A new campaign anchored in shared memory
The Walt Disney Company premieres a new brand spot, "Through Time", during Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest on ABC on December 31, 2025, opening a brand campaign that runs across the company's media properties and partner platforms throughout 2026.1 The film follows a fan named Paige and her family as they revisit home videos and shared moments built around Disney products, films, and parks across several decades of her life.1
The campaign is positioned as the first instalment in a broader series.1 According to Joanna Balikian, Senior Vice President of Brand Management at The Walt Disney Company, the work is intended to spotlight the everyday role Disney plays in fans' lives.1, 2 The spot moves between archival home video footage and present-day scenes, with emphasis on intergenerational continuity rather than on individual product properties.3 No specific theatrical release, theme park anniversary, or streaming title is referenced, signalling a deliberate move toward umbrella brand storytelling rather than promotional cross-sell.
"Through Time" continues a recent emphasis on emotional, narrative-driven brand work that has shaped Disney's marketing since its centenary year in 2023. The campaign is scheduled to expand with additional vignettes and regional adaptations during the first half of 2026.
Source: Disney Youtube
Written with AI assistance, edited by a human. Find out more about our Use of AI.
1. The Walt Disney Company, "Disney Kicks Off the New Year with All-New Heartwarming Brand Spot Sharing Treasured Disney Memories Through Time", 31 December 2025, for the premiere of "Through Time" during Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest on ABC on 31 December 2025, for the film following Paige and her family as they share home videos and revisit the Disney memories made throughout their lives, from a favourite Minnie Mouse doll to visits to Disney Parks, for the spot being described there as the first video of a larger series, and for the name, job title and stated intent of Joanna Balikian, Senior Vice President, Brand Management, The Walt Disney Company, whose statement frames the work around the connection fans have with Disney and the lifelong memories made with it. The release names the ABC broadcast as the only placement and sets out no further distribution across media properties or partner platforms and no schedule for 2026. https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/news/through-time-new-year/
2. MARKETECH APAC, Sharona Nicole Semilla, "Disney premieres 'Through Time' brand campaign to honour generations of shared memories", 2 January 2026, and AnimationXpress, "Disney unveils new brand spot cherishing memories to kick off the new year", 2 January 2026, both off whitelist and used for corroboration only, for Joanna Balikian's job title as Senior Vice President of Brand Management at The Walt Disney Company and for the reading of the campaign as spotlighting the everyday role Disney plays in the lives of fans and families, which MARKETECH APAC states as the first in a broader series spotlighting how Disney touches lives daily. https://marketech-apac.com/disney-premieres-through-time-brand-campaign-to-honour-generations-of-shared-memories/ https://animationxpress.com/latest-news/disney-unveils-new-brand-spot-cherishing-memories-to-kick-off-the-new-year/
3. LaughingPlace.com, Tony Betti, "Disney Launches New Emotional Ad Campaign with New Year's Debut of 'Through Time'", 31 December 2025, WDW News Today, Shannen Ace, "New Emotional Disney Commercials Celebrate Lifelong Memories of Fans", 31 December 2025, and Fantasy Land News, Greg Gately, "Disney Harnesses the Power of Nostalgia with New 2026 Brand Campaign", 1 January 2026, all off whitelist and used for corroboration only, for the construction of the spot, which runs archival home video footage spanning decades against present-day scenes and closes on a shift to Paige's father, and for its emphasis on memories shared across generations, the merchandise and park visits it shows standing in for a life rather than for any single Disney title or property. https://www.laughingplace.com/disney-parks/disney-ad-through-time/ https://wdwnt.com/2025/12/new-emotional-disney-commercials-celebrate-lifelong-memories-fans/ https://www.fantasylandnews.com/2026/01/01/disney-harnesses-the-power-of-nostalgia-with-new-2026-brand-campaign/
