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Disney launches World Princess Week with a new Disney+ short film and expanded streaming, TV and retail programming
The Apex Times

THE APEX TIMES

Business/The Apex Times/Aug 17, 1:25 PM EDT

Disney launches World Princess Week with a new Disney+ short film and expanded streaming, TV and retail programming

The Walt Disney Company kicked off its annual, week-long celebration of Disney Princess characters with an all-new Alex Prager-directed short on Disney+, additional Disney+ premieres, broadcast reruns, partnerships with Make-A-Wish, and new consumer-product and theme-park activations.

5 min readEditor-approved Apex article

Disney is turning up the volume on its Disney Princess franchise again, launching World Princess Week on Disney+ with a new animated short film and rolling out a broader slate of content, live and digital experiences, and retail tie-ins across its global media and consumer ecosystem. The company positioned the week as both a storytelling celebration and a multigenerational brand moment built around the idea that Disney Princess stories endure beyond childhood.

The centerpiece of the event is an all-new Disney+ release titled Once A Princess, Always A Princess: A Disney Short Film, directed by filmmaker Alex Prager. According to Disney, the story follows two girls who live in neighboring apartment buildings and become instant friends through their shared love of Disney Princess stories. The short then moves forward years later, when the friends pass those stories and traditions to their own daughters, reinforcing the company’s message that the franchise connects people across stages of life.

Disney said the short film is designed as a mix of heartfelt storytelling and “practical craftsmanship,” with production elements meant to feel tangible rather than purely digital. The company described handcrafted “bigature” castles inspired by Disney Animation films including Beauty and the Beast (1991), Aladdin (1992), and The Little Mermaid (1989). It also cited custom puppets representing characters, hand-painted matte backdrops, and a custom score performed by a 56-piece live orchestra. Disney added that effects such as floating magic carpets and underwater adventure sequences were executed through practical techniques and physical artistry.

In addition to the Disney+ launch, Disney announced that more Disney+ programming will arrive during the week. The company said Sofia the First: Royal Magic will add new episodes, and it will also debut LEGO Disney Princess: Magical Mayhem on August 21 on Disney+. Disney described the LEGO special as an all-new adventure bringing together multiple Disney Princess characters, including Ariel, Jasmine, Mulan, Moana, Rapunzel, Snow White, and Tiana, plus sidekicks, as the princesses try to help animals during a rainstorm and the situation escalates inside their castle.

Disney’s broadcast footprint will also join the celebration. The company said its linear channels, including ABC, Disney Junior, Disney Channel, and Freeform, will air Disney Princess films throughout the week, naming titles such as Tangled (2010), Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Mulan, and others. Separately, Disney said TikTok is running a U.S. and select international activation for Disney Princess fans, including a bespoke World Princess Week Search Hub and a “Search Easter Egg” featuring all 13 princess characters, along with collectible cards fans can download and share.

Beyond screens and broadcasts, Disney tied World Princess Week to a charitable partnership with Make-A-Wish. Disney said it and Make-A-Wish would grant “signature Disney Princess wishes” around the world during the campaign, and that a storytelling thread, including an all-new miniseries, will highlight how families connect with Disney Princess stories and how wish experiences continue to resonate after they are granted. Disney said it has granted thousands of princess-themed wishes with Make-A-Wish, describing it as one of the most popular requests among children facing critical illnesses.

The company also expanded the brand’s presence in events and live entertainment. Disney said Angel City Football Club hosted a Disney Princess Night the night before the World Princess Week launch, including themed entertainment, immersive activations, and an on-field halftime performance by Anika Noni Rose (Tony Award-winning actress and singer). Disney said Lauren Paley delivered a rendition of the National Anthem, and that in-stadium programming included interactive crafts, themed accessories, photo opportunities with Disney Princess characters, custom videoboard content, and special moments throughout the match.

Theme parks and resorts were part of the pitch as well. Disney said it offers year-round Disney Princess offerings, and highlighted a new Disney Princess Cavalcade at Disneyland Paris created exclusively for Disney Adventure World, featuring Moana, Rapunzel, Tiana, and Raya. It also said the Disney Princess Experience, an all-new immersive adventure inspired by princess stories, is currently in development, with details to be announced, after the company previewed the concept during a panel at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event.

On the consumer-products side, Disney said Disney Consumer Products would extend World Princess Week through retail and digital experiences globally, pointing to toys, fashion, beauty, and home décor as categories designed to help children connect through play and give young adults ways to express personal ties to the brand. Specific product examples named by Disney included transformation dolls from Mattel, an interactive “Dance with Me Belle” doll from JAKKS Pacific launching this fall that lets kids dance alongside Belle in three ways, lab-grown diamond charms from Pandora, Tangled-inspired bags from Loungefly, and new Disney Store merchandise including Disney Princess costume dresses and Disney Store exclusive bedside décor. Disney framed the week as an umbrella moment across streaming, media, parks, and consumer goods that underscores its view of Disney Princess storytelling as enduring, evolving, and resilient with each generation.

Still, the company’s public announcement does not break out expected viewing metrics, subscription impacts, or financial targets tied to World Princess Week, nor does it specify performance goals for the campaign’s retail or TikTok activations. Disney also did not quantify how many wishes are planned or when every wish will be granted, leaving the scope of the Make-A-Wish effort and other on-the-ground activities less granular than some prior campaigns might be.

What to watch next is how Disney+ and Disney’s broader distribution channels use the World Princess Week slate to drive engagement during the week-long window, particularly around the new Once A Princess, Always A Princess short and the August 21 LEGO Disney Princess debut. The company also indicated that longer-term brand building is still underway, with the Disney Princess Experience in development and additional details expected, which could define how the franchise’s storytelling moves further into immersive experiences.

Why It Matters

  • World Princess Week functions as an integrated brand push that connects Disney+ content, broadcast programming, social media activations, charitable storytelling, and consumer products.
  • By emphasizing a practical, craftsmanship-heavy short film and involving a notable filmmaker, Disney is leaning into differentiation within its streaming original and franchise content strategy.
  • The multi-channel rollout suggests Disney is using the franchise to keep engagement high during a defined window, while also seeding longer-term interest in next-step experiences such as the Disney Princess Experience.
  • Partnerships with Make-A-Wish and platform tie-ins like TikTok expand the franchise’s reach beyond Disney’s owned channels, reinforcing audience discoverability.

Sources

Key Facts

  • Disney kicked off World Princess Week with the release of Once A Princess, Always A Princess: A Disney Short Film on Disney+, directed by Alex Prager.
  • The short film follows two young girls who become friends through Disney Princess stories, and later shows the friends sharing those traditions with their own daughters.
  • Disney said the production emphasized practical craftsmanship, including handcrafted “bigature” castles, custom puppets, hand-painted matte backdrops, and a 56-piece live orchestra score.
  • During the week, Disney+ will add new episodes of Sofia the First: Royal Magic and debut LEGO Disney Princess: Magical Mayhem on August 21.
  • Disney plans World Princess Week programming across ABC, Disney Junior, Disney Channel, and Freeform, and it highlighted specific films including Tangled, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and Mulan.
  • Disney said it is partnering with Make-A-Wish to grant signature Disney Princess wishes worldwide, and it described World Princess Week themed programming in partnership with TikTok and a Disney Princess Night hosted by Angel City Football Club.

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