Disney is celebrating its first-ever Disney Week of Wishes to mark the 45th anniversary of the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
Silver Spring teen Aurora Dennison, who has been living with Crohn’s disease and arthritis, had her wish come true last year when she met the man behind her favorite Marvel character while visiting the set of the Marvel Studios film Thunderbolts*, which hits theaters this Friday.
Aurora spent the day with the Thunderbolts* cast, including Sebastian Stan, who plays Bucky Barnes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe superhero franchise, as well as Florence Pugh, David Harbour, Wyatt Russell, and Hannah John-Kamen, all while celebrating her 18th birthday.
But the moment that stayed with everyone came when Aurora, who had a replica of Bucky’s dog tags made, showed them to Sebastian. Without hesitation, he offered to swap them with the official prop tags he would wear in the scene, a gesture that she would never forget and would always be memorialized in the film.
“I think it’s incredibly humbling for us to feel that we have any impact for anybody, but especially someone that is from the Make-A-Wish program,” Stan said. “And I think anytime that we have an opportunity to interact face to face and just see the amount of joy and gratitude that some of these kids have, just from a simple hello or interaction, it fills you up and you go back out there and you want to do your job 10-time fold.”
“It’s inspiring in that way,” Stan added. “But I think it’s also a testament to these characters and these stories and that there really is something to these films. That they do communicate something to people and that they offer more than just escapism. Sometimes they do inspire, motivate, and harness strength, which is something that I think we all need.”
Disney is granting more than 170 signature wishes this week as part of the first-ever Disney Week of Wishes to create happiness for kids and families around the world.
The week kicked off on ABC News’ Good Morning America, taking viewers back to Disneyland, where the first official wish was granted. Now, 45 years later, a six-year-old from Washington State named Justice traveled to Disneyland, where her dream of being a princess came true.
Throughout Disney’s Week of Wishes, the company is spotlighting several different wishes taking place across its operations, as the world’s largest wish-granter for Make-A-Wish, which has granted more than 165,000 life-changing wishes — approximately one every hour, every day — since the first one at Disneyland in 1981.
“We’re enormously proud of Disney’s relationship with Make-A-Wish, which dates back nearly 45 years to the first official wish at Disneyland,” said Disney CEO Bob Iger. “It’s a privilege to use the power of Disney’s stories and characters to lift children’s spirits when they need it most, and we’re honored to work with Make-A-Wish to grant a Disney wish every hour of every day.”
Including Aurora’s wish granted, other wishes featured this week include meeting Luke Bryan of ABC’s American Idol; announcing an NFL draft pick that was broadcast on ESPN; having the ultimate Disney Princess experience at Once Upon A Wish Party, a storybook event at Walt Disney World for about 50 Make-A-Wish kids and their families; visiting Disneyland Resort, which is hosting nine wish kids and their families for a princess celebration; sailing on the Disney Cruise Line, which granted the wish of three kids who set sail aboard the fittingly named Disney Wish; and a Disney Store shopping spree and princess makeovers for two sisters, arranged by Disney Consumer Products.
Additionally, global Disney teams are also bringing happiness to wish kids around the world, including Disneyland Paris, which hosted 78 Make-A-Wish families for a special wish weekend; Disney’s Latin America office, which created the first-ever Princess wish event in Argentina for six wish kids and their families; and Disney teams across Asia are working with Make-A-Wish to grant wishes, inviting wish alums to franchise-themed experiences, and hosting activations at Shanghai Disney Store and Parks sites across the region.
“Disney has supported Make-A-Wish from the very beginning, and now 45 years later, we are making a greater impact together than ever before in honor of World Wish Day on April 29,” said Leslie Motter, president and CEO, Make-A-Wish America. “Disney Week of Wishes is a testament to the company’s steadfast commitment to delivering hope and joy when it’s needed most to wish kids and their families around the world.”
More information on Disney and Make-A-Wish is available online at wish.org/Disney.
Photos Courtesy of The Walt Disney Company