When it came to opening a sequel to a classic animated movie, Disney didn’t rest on their laurels in selling Moana 2.
Already, the original 2016 2x Oscar nominated movie has a built-in faithful; the pic being one of the most viewed Disney movies on Disney+. Expanding the brand to a worldwide audience, the Burbank, CA lot executed a multi-prong, bespoke D-Day global marketing campaign, one whose stunts arguably rivaled that of Universal’s blitzkrieg for Wicked. While that Broadway musical adaptation had LEGOs, Mattel dolls and pricey consumer fashion attire, Moana 2 roared with a drone show over the Thames river, projectionmapping on the cliffs of Capri, Italy, an immersive 3D LED Tunnel 360° “Gallery” in Florence, Italy; a big digital splash around Korean’s Shinsegae department store, as well as beach-themed takeovers.
There was also a $100M worldwide promotional partner campaign, curated by Lylle Breier, Disney EVP of Partnerships, Promotions, Synergy & Events and her team, that brand list including a Moana 2 Hawaiian airlines wrap-around plane, Ono Hawaiian BBQ, California Pizza Kitchen, Verizon, Oral B, a custom mission with in-game patch notifications for Minecraft, Better Sour gummies, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, 100 Coconuts water, EVA NYC hair care products, jet ski and boat rental agency GetMyBoat, among many others.
Lest we forget about half billion-plus strong social media powerhouse Dwayne Johnson. His appearances included, but weren’t limited to, kicking off Moana 2‘s campaign at April’s CinemaCon in Las Vegas with the pic’s first footage unveiled. This followed by a big stage appearance at Disney’s D23 fan confab in Anaheim in August along with Moana herself, Auli’i Cravalho, not to mention a hysterical ESPN
