Coca-Cola and Disney have announced a thrilling new collaboration, ‘Coca-Cola x Star Wars: Refresh Your Galaxy’ that builds on Coke’s 70-year relationship with the media company, beginning with the opening of Disneyland Resort in 1955.

The global campaign spotlights the power of ‘Star Wars’ fandom that unites and drives the two companies to create and celebrate meaningful human connections, the companies said in a media statement last week.

“A cornerstone of Disney’s collaboration with Coca-Cola continues to be creating campaigns in honour of fans,” said Mindy Hamilton, SVP Global Marketing Partnerships at The Walt Disney Company, “‘Star Wars’ is a powerful cultural force around the world, with millions of fans across generations who carry these stories off the screen and into their lives. This custom campaign is for them and inspired by them.”

Islam ElDessouky, Global VP Creative Strategy & Content at Coca-Cola, added, “For generations, Coca-Cola and Disney have shared a commitment to creating moments of joy and human connection. This collaboration is about more than just bringing together two iconic brands — it’s about celebrating the power of ‘Star Wars’ fandom, shared passions, and the strength of community when we lift each other up.”

The collaboration, dubbed “out-of-this-world’ by the two companies, merges the magic of Coca-Cola with the epic storytelling of Disney and ‘Star Wars’, celebrating the connections that unite people across galaxies, generations and fandoms.

How does the campaign work? This is done through limited-edition Coca-Cola pack designs featuring iconic ‘Star Wars’ characters, captivating creative content and an innovative augmented reality (AR) experience that allows fans to share uplifting messages of community and connection in the style of a ‘Star Wars’ hologram transmission.

“With this campaign, we wanted to work with Coca-Cola to reach fans in new ways,” said Becca Vodnoy, SVP of Corporate Alliances at The Walt Disney Company, adiing, “The campaign showcases iconic scenes, so fans feel like they are immersed in the world with the characters they love.”

The multi-faceted campaign will engage ‘Star Wars’ fans around the world, supported by creative content across television, digital platforms, and out-of-home activations — the type of collaboration that can only happen when Disney and Coca-Cola come together, the media statement stressed.

This is a “natural and easy” evolution of the two brands’ long standing relationship, according to ElDessouky, “Both brands believe in connection and in uplifting the human spirit,” he said. “We both believe fandoms and communities are the heart of everything we do.”

‘Coca-Cola x Star Wars: Refresh Your Galaxy’ kicks off with creative content set in a movie theater, a culturally iconic location for ‘Star Wars’ and Coca-Cola. From discovering the hum of a lightsaber to experiencing movie marathons, the cinema has long been a powerful place to capture the “real magic” of Star Wars and Coca-Cola.

“It’s all about building community,” Vodnoy said, “The spot shows the fandom coming together, dressed as their favourite characters, being playful with each other and having fun in the moment. There’s a sense of togetherness. This was made for the fans, and this is a story that only we could create together — one that we’re showing in an unexpected way.”

The 30 limited-edition cans and bottles —  available for purchase in select markets around the world — will showcase iconic ‘Star Wars’ characters and scenes.

“The ‘Star Wars’ universe is very expansive, so we wanted to make sure there was something for every fan,” Vodnoy said of choosing which characters and scenes to feature, “There are designs for original fans from 1977 and ones for the fans who are just discovering ‘Star Wars’today.”

And that’s not all. By scanning the QR codes on Coca-Cola cans and advertisements, fans can unlock an AR digital experience and learn about all the collectible cans with beloved characters from the ‘Star Wars’ universe. Through the experience, fans can record a video of themselves that will be transformed into a Star Wars-style hologram transmission that can be used to share an uplifting message of community empowerment with friends and family.