Disney and Make-A-Wish Team Up to Grant Life-changing Wishes for Kids Around the World During "Disney Week of Wishes"
As the world's largest WishMaker for Make-A-Wish®, Disney grants a wish every hour of every day
Disney and Make-A-Wish to host a one-of-a-kind Avengers-themed day at Disneyland Resort® featuring stars Anthony Mackie and Paul Bettany
New video inspired by true stories reveals the spark behind every wish—and how Disney turns imagination into reality
The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) today launched "Disney Week of Wishes," an annual celebration of its longstanding relationship with Make-A-Wish that harnesses the full power of Disney's stories, characters, and experiences across the company to grant life-changing wishes for children around the globe.
As the world's largest WishMaker, Disney grants a wish every hour of every day, and this special week will spotlight nearly 200 signature wish experiences. Highlights include Wishes Assemble, a first-of-its-kind experience at Disneyland Resort, where nearly 40 Make-A-Wish kids and their families will step into the role of Avengers recruits and experience an exclusive, one-of-a-kind party. The special event will also feature stars Anthony Mackie and Paul Bettany. Other once-in-a-lifetime wishes taking center stage include performing in Disney's Aladdin on Broadway, two wish kids announcing NFL first-round draft picks on ESPN, surprising a wish kid with an invitation to the star-studded The Mandalorian and Grogu premiere, and many more wishes that only Disney can make come true.
"We're honored that so many wish kids choose Disney. Our stories bring joy, hope and inspiration to millions around the world, and that's a privilege we take very seriously," said Disney Chief Executive Officer Josh D'Amaro. "Our work with Make-A-Wish speaks to the connection that generations of families have with Disney and builds on Walt's legacy of using storytelling to spread joy when it's needed most."
"For wish kids and their families, Disney represents joy, imagination, and hope during some of their most difficult moments," said Leslie Motter, president and CEO at Make-A-Wish America. "This 45-year relationship has never been stronger, and Disney Week of Wishes will spotlight the remarkable scale and lasting impact of Disney's commitment to bringing life-changing wishes to children around the world."
During this magical week, Make-A-Wish America will honor former longtime Disney CEO Bob Iger with the inaugural WishMaker Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of the extraordinary impact on wish kids' lives under his leadership, with more than 110,000 Disney wishes granted during his tenure. Last year alone, Disney provided Make-A-Wish with $30 million of support.
Disney Week of Wishes kicks off with the debut of Drawn to You, a new brand spot directed by Emmy®‑nominated filmmaker Goh Iromoto. The spot is inspired by true stories and the Make-A-Wish official Wish Discovery Phase that uses conversation, play and art to help children express their heartfelt wish. From dancing with Stitch, to winning the Piston Cup alongside Lightning McQueen, to having a playdate with Mickey Mouse at Disneyland, this piece explores not just how a wish comes true, but how it comes to be—from imagination to reality.
Drawn to You premiered on ABC's Good Morning America. The broadcast also highlighted a wish granted to EJ, whose wish helped inspire the brand spot. EJ is a 16‑year‑old liver transplant recipient who has been drawing since age seven. His wish was to experience a "day in the life" of a Disney animator, a dream fulfilled this month at Walt Disney Animation Studios, where he got the chance to draw alongside renowned animator and incoming Disney Legend Eric Goldberg.
"When a child falls in love with a Disney story, that connection can become a source of comfort, creativity, and hope," said Joanna Balikian, Senior Vice President, Brand Management, The Walt Disney Company. "Drawn to You was created to capture that journey of how fandom sparks imagination, and how that imagination often becomes the heart of a wish. It's a powerful reminder that every wish begins with something deeply personal, and we're honored to help bring those moments to life."
Since the first official wish was granted at Disneyland 45 years ago, Disney and Make-A-Wish have teamed up to grant more than 175,000 life-changing wishes around the world.
All week, the company's largest platforms will share wish stories in the U.S. and around the world for fans to follow along. To join Disney and become a WishMaker with Make-A-Wish visit wish.org/Disney.
Join the Sweepstakes and Giveaway
Make-A-Wish and Charitybuzz are launching a fundraiser sweepstakes, giving fans the opportunity to donate to Make-A-Wish and enter for a chance to win a magical VIP weekend. The prize includes walking the red carpet at Marvel Studios' Avengers: Doomsday global premiere and a Disneyland Resort vacation of a lifetime. In addition, the first 350 donors who donate $350 or more will receive a 1-year Disney+, Hulu, ESPN Unlimited Bundle Premium subscription. Learn more about the prize package benefiting Make-A-Wish at winamagicalweekend.com.
About The Walt Disney Company
For more than 100 years, Disney has been committed to bringing happiness to kids and families around the world. Learn more about Disney's commitment to delivering happiness and joy when it's needed most at joy.disney.com.
About Make-A-Wish®
Make-A-Wish creates life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses. Founded in Phoenix, Arizona, Make-A-Wish is the #1 most trusted nonprofit operating locally in all 50 states throughout the U.S. Together with generous donors, supporters, staff and nearly 20,000 volunteers across the country, Make-A-Wish delivers hope and joy to children and their families when they need it most. Make-A-Wish aims to bring the power of wishing to every child with a critical illness because wish experiences can help improve emotional and physical health. Since 1980, Make-A-Wish has granted more than 650,000 wishes worldwide; more than 400,000 wishes in the U.S. and its territories alone. For more information about Make-A-Wish America, visit wish.org.
SIGNATURE WISH EXPERIENCES AT A GLANCE
Disney Wish Experiences in the U.S.
- Experiencing a one-of-a-kind Avengers adventure at the first-ever Wishes Assemble event at Disney California Adventure, where nearly 40 Make-A-Wish kids and their families will get to become Avengers recruits.
- Drawing alongside Animator Eric Goldberg at Walt Disney Animation Studios
- Meeting Mickey and Minnie Mouse at Walt Disney World Resort
- Announcing first-round draft picks for the Seattle Seahawks and Detroit Lions at the NFL Draft, broadcast on ESPN
- Performing in Disney's Aladdin on Broadway
- Visiting Disneyland Resort and meeting Cinderella
- Meeting Spider-Man while on a Disney Cruise Line Caribbean vacation
- Reuniting with Miley Cyrus as part of a Hannah Montana wish alumni moment
- Surprising a Make-A-Wish kid with the news that he'll be attending The Mandalorian and Grogu premiere in May
- Surprising a Make-A-Wish kid with the news that she'll be going on an African safari with National Geographic Expeditions
Disney Wish Experiences Around the World
- Welcoming 40 wish families as part of the World of Frozen Grand Opening in Disneyland Paris for a Frozen-themed weekend that included a special performance by Lou, a Make-A-Wish child, during the inauguration ceremony marking the 25,000th wish granted in the park
- Hosting 80 children from Make-A-Wish International from 10 European countries at Disneyland Paris to celebrate World Wish Day during a three-day Frozen-themed weekend
- Presenting a special Friends of Disney Music Festival in Tokyo and inviting wish alumni and their families to exclusive franchise-themed experiences at Park sites across Asia
- Attending a special event created exclusively for wish alumni and their families at Disneyland Hong Kong that features a gallery of photos taken by a Make-A-Wish child who is a budding photographer
- Inviting three Make-A-Wish children to step into their own heroic stories at Shanghai Disney Resort through a Marvel-themed wish-granting experience
- Revealing that a Make-A-Wish child's wish to be part of the lighting and production team at Disney's The Lion King musical in Sydney, Australia, will come true this year
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260427457081/en/
Olivia Perez-Cubas
Corporate Communications
olivia.perez-cubas@disney.com