Burbank, Monday, 10 November 2025.
Disney rolled out a content-first holiday activation this Monday with an original short film directed by Taika Waititi and starring the voice of John Goodman, anchoring the ‘Make Someone’s Holiday Magic’ campaign on Disney+. The kid-centric short—about a girl and her doodle that comes to life—serves as a strategic lever to boost subscriber engagement, extend merchandising windows, and feed park, retail and hospitality promotions across the seasonal calendar. For retail and experiential teams, the campaign’s integrated timeline, a Holiday Magic Tour visiting over 20 cities in December, and interactive moments like a Times Square doodle billboard signal coordinated opportunities for timed IP monetization and community activations. The collaboration with established animation talent and creative agencies underscores Disney’s playbook: talent-led storytelling that cross-promotes legacy franchises while creating short-form exclusives to improve retention. Expect tighter synchronization between content premieres, in-store assortments and park-driven experiences throughout the peak spending period this holiday season.
Launch and creative anchor
Disney premiered an original short, A Disney Holiday Short: Best Christmas Ever, on Disney+ this Monday as the creative centerpiece of a broader seasonal push titled “Make Someone’s Holiday Magic,” with acclaimed director Taika Waititi at the helm and John Goodman providing the voice of the character Doodle [1][2]. The short’s kid‑centric premise — a girl whose doodle comes to life on Christmas Day — and the involvement of Walt Disney Animation Studios talent were highlighted in Disney’s announcement as part of the campaign rollout [1][3].
Integrated marketing timeline and activations
The company paired the short’s release with a coordinated marketing timeline that includes a Holiday Magic Tour visiting more than 20 cities in December, community activations, donations, and experiential stunts such as a Times Square doodle billboard interactive moment — all spelled out in Disney’s campaign materials and news release [2][3]. Those field activations are explicitly linked to in‑market holiday retail and park activations, with calls for fans to engage with Disney Store locations, the Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort donation points, and other consumer touchpoints [3].
Strategic aims: subscriber engagement and retention
Disney frames the short and campaign as a content‑first seasonal activation designed to drive subscriber engagement on Disney+ — a tactic consistent with the company’s strategy of using exclusive, high‑profile short‑form originals to create appointment viewing moments that support retention and cross‑sell opportunities across its ecosystem [1][2]. The announcement links the premiere to both legacy holiday catalogue promotion and new seasonal premieres on the streaming service, positioning the short as a timed acquisition and retention lever during the peak consumer spending period [1][2].
Merchandising and experiential monetization windows
Disney’s campaign materials explicitly tie the short to merchandising and experiential extensions: consumer products initiatives labelled “Unleash the Holidays” will roll out franchises including Disney, Pixar, Marvel and Star Wars, and the Holiday Magic Tour is described as delivering toy drives, exclusive screenings and park‑adjacent surprises — signals that retail teams and park operations can synchronize product assortments and timed promotions around the campaign calendar [3][2]. The company also highlighted longstanding partnerships for seasonal charitable programs as part of the tour and in‑store activations [3].
Creative partnerships and production collaborators
Disney emphasized the role of established creative partners and animation advisors in the short’s production: Taika Waititi returns after directing the Emmy®‑nominated A Disney Holiday Short: The Boy & The Octopus, and the new short lists Eric Goldberg as an animation advisor, with production collaborators including Untold Studios, producer hungryman, and creative agency adam&eveDDB — details provided in Disney’s press materials [1][3]. Those credits underscore the company’s playbook of talent‑led storytelling to create premium seasonal content [1][3].
Implications for parks, retail and wider industry context
For theme park and retail executives, the campaign demonstrates an integrated approach to seasonal monetization: a short‑form premiere creates a discrete promotional moment that marketing, merchandising, and park operations can schedule around, while tour activations and in‑market experiential stunts create additional local engagement opportunities and earned media — all outlined in Disney’s campaign description and Holiday Magic Tour plans [2][3]. Industry stakeholders can therefore expect coordinated timing across channels and the potential for increased foot traffic and merchandise conversion tied to content premiere windows [2][3].
Operational notes and timing
Disney’s public materials set clear operational milestones tied to the campaign: the short and campaign launch on Monday, the Holiday Magic Tour beginning in December and toy donation windows running through mid‑ to late‑December at Disney retail and resort locations as specified in Disney’s guidance [1][2][3]. Those dates provide purchase‑and‑event planners with concrete windows for aligning assortments, staffing and park experiences to the campaign calendar [3].
Bronnen