Disney+ made its first-ever appearance at the 1 Billion Followers Summit with the launch of the Disney+ House, an immersive, arcade-style experience that brought iconic stories to life through interactive games and shareable moments.
The activation gamified Disney classics, transforming fan favourite movies and series into interactive, hands-on experiences.
Among the most popular experiences was the ‘Rewind Room’, where guests took to the stage for dance challenges set to iconic tracks from Hannah Montana, The Cheetah Girls and High School Musical. Visitors also tested their roar in the ‘Roar Room’, inspired by Mufasa: The Lion King, struck iconic poses in the Lilo & Stitch-themed ‘Surf’s Up’ experience, and embraced their competitive side in the Marvel-inspired ‘Power Up’ room featuring a reaction wall. A dedicated Star Wars corner completed the experience, offering fans a striking photo moment alongside life-size Stormtroopers.
“Our Disney+ activation at the Summit was about connection,” said Tamim Fares, Director of Disney+ in the Middle East and North Africa.
“We wanted to connect with our audience in a fun, unexpected way, and bring the greatest stories from Disney+ to life beyond the screen. That’s why we took the stories you can’t stop watching and turned them into games you couldn’t stop playing,” he said.
Disney+’s objective was also to connect with content creators at the Summit, who according to Fares, are “redefining how entertainment is created and consumed today.”
He said the 1 Billion Followers Summit gave Disney+ “the perfect opportunity to do that in a way that felt joyful, immersive and human.” Furthermore, The Summit allowed Disney+ to leverage its sponsorship of the Summit and partnership with the Creators HQ to create new connections with new talent, build relationships, and for a change, entertain them.
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Nostalgia was one of the driving forces behind the activation’s design, using fan favourites to fuel interest towards award-winning content that audiences may not immediately realise is Disney.
“At Disney+, it’s the best of both worlds (yes, that’s a Hannah Montana pun),” said Fares. “But Disney+ is about more than nostalgia.”
“Bringing together over 100 years of storytelling legacy with today’s newest titles is what makes Disney+ unique,” he said. “This activation celebrated the past, the present, and the excitement of what’s next, showing that while we honor the stories audiences grew up with, we’re always evolving, surprising, and entertaining along the way.”
Disney+’s approach for the activation was to be present and directly connect with its audiences.”From experiential events like last year’s Marvel Television’s Daredevil: Born Again premiere, to brand activations like our summer pop-up at Kite Beach, we’re bringing the stories people love off the screen and into spaces where they can engage, play, and connect with in real life,” Fares said.
“We continue to learn from our audience to better understand their viewing preferences and the titles that resonate most strongly with them,” said Fares.
The multi-sensory experience carried out at the Summit aimed to hit several touchpoints. Welcomed by the smell of popcorn, guests were guided through an arcade-style space, challenged to physical games and photo moments and surrounded by iconic music that evolved along the way.
The activation was developed in partnership team at Creators HQ. The platform also collaborated with HAVAS Red ME for PR, and HAVAS Creative Middle East for social media and brand experience agency Sweetwater.
Lena Abou Chakra, Brand and Partner Marketing Lead for the UAE at Disney+ MENA led the team on the creation of the project.
In terms of results, Fares said the Disney+ House met all objectives by allowing fans and creators to connect with their favourite stories while also surprising them with the breadth of content available on Disney+.
“Overall, the activation delivered against its objectives: creating joy, sparking creativity, strengthening relationships with creators and reinforcing Disney+ as a home for a lifetime of great stories – with much more still to come,” Fares concluded.
