Disney’s plans to launch an unspecified program titled One More Disney Day may be connected with a special announcement scheduled as part of the Friday programming at the D23 expo on August 19.  Stitchkingdom.com has connected the new program with the announcement and suggested that the program may be a revival of the 2010 Give a Day, Get a Disney Day program.  That initiative proved so popular that it reached capacity and closed after a few months due to the unprecedented response.

Disney press releases regarding the “special announcement” draw clear connections between the statement and activities at Disney’s Corporate Citizenship pavilion, a location being used to promote Disney’s environmental projects with a scavenger hunt that will lead visitors through D23 to boost their “environmental I.Q.”  The booth will also promote Disney’s Friends for Change, a program targeted at children and pre-teens, encouraging them to pledge to change the environment and participate in activities tied to preserving the planet.

The announcement is scheduled Friday August 18 during to a “storytelling” session featuring Dave Barry, Ridley Pearson, and David Arquette.  Barry and Pearson are the authors of Peter and the Starcatchers, a trilogy of young adult books promoted as a trilogy to J M Barrie’s classic Peter Pan.  The novels,  featuring porpoises that help the main characters, have been used in classrooms as a way of teaching young learners about the importance of the ecosystem and environmental responsibility.  The addition of David Arquette, star of Jake and the Neverland Pirates on Disney Junior targets an even younger audience as well as reinforcing the Peter Pan theme of the group.

Leslie Goodman, Senior Vice President of Disney Corporate Citizenship emphasized the connection between the books and the environmental activities, commenting that ” “By nurturing young readers we help support creativity and imagination, an important part of our citizenship mission at Disney.” That focus on young people’s creativity is echoed on the Friends for Change website, where participants are encouraged to be creative in finding ways to help the environment, and on the Disney Corporate Citizenship site where innovative school projects are selected for reward.

If the One More Disney Day program is to be launched with this special announcement, it seems highly likely that it will be tied into community involvement, particularly environmental preservation. Targeted at children and their families, the program may be more than a reprise of the broad volunteerism embraced by the Give a Day, Get a Disney Day program. It may instead focus on environmental concerns and emphasize the impact that young people and their creativity may have on preserving the planet.

Well aware of the overwhelming response to the 2010 volunteer initiative, it seems likely that Disney will design One More Disney Day for greater longevity.  Speculation suggests that the program may specifically offer an additional day on guests’ existing vacations, essentially serving as an “earned” discount.  The rumored promotion has also sparked theories and questions about participation by international guests, who were unable to participate in the 2010 initiative, and annual passholders, who were offered a variety of alternative benefits in the earlier promotion.

If the D23 Announcement centers on One More Disney Day, it is clear that the denizens of Neverland will serve as its icons, much as the Muppets did for the earlier promotion.  Not only does that allow Disney marketing to emphasize environmental conservation as an “adventure,” it also provides appeal for both boys (Peter and the Lost Boys) and girls (Disney’s successful fairies line).

Although it lasted only a few months, the Give a Day, Get a Disney Day promotion generated strong response, not only as proof of Disney’s commitment to community responsibility but also among those who participated, many of whom cite a new enjoyment of volunteering.  Beyond mere corporate posturing, Disney’s offering of a One more Disney Day promotion tied to conservation and literacy, both literal and environmental, will help to cement their image as dedicated to involving children and families in social responsibility.

For more details on the special announcement, watch the Chip and Co website during D23 on Friday August 18.

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