In celebration of Disney+ Day on November 12, Disney has announced they will build on its commitment to children’s hospitals and places of care by expanding access to the Disney+ platform to help ease the fear and anxiety of a hospital visit into over 30 countries worldwide from the beginning of 2022, with over half of those markets anticipated to be in EMEA.
The announcement comes on the back of two pilot programmes carried out in 2020/2021, one in North America and the other here in Europe in five key Disney partner hospitals in the UK, France, and Germany, where Disney, and children’s charity partner MediCinema, gained insights from child patients, play specialists, and Paediatric Health Care Professionals with the aim to better understand how integrating free access to Disney+ can improve the children’s hospital experience and help support their emotional resilience. The outcomes showed that 100% of the hospital staff who took part in the pilot agreed that Disney+ makes a positive difference to the children’s experience, and felt strongly that the service should be extended within hospital environments beyond the pilot.
Throughout November 2021, Disney will reach out to paediatric specialist staff at hospitals and other paediatric places of care across EMEA as part of their existing partnership with Disney to identify if Disney+ access will be a valuable tool for them when supporting patients. Information on who we support and Disney’s EMEA charitable giving guidelines can be found here.
Dr Joseph Aroulandom, Head of the Paediatric Emergency Department at Trousseau Hospital in Paris, France, commented on the use of Disney+ in hospital: “A visit in the emergency room generates a lot of fear and anxiety in children. Moreover, some of these children may experience painful conditions. Providing a positive alternative for a child who experiences pain has been shown to improve pain relief and experience in addition to painkillers. The use of the Disney+ application greatly improves the children experience during their stay in our department.
This is why the team from the emergency department at Trousseau Hospital in Paris would like to thank the Disney+ platform for their partnership..”
Since Disney’s $100m commitment in 2018 to continue its longstanding support of children’s hospitals and places of care, Disney has supported over 750 hospitals worldwide through the creation of immersive experiences and personal moments that deliver comfort and inspiration, helping reimagine the patient journey. Disney has done this by transforming hospital spaces with interactive, purpose-led installations and activities that bring our beloved—and familiar—characters and treasured Disney stories to life.
In EMEA, Disney has created Moments That Matter in hospitals and places of care for patients and those closest to them through tailor-made activities with paediatric Health Care Professionals to reduce fear and anxiety. Examples across Europe include the Disney Reef at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London, through its long-standing Medicinemna partnership, its 45,000 Moments that Matter Adventure Packs as part of the Ultimate Princess Celebration campaign, the Happy Kits project in France and Spain, and the Philips x Disney Healthcare Experience pilot which is ongoing in various markets across the region.
In a recent study carried out by the New Economics Foundation, it was identified that in addition to creating a positive experience, well-known Disney characters help build trust for children in anxious circumstances. The research, also identifies that, through the power of Disney’s storytelling and characters, it can inspire and create positive feelings, experiences and memories helping children and young people to cope where and when they need it most.
Disney’s support for children’s hospitals and places of care dates back to Walt Disney himself. Walt would bring animators and characters to brighten the days of hospitalized children across the world, and he personally visited Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital in the UK in 1951, with some of his animators to bring some joy and inspiration.
To find out more about Disney+ Day in EMEA, including new titles launching in the region, a new original title from Spain and new casting details, click here.
About MediCinema
MediCinema is a charity which improves the wellbeing and quality of life of NHS patients and their families through the power of the shared cinema experience and the magic of film. It builds and runs cinemas in hospitals equipped with space for beds, wheelchairs, and medical equipment. Its services help to improve emotional, mental, and physical health, reducing feelings of isolation, anxiety, and stress, and increasing patient resilience. Since MediCinema was founded in 1999 it has given nearly 230,000 experiences to patients, their families, carers and those closest to them. MediCinema operates cinemas in the following: Guy’s, St Thomas’ and Chelsea and Westminster Hospitals in London, Newcastle’s Royal Victoria Infirmary, the Southern General Hospital in Glasgow and Serennu Children’s Centre in Newport, South Wales.