Disney UK has joined forces with Little Inventors to encourage kids to channel their creativity and imaginations to come up with invention ideas that could help change the world.

New research reveals that ‘being kind to others’, ‘people not having enough to eat’ and ‘protecting animals and their habitats’, are among the top 10 issues that UK children are most concerned about in 2019.

The poll of over 1,000 4 – 14 year-old girls and boys was commissioned by Disney UK, as part of its Dream Big, Princess campaign, which asked children to identify the issues that they most want to fix or improve in the world, ranging from cleaning the ocean, to world hunger.

The research also found that children are becoming more socially conscious with 64 per cent feeling that they have the power to make the world around them a better place. Almost half (48 per cent) of all children polled also said they were prepared to stand up for the things they believe in, with 23 per cent having already campaigned about things they care about at school. Nine per cent of children have even written to the Prime Minister or their local MP to ask that they look into an issue they are worried about.

Understanding that these issues are front of mind for a generation of socially conscious children, Disney has partnered with invention experts, Little Inventors, to inspire them to share ideas that could help change the world. Harnessing the qualities of the Disney Princess characters, from Ariel’s curiosity to Merida’s bravery, children are being encouraged to use their incredible imaginations to come up with invention ideas with no limits – they can share these ideas at www.littleinventors.org/disneyprincess. The girl or boy behind the best invention submitted will receive a one-of-a-kind piece of artwork of themselves brought to life by Walt Disney Animation Studios legendary animator, Mark Henn, who animated Ariel, Jasmine, Tiana, Mulan, and Belle.

The research also revealed that 77 per cent of children aged five agreed that they have the power to change the world. However, this belief diminishes with age, with only 53 per cent of children aged 13 believing this to be true. In addition, 40 per cent of all children feel that adults don’t listen to their ideas enough.

In answer to where children find their information about issues facing the world today, school is named the number one source (49 per cent), followed by their parents (42 per cent), then online channels such as YouTube (27 per cent).

 Marianthi O’Dwyer, Vice President at The Walt Disney Company, says: “Disney Princesses have inspired generations of children to dream big and believe in themselves. From the free-spirited and determined Jasmine, to the adventurous Rapunzel, the Princess stories show time and time again how incredibly resilient they are, overcoming obstacles with courage and changing their world in their own special way! We believe it’s important to inspire young people to have the courage to right wrongs and use their wonderful imaginations to make the world a better place and we hope to see as many children as possible get inventing and take part in this inspiring Little Inventors campaign.”

Katherine Mengardon, Chief Educator and Head of Operations at Little Inventors, says: “Children need to know that what they think and what they do can have the power to make a difference. It is these sparks of light that unlock potential, that sharpen determination and build confidence. It’s great to see Disney using the power of its Princesses to nurture, encourage and celebrate creativity and inventiveness in this way. Children have such a wonderful way of seeing the world without the constraints that creep in with age and experience and I can’t wait to see what incredible ideas they will come up with as part of this challenge.”

Amali de Alwis, CEO of Code First: Girls and judge of the Dream Big Princess Competition, says: “It’s so powerful to hear children say that they want to make the world better and that they also feel empowered to do so. Through my work I get to see how with a little support and encouragement we can support girls to do incredible things. Especially with children becoming socially conscious at such a young age, it’s vital that young children feel that they have the tools and a platform to be creative, and I’m excited to see this campaign encourage and support children to realise their great ideas.”

TOP 10 THINGS THAT CHILDREN MOST WANT TO CHANGE IN THE WORLD:

1. Being kinder to others
2. People not having enough food to eat
3. People not having any money
4. Protecting animals and their habitats
5. Making sure everyone has a home
6. Cleaning plastic from the oceans
7. Wars around the world
8. Boys and girls being treated the same
9. Cleaning up litter
10. People not having access to clean water

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Household towel brand Plenty is collaborating with Disney ahead of the hotly-anticipated launch of the Disney∙Pixar film Incredibles 2, which will be released in UK cinemas on July 13^th.

Manchester-based marketing agency Blue Chip has created an on-pack promotion for Plenty which runs across two million Plenty ‘The Stylish One ‘packs. The activity aims to recruit younger families into the category by offering the chance to instantly win one of 10,000 Incredibles 2 plush toys. Plus there is a prize draw to win an adventure holiday for a family of five to visit Queenstown, New Zealand.

To enter, consumers must visit www.plentywins.co.uk/incredibles2 and provide their full name, contact telephone number and a genuine email address along with the unique code found on the inside of every promotional pack. There are 10,000 Disney∙Pixar Incredibles 2 plush toys to be won instantly online. The toys are around 7 inches tall and represent the main characters of the Incredibles 2 film – Bob Parr (Mr Incredible), Helen Parr (Elastigirl), and their children Dash, Violet and Jack Jack.

Winner selection is via ‘winning moments’.

In addition to the instant win, everyone who enters their unique code online at the microsite, whether they have won a toy or not, will be put into a random prize draw to win a holiday to Queenstown, New Zealand for a family of five.

There is a No Purchase Necessary entry route for Northern Ireland. In the Republic of Ireland, where the law requires that brands operating prize draws where consumers have to buy a product to enter must partner with a charity which has been granted a lottery license, Plenty is working with LauraLynn Children’s Hospice.

The promotion went live this week and will be supported with a full media campaign including TV, social and in-store throughout the summer months.

Jess Harper, Account Director at Blue Chip, says: “This promotion will really inject some fun and excitement into the Household Towel category, not only by adding value with every pack, but also through recruiting younger families into the category and ultimately driving incremental volume.”

The release of the Incredibles 2 film sees Helen (voiced by Holly Hunter) being called on to help bring Supers back, while Bob (voice of Craig T. Nelson) navigates the day-to-day heroics of “normal” life at home. Meanwhile, a new villain hatches a brilliant and dangerous plot that only the Incredibles, working together, can overcome.

Consumers can enter on the microsite until 30^th November 2018. All valid entrants will be submitted into the prize draw for the holiday prize, the winner of which will be drawn on 3^rd December 2018.

The Plenty brand is owned by Essity, formerly part of SCA, the giant Swedish paper products group. Other Essity brands include Cushelle paper towels and the TENA range of personal hygiene products.

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British sporting champions Tom Daley and Becky Adlington have joined forces with Disney, Change4Life and the Amateur Swimming Association (ASA) and are encouraging children to ‘just keep moving’ this summer, as they launch nationwide interactive family swim sessions and a brand new 10 Minute Shake Up campaign – all inspired by the new Disney·Pixar blockbuster, Finding Dory.

The campaign sees the launch of themed family swim sessions at hundreds of pools across the UK as well as new 10 Minute Shake Up activities, in a bid to make exercise fun and help children get the 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity they need each day.

The Finding Dory inspired swim sessions, which are co-created with the ASA and run from 22^nd July until 4^th September, will provide an hour of in-water storytelling for the whole family, teaching children key swimming skills as they are taken on a journey with Dory and friends, led by trained instructors.

The Change4Life 10 Minute Shake Ups with Disney are back for a third summer to encourage children to get the 60 minutes of moderate to intense physical activity they need each day with fun 10 minute bursts of activity.

For 2016, there are even more interactive Shake Ups than last year, including those inspired by Finding Dory, which set a box office record for an animated film when it opened in the United States in June.

British diving champion Tom Daley and double Olympic Gold medal-winning swimmer and mum Becky Adlington are supporting the initiative. Tom is starring in a series of short films, which show that even serious athletes can take time for 10 minutes of fun, whilst Becky is sharing her top tips for inspiring children to get active in and out of the pool.

To coincide with the launch of the campaign, Disney, Change4Life and the ASA commissioned a survey of more than 1,000 children aged 5 to 11 and their parents on their attitudes towards physical activity.

The survey revealed that three quarters of children aged 5 to 11 (73%) want to do more physical activity, and 56% of children miss taking part in school PE lessons over the summer. Finding ways for their children to be active is a challenge faced by families, with 61% of parents saying they struggle for ideas during the school holidays.

The research showed that more than half of children (55%) said that swimming is one of their favourite ways to keep physically active during the summer holidays. 39% of 5 to 11 year olds also said that they would want to go swimming more often if they could go with family members.

Physical activity helps children build social skills, boost self-confidence, improve bone and heart health and maintain a healthy weight, yet just 21% of boys and 16% of girls currently meet the national recommended level of activity of 60 minutes each day.

Tom Daley says: “Most people look at professional athletes and see the years of training and dedication they have put in, but do sometimes forget that what we do is also really fun and exciting. I’m a massive Disney fan myself and can’t think of a better way to get kids enjoying being active than combining their favourite stories and characters with exercise – whether that’s a Finding Dory swim session where families can learn key ASA skills or a Change4Life 10 Minute Shake Up game kids can play with their friends in the park. For me, showing that sport is not a chore and really has a fun side is an important message and I’m thrilled to be supporting this campaign”.

More information on Disney and Finding Dory inspired 10 Minute Shake Ups is available at Change4Life online. Swim sessions can be booked at www.disney.co.uk/justkeepmoving.

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