The Walt Disney Company will continue its 100th anniversary celebration this afternoon with a new Super Bowl commercial.
Disney's 90-second spot, "Disney100 Special Look," is designed to celebrate both the company's storytellers and its fans.
"As we commemorate our historic 100th anniversary, it is remarkable to look back at Walt Disney’s legacy and his passionate pursuit of excellence that continue to propel the company forward today," CEO Bob Iger said. "We are incredibly grateful to the generations of people all over the world for being such a special part of our history and for inviting our stories and characters into their lives over the past century.
"Disney100 represents a celebration of all of our fans and families, and our storytellers and creative visionaries whose talents and imaginations have created the magical moments that make Disney such an enduring part of the global culture," Iger continued.
Keep in mind, this isn't a house ad. The Super Bowl is airing on Fox this year (which remained part of the "old" Fox company that Disney did not buy), so Disney likely had to put up millions for the airtime to buy this spot.
Disney has a long history with creating iconic Super Bowl advertisements. In 1987, Disney rushed production of an ad featuring New York Giants moments after winning the Big Game, in which Phil Simms declared, "I'm going to Disneyland!"
The spot went viral in the pre-Internet media era, becoming a catch-phrase ("I'm going to Disney World for fans on the east coast) that endured for a generation. You can learn more about the origins of that campaign from the man who helped create it in our post, How the 'I'm Going to Disney World' Super Bowl Ad Started.
Will this latest ad becomes as big a hit? We will see soon. Here is Disney's Super Bowl LVII commercial:
The Disney100 celebration kicked off last month at the Disneyland Resort, which debuted a new Mickey Mouse ride and two new nighttime spectaculars. Please see 'Wondrous Journeys' Delivers for Disneyland Fans for our coverage and reviews of that event, which continues throughout 2023 in Anaheim.
Update: [February 13] Philly fans, look away. Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes filmed the winner's commercial right after the game, then wasted no time visiting the Happiest Place on Earth today.
Mahomes visited the park with his wife, Brittney Mahomes, and their children, Sterling, 1, and Bronze, 11 weeks old.
I'll bet *your* first Disney visit wasn't the day after your dad won the Super Bowl.
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Dropped after a big TD in the fourth quarter. Prime slot there.
Disneyland just announced that Patrick Mahomes will be at the park tomorrow with a Chiefs cavalcade heading down Main Street at 1:30pm.
good super bowl, good commercial
I thought the spot was fine. It was an interesting choice to juxtapose clips of original Disney animated films just before the more recent live-action remakes. I also thought it was an odd decision to use Walt as an overdub without ever really showing his face (they include a photo of him at an animating table near the beginning, but it's a pretty non-descript picture of him). I understand the point of the ad was to show the company adapting, growing, and changing over its 100 years, but have always felt that should a company like Disney should anchored by some type of icon, which has traditionally be Mickey, Jiminy Cricket, Tinkerbell, or Walt himself when celebrating its history.
The ad ranked pretty highly on Ad Meter (#9), so I guess it connected with its intended audience.
The top 10 list by EDO, which tracks online engagement:
• “The Flash” movie trailer
• He Gets Us (religious)
• Disney 100th anniversary
• Temu (online shopping app)
• Live Nation: U2 Live at the Sphere promo
• Blue Moon beer
• USFL promo
• Temu (online shopping app)
• “Air” movie trailer
• M&Ms “Ma&Ya’s Clams”
That is ... a list!
It was a freaking masterpiece. Got me right in the feels.
Very effective! I'm surprised my favorite ad of the night, the Doritos commercial where Jack Harlow leaves hiphop to become a professional triangle player, isn't getting more engagement. "No, it's ding ding ding DING, not ding ding DING ding" Priceless!
On a related note: why haven't any of the other parks reached out to the losers over the years to offer them an invitation?
Eagles fans are very ticked off over that controversial penalty call during the final two minutes that ultimately decided the game's outcome. Imagine the kind of goodwill Universal could get with those fans if they welcomed the players and said something along the lines of "Philadelphia, you're still winners in our book".
Universal Orlando: The Miss Congeniality of Theme Parks has a ring to it!
Wouldn't a golf course resort be a more appropriate destination to promote hosting a playoff loser?
hey-o!
Walt would be appalled at the corporate greed that has ruined his company. He would be sickened by the Woke agenda.
Walt would be appalled at the corporate greed that has ruined his company. He would be sickened by the Woke agenda.
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Beautiful.