The click of a seatbelt. The whistle of a train. The whir of a soft serve machine. These are the kinds of sounds that fill a day at a Disney park — and they're also the heartbeat of a brand-new documentary-style ad called \"Sounds of Disney.\" Set to the melody of Steamboat Willie, one of Disney's most iconic tunes, the ad weaves those everyday moments together to paint a picture of Disney's nationwide economic impact.
Some of those sounds belong to Cast Members at work — a nod to the more than 403,000 jobs Disney supports nationwide. Others represent the products and services supplied by small and local businesses that keep Disney's various destinations running every single day. Together, those sounds represent a piece of Disney's annual U.S. economic impact of $67 billion.
The Businesses Behind the Sounds
Delivering Disney experiences takes a broad network of suppliers and service providers across the country. Four of them show up in the ad's soundscape:
- Le Chef Bakery (Montebello, Calif.): A young guest enjoying a muffin represents this bakery, which has supplied cakes, fresh baked goods, and mixes for Disney parks and resorts for over 20 years.
- Southeast Dairy Processors (Tampa, Fla.): A swirl of soft serve ice cream showcases this longtime dairy supplier that has supported Walt Disney World since its opening day in 1971.
- Chef's Garden (Huron, Ohio): A Cast Member chopping vegetables highlights this family-owned specialty produce farm, which has supplied fruits and vegetables to Walt Disney World for more than 20 years.
- Sobel Westex (Las Vegas): A Cast Member straightening a pillowcase depicts this linen supplier, which has outfitted Disneyland Resort, Walt Disney World, and Disney Cruise Line for more than 20 years.
These four are just a fraction of the thousands of businesses Disney Experiences works with in all 50 states, many of them small or family-owned.
How Did Sound Become the Star?
Nicole Figueroa-Sierra, Associate Producer with Disney's internal creative agency, Main Street, shaped the ad's direction — finding a fun way to help audiences understand the important role small businesses play in every Disney visit.