in 20th Century Studios’ history.

The company says fans are increasingly central to this strategy, with advance screenings, community-led premieres and events such as D23 giving audiences a role in shaping the conversation around upcoming releases.