Disney Blockbuster Season: How Disney Consumer Products is Gearing Up for Three Big Film Releases

This summer, The Walt Disney Company’s film lineup is stacked with potential blockbusters. Star Wars: The Mandalorian & Grogu, Toy Story 5, and Moana show Disney’s major investment in major theatrical releases. Once families get home from the theaters, they will be able to bring those films, plus Sony’s Spider-Man: Brand New Day to life with a wide variety of offerings from Disney.

With Toy Fair just around the corner, Disney Consumer Products is kicking off its Disney Blockbuster Season initiative, which will include product rollouts for these films and Disney’s other franchises. If you want to see how a summer film can find consumer products success, you need only to look to last year’s Lilo & Stitch, which generated more than $4 billion in merchandise sales in 2025.

To kick off Disney’s Blockbuster Season, we had the opportunity to ask some questions to Paul Gitter, executive vice president of global brand commercialization for Disney Consumer Products. 

Laughing Place: How do the products around these giant movies increase the connection we have with the stories?

Paul Gitter: At Disney, products are an extension of the storytelling. When a fan brings a piece of a film into their everyday life, whether fashion, toys, or home goods, it deepens the emotional connection with the story and characters. These products allow fans to live the story beyond the screen by recreating moments, expressing fandom or creating new memories. Disney Consumer Products’ Blockbuster Season campaign will tie an incredible movie slate together at retail and is aimed at driving cultural conversation and product crave.

LP: There are several giant films coming out, but they are also very different. How does this allow you to offer a wide variety of products?

PG: Each film has its own fanbase, audience and emotional hook that open the door to very different product expressions. From fashion collaborations to collectibles, toys and lifestyle products, we can create something for everyone, while still staying rooted in the DNA of each film. Disney Consumer Products’ Blockbuster Season campaign will fuel connectivity across the films and bring additional excitement at retail.

LP: As Lilo & Stitch showed, sometimes products can keep stories alive between releases and amplify the franchise when it returns to the screen. What was it like to see that film’s massive success on both fronts?

PG: Lilo & Stitch is a perfect example of how a story can grow into a global phenomenon. The characters and themes resonated so deeply that fans kept embracing them through products year after year. When the franchise returned to the screen, there was a multi‑generational fan base ready to engage.

LP: How do you ensure all your partners live up to Disney’s reputation for quality and storytelling?

PG: We’re intentional about who we work with and how we collaborate. Our teams partner closely with licensees from the earliest stages by sharing story context, character insights, and creative direction, and are on the journey the entire way so the merchandise stays true to the storytelling, as well as stay authentic to the licensee.

LP: How do filmmakers react to seeing their creations come to life in products?

PG: For many filmmakers, it’s incredibly moving and they’re often excited by how products can highlight details or themes they care about, sometimes even revealing new dimensions of the story. Many are fans and collectors are themselves.

Some of Disney’s biggest partners have fun in store for Blockbuster Season. LEGO will introduce new sets across Star Wars, Princess, Pixar, and Marvel. Crocs will debut special-edition collections rooted in fandom. Walmart will feature products all summer long as well. For more about upcoming products, follow Laughing Place’s coverage of Toy Fair starting Saturday and throughout Disney Blockbuster Summer.