Disney Consumer Products showcased how its brands are activated across fashion, wellness, film, sports, and music, teasing plans for Mickey Mouse’s 100th birthday and the continued expansion of the Frozen franchise.

Disney Consumer Products – Icons Unleashed

Disney Consumer Products “demonstrated how storytelling evolves into enduring franchises and lifestyle businesses” at this year’s Licensing Expo in Las Vegas. Their showcase theme was “Icons Unleashed,” framing Disney’s portfolio as “living cultural forces” with icons “designed to move, evolve, and surprise.”

Disney Consumer Products works with global licensees and retails across more than 180 countries and over 100 product categories.

“Licensing is a central way Disney storytelling shows up in consumers’ everyday lives,” said Paul Gitter, EVP, Global Brand Commercialization, Disney Consumer Products. “By expanding our iconic characters and stories across product categories and lifestyle collaborations, we deliver year‑round engagement and unlock new opportunities for our licensing partners to engage with consumers globally.” 

In addition to Gitter, the showcase featured Asad Ayaz, Chief Marketing and Brand Officer, The Walt Disney Company; Thomas Mazloum, Chairman, Disney Experiences; Lisa Baldzicki, President, Disney Consumer Products; Ayo Davis, President, Disney Branded Television; Kevin Feige, President, Marvel Studios and Chief Creative Officer, Marvel; Dave Filoni, President and Chief Creative Officer, Lucasfilm; and Trent Correy, Director, Frozen 3. Liamani Segura and Hudson Stone from the upcoming Disney Channel Original Movie Camp Rock 3 also appeared alongside West End performers from Frozen: The Hit Broadway Musical.

Disney’s upcoming film slate includes big releases from Disney Princesses, Pixar, Star Wars, and Marvel — all part of a Blockbuster Season that aligns consumer products with theatrical releases.

Disney highlighted five lifestyle pillars as part of their approach to licensing:

• Fashion — Establishing characters as global fashion icons by unlocking deeper designer access and premium collaborations, informed by recent initiatives like its multi-year partnership with Vogue, which invited creatives into the Disney archives to reinterpret Mickey Mouse through a modern lens ahead of his 100th anniversary in 2028.
• Food — Bringing characters into everyday life through food-centered experiences, like the STAR WARS Grogu Café and La La Land Kind Café’s Mickey & Friends collaboration, highlighting how food, design, and local community can come together to create shared spaces that extend storytelling beyond traditional retail. 
• Music — Deepening Disney’s presence in music‑led culture by pairing iconic characters with global talent and performance, building on culturally resonant moments like the Complex x BLACKPINK capsule that connected fashion, fandom and sound to new audiences. 
• Sports — Scaling sports‑driven storytelling into year‑round global platforms and collaborations like Formula 1’s “Fuel the Magic,” which blends competition, culture, content, and immersive fan experiences. 
• Wellness — Embedding brands more authentically into wellness and performance‑led lifestyles, building from momentum established through collaborations with brands like lululemon and adidas that show how fandom can translate seamlessly into activewear and everyday fitness.

Disney teased more plans for Mickey’s 100th anniversary. Gitter said, “As we build toward major brand milestones like Mickey Mouse’s 100th anniversary, early planning and global mobilization from our partners are essential — these moments are designed to unlock new collaborations, new creative expressions and new discovery of our IP.”

They also referenced the global expansion of Frozen with upcoming sequels and multiple Worlds of Frozen at Disney Parks, and additional momentum for franchises like Winnie the Pooh and Lilo & Stitch.

Disney Consumer Products is “future focused on early alignment, creative flexibility, and an expanded brand management system, unlocking new opportunities across categories, retailers, and collaborative models aimed at scaling fandom worldwide.”

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